As Montreal store renews popular tradition, meet its first female bagpiper

It was pouring rain on Friday, but nothing could wipe the smile off of Jenna Dennison’s face as she reported for her first day of work.

After a few years’ hiatus, the Holt Renfrew Ogilvy department store in downtown Montreal decided to bring back its resident bagpiper.

And Dennison was a perfect fit for the job.

“We went through some auditions and we were really taken by Jenna, by her talent and approachability,” said Natalie Lord, divisional vice-president and general manager at Holt Renfrew Ogilvy.

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Some, however, might be excused for thinking fate had a little something to do with it.

“When I first moved to Montreal, I was about 10 or 11 years old, and the first time I saw a bagpiper up close was actually here,” Dennison said.

“The sound really moved me, and I always remember that experience.”

It wasn’t until her teens, though, that Dennison decided to take up the pipes.

She says she did it as an “act of rebellion.”

“Luckily, my parents were very supportive and very patient,” Dennison said.

Now, 16 years later, Dennison is back where it all began.

“This is a huge honour,” she said of her new gig, not only because she is the first woman to hold the position, but because of those who came before.

“The other pipers, they’ve been my teachers, they’ve been my role models,” she said. “So to be able to be the next one carrying on this tradition is just a big honour.”

And while Dennison is keen to carry on with tradition, she does plan to bring a little something new to the mix.

“I think my favorite part of being Holt Renfrew Ogilvy bagpiper is that it’s not just purely traditional music, she said. “I get the liberty to incorporate some of my own compositions and some contemporary bagpipe music.”

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