Welch grew up studying Scottish bagpiping and experimental music. He attended Simon Fraser University and Wesleyan University, where he worked with Anthony Braxton and Alvin Lucier. Braxton wrote his Composition No. 247 with Welch's bagpipes in mind, which is unusual because the music from Braxton's Ghost Trance Series has generally not been written for specific instruments. Welch also played accordion on Lucier's Vespers and Other Early Works. 2002 saw the release of Ceol Nua, in which Welch's compositions were performed by the Janacek Conservatory Orchestra and various Wesleyan students. ~ Charlie Wilmoth