2022 Nicol-Brown Amateur Invitational cancelled

Organizers of the Nicol-Brown Amateur Invitational Solo Piping Competition have cancelled the 2022 edition of the event, electing to take a “gap year” as they prepare for a 2023 return.

“A transition year for the travel industry and for Grade 1 piping events” was provided as the reasons for skipping this year’s contest which would have taken place in October featuring 10 of the most successful top-grade amateur solo pipers from around North America.

“We hope the extra year will allow for healthy participation at the contests we use for determining invitations and at next year’s Nicol-Brown weekend,” the competition said in a statement.

Solo competitions have returned across the continent, including full slates of events in Ontario, British Columbia and the United States, though with reduced entries compared with pre-pandemic levels.

The next Nicol-Brown will be the fortieth running of the competition, which started in 1982 as a piobaireachd-only event. The competition carried on through 2020 and 2021 with all-online versions.

The contest pays homage to Bob Brown and Bob Nicol, the influential “Bobs of Balmoral,” who passed on their knowledge of piobaireachd to generations of top-class pipers like Ian Duncan, Willie Donaldson, James McIntosh, Anne Spalding, Jack Taylor, Bill Wotherspoon and Andrew Wright, each of whom went on to pass along their insight to their own students.

Participants in the competition often go on to enjoy successful solo piping careers in the Professional/Open grade.