Hudson takes Metro Cup on the Hudson

Newark, New Jersey – February 15, 2020 – Nick Hudson of Houston was the overall winner of the 2020 Metro Cup Professional Solo Piping Competition, taking the cash prize of US$1,000 and a solid gold medal worth a bunch of coin. Hudson edged Matt MacIsaac of Stayner, Ontario, after a tie in aggregate points was broken by the result in the Piobaireachd event, which Hudson won.

Tyler Destremps of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was the winner of the P-M George Bell Amateur Championship.

Eli Fugate of San Diego won the qualifying competition for the 2020 World Solo Drumming Championships in Glasgow in October. Fugate and three other prizewinners now get a bye to a latter round of the event.

The competition is organized by the Metro New York branch of the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association, and attracts competitors from North America and Scotland with the help of local bands sponsoring pipers to teach workshops.

RSPBA Chair John Hughes, a piper, flew from Scotland to attend the event, to monitor the World Solo Drumming Qualifier and serve as the announcer for the competition.

Piobaireachd
1st Nick Hudson, “Lament for the Laird of Anapool”
2nd Matt MacIsaac, Stayner, Ontario, “My King Has Landed in Moidart”
3rd Derick Midgley, New Jersey, “Lord Lovat’s Lament”
4th Ian K. MacDonald, Whitby, Ontario, “Lament for the Viscount of Dundee”
5th Alex Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, “The MacKays’ Banner”
Judges: Chris Armstrong, Jim McGillivray

Medley
1st Alex Gandy
2nd Matt MacIsaac
3rd Nick Hudson
4th Andrew Carlisle, Pittsburgh
5th Ian K. MacDonald
Judges: Sandy Jones, Jim Stack

Also competing: Glenn Brown, Glasgow; Andrew Donlon, Washington, DC; Cameron MacDougall, Nigg, Scotland; Ben McClamrock, Washington, DC; Sean McKeown, Toronto; and Sarah Muir, Glasgow.

P-M George Bell Memorial Amateur Championship
Piobaireachd
1st Tyler Destremps
2nd Alastair Martin, Huntersville, North Carolina
3rd Colin Johnstone, Aurora, Ontario
Judge: Glenn Brown

MSR
1st Steven MacDonald, Pittsburgh
2nd Tyler Destremps
3rd Kevin Darmadi, Houston
Judges: June Hanley

Also competing: Angus Burke, Bloomington, Indiana; Bobby Dunn, Pittsburgh; Mark Elliott; Kayleigh Johnstone, Aurora, Ontario; Liam MacDonald, Wellesley, Ontario; Liam Melville, Renfrew, Ontario; Seth Rosan, Saratoga Springs, New York; and Kolya Sier, Illinois.

World Solo Drumming Qualifier
1st Eli Fugate
2nd Derek Cooper, Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania
3rd Eric MacNeill, Dunedin, Florida
4th Richard Baughman, Pittsburgh
5th Shane Stapleton

Also competing were Wes Cole, Alex Kuldell and Jack McClamrock.