Most Friday afternoons, at the corner of King and Bay, a bagpiper plays to end the week for all of us downtown core workers

Most Friday afternoons, at the corner of King and Bay, a bagpiper plays to end the week for all of us downtown core workers. Is he employed by a nearby financial institution, or is he just a bonny busker?—Nancy Bramm, The Danforth

A kilt-clad Perry Gauthier has been serenading the secretaries and stockbrokers since 1987, when he moved to Toronto from the highlands of northern Ontario. Today he’s a full-time piper, filling the rest of his weeks with weddings, funerals and other gigs, many scored during his TGIF jams. In addition to such classics as “Auld Lang Syne” and “Amazing Grace,” he plays more unusual numbers, tunes like ABBA’s “Fernando” and Petula Clark’s “Downtown.” Christmas brings out the carols, while St. Paddy’s Day means Irish drinking songs. But this past Robbie Burns Day, Gauthier let down the Scottish side by taking a day off; sometimes a kilt just isn’t enough to keep the wintry winds at bay.