Mahrla Manning has played the bagpipes for more than twenty years. A life-long resident of El Paso, Texas, she graduated from Bel Air High School, where she was first introduced to the instrument. Upon graduation from the University of Texas at El Paso (BS, Elementary Education), Mahrla initially went to work for White Sands Missile Range; however, realizing that music was her passion, she resigned from her job to pursue music (especially the bagpipes).

Mahrla has performed hundreds of solo bagpiping functions for weddings, funerals, special events, etc. She founded the city community pipe band, Empyre Pipes & Drums in 2002, which performs several times a year for military and city social functions.

Mahrla has also performed with the UTEP Symphony Orchestra in El Paso and Juarez and Las Cruces, New Mexico. She seized upon a rare opportunity to pipe-in actor James Doohan (Scotty of the Star Trek TV & movie series) at the Star Trek Conventions in El Paso and in Los Angeles. Mahrla has also been on-site administrator for various piping and drumming schools since 2005.

Currently, she is a consultant for the Bel Air High School pipe band. This is her fourth year with Davidson. She is passionate about teaching beginners and making sure the school runs smoothly.