Nicol-Brown heading to Philly in 2020

With a goal of attracting even more interest and attendance, the 37-year-old Nicol-Brown Amateur Solo Piping Competition will be held in Philadelphia in 2020, the fourth location for the world’s longest-running and most prestigious invitational for non-Open/Professional/Senior players.

Held in the small town of Scotia, New York, near New York State’s capital of Albany for the last decade, the move to Philadelphia promises to offer far more, easier and less-expensive travel options for contestants and judges. Philadelphia is the sixth-largest city in the United States by population and its international airport serves most of the world’s other major cities with direct flights.

“Over the past four decades, the Nicol-Brown contest has been held in several different locations in three different states – Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut,” said organizer Paula Glendinning. “Moving the contest to the University of Pennsylvania next year will give a new audience the opportunity to attend the Nicol-Brown events to listen to great piping live.”

An easy to remember date has already been set for next year’s event: 10/10/2020.

In addition to the Saturday all-day competition, the event plans to continue its tradition of a Friday recital and a free Sunday workshop by judges. This year’s recital featured Callum Beaumont and Matt MacIsaac, and the two were joined by fellow judge Faye Henderson for the Sunday workshop.

“We’re excited about holding the Friday night concert and the competition on Saturday in the acoustic recital hall at the Irvine Auditorium, which looks perfect for us,” Glendinning continued. The the Amado Recital Hall about 110.

“Philadelphia is full of history and it’s an interesting place to visit, so we’re hoping that many families and bands with young pipers will make the trip and stay for a long weekend. The location will make travel easier for more of our competitors, judges, and piping fans because of all the flights and rail connections. A new host city every few years may be an idea worth exploring, and our committee is always up for a challenge if it means doing something positive for piping.”

This past weekend, Blaise Theriault of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was the winner of the 37th annual Nicol-Brown Invitational.

The registered charity event is run with the support of numerous sponsors, including pipes|drums, and is independent of any piping and drumming organization, though the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association is a sponsor.

The competition pays homage to Robert Brown and Robert Nicol, the legendary “Bobs of Balmoral” who spread their piobaireachd expertise throughout the UK and globally through their teaching efforts.

Related

2019 Nicol-Brown videos: MSR prizewinners
October 14, 2019

Blaise Theriault: 2019 Nicol-Brown Amateur Champion
October 12, 2019