Save the Dates for the NEXT Nicol-Brown weekend! October 9–10, 2026
The Nicol-Brown concert and contest are held annually on the Friday and Saturday of Columbus Day Weekend / Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend. Support the future of piping. Come and be in the room where it happens!
The 43rd Nicol-Brown Amateur Invitational Contest will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2026 at St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Rockville, Maryland, co-sponsored with the wonderful people of the Institute of Musical Traditions. The weekend’s events will begin with a benefit recital from our two exceptional judges on Friday evening.
Judges’ Recital on Friday, October 9, 2026
Doors open at 7:00 pm for a 7:30 concert.
St. Mark Presbyterian Church
10701 Old Georgetown Road
Rockville, Maryland 20852
The 2026 Nicol-Brown Judges
Craig Sutherland (Vancouver, British Columbia)
Skip Cleavinger (Bowling Green, Kentucky)
Originally from Crieff, Scotland, Craig Sutherland began learning with the Comrie and District Pipe Band and in 2004 he joined the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, progressing to the Grade 1 band in 2008. During his time with the band, he contributed to musical arrangements and harmonies and was appointed Pipe Sergeant in 2012. Craig was a member of the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland and a former Pipe Major with the Glasgow and Strathclyde Officer Training Corps. He was a resident instructor at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and taught the Pipe Major’s Course. Craig joined the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band in 2015 and in October 2025, he was appointed Pipe Sergeant, working alongside Pipe Major Alan Bevan. In August 2026, the band won the World Pipe Band Championships.
Alongside his pipe band career, Craig has established himself as one of the World’s leading solo pipers. He was successful at winning the MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd at the Argyllshire Gathering in 2009 and both A Grade light music events at Oban in 2014. In 2017, he won the Highland Society of London Gold Medal at the Argyllshire Gathering. In 2023, he won the A Grade MSR at the Northern Meeting and was named Overall Champion at the Uist and Barra Invitational Solo Piping Competition. In 2024, he won the Highland Society of London Gold Medal at the Northern Meeting in Inverness and completed the rare achievement of winning both Highland Society of London Gold Medals.
Craig has built a successful career as an Electrical Engineer in the energy sector and currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Skip Cleavinger has been piping for 50 years, studying Piobaireachd with Mike Cusack and Jimmy McIntosh. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Skip competed extensively in solo competitions. In 1991, he won the 10th Nicol-Brown Chalice for Piobaireachd. As a professional competitor, Skip won the St. Andrews Society of Philadelphia Gold Medal, the Stone Mountain Invitational Piobaireachd Competition twice and the Grandfather Mountain Professional Piobaireachd Competition. Between undergraduate and graduate studies, Skip moved to Ottawa, Ontario, where he played with the Grade 1 Dunvegan Pipe Band under the leadership of Scott MacAulay and Colin MacLellan. He later joined the City of Washington Pipe Band, and was able to be a part of the band that won the Grade 2 North American Pipe Band Championship at Maxville. Skip was a co-founder and playing instructor for the Louisville Pipe Band, and has recently served as a teacher and member of the Nashville Pipe Band.
In 2000, Skip began an intensive study of the Irish uilleann pipes and now teaches and performs on highland pipes, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, and Scottish smallpipes. Living just north of Nashville, Skip has had wonderful opportunities to record and perform with outstanding artists over the years. His pipes and whistles can be heard on many recordings and film scores. Since 2003, he has appeared in more than 100 symphony orchestra performances throughout the United States and Canada. Now retired from public education, Skip continues to teach, record and perform. He and his wife Rebecca, an accomplished fiddler, formed the trio “North Channel,” whose repertoire draws from Scottish and Irish traditions. Together, they also founded Southcentral Kentucky (SKy) Celtic Arts, a community initiative offering instruction in highland pipes, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, and fiddle, with plans to expand into Irish and Scottish dance.
The 2026 Nicol-Brown Competition
Saturday, October 10
St. Mark Presbyterian Church
10701 Old Georgetown Road
Rockville, Maryland 20852
9:30 am to 6:30 pm
FREE ADMISSION with donations gratefully accepted for the benefit of the Nicol-Brown.
Ten of the finest Amateur pipers from across North America earned invitations this season to play in an elite solo competition consisting of three events: 6/8 Marches, Piobaireachd and MSR. The contest is dedicated annually to the memory of Robert U. Brown and Robert B. Nicol, the Masters of Piobaireachd.
Watch this page for details to be updated soon for 2026.
View a pdf copy of the 2025 program. If you would like to sponsor an ad for the 2026 program, see details and contact info on our Donations page.
Throwback to the 2020 and 2021 CONCERTS
The 2020 and 2021 virtual concerts are still available for free on YouTube for hours of great listening!
The 2021 concert was created with thanks to Roddy MacLeod, Bob Worrall, Jenny Hazzard, and Nick Hudson.
The 2020 concert was created with thanks to Jack Taylor, Sarah Muir, Patrick Molard, and Matt MacIsaac.
Special thanks to Eric Ouellette, Andrew Douglas, and The Piper’s Dojo for their work creating the videos and for their many years of support of the Nicol-Brown and its mission of encouraging amateur piping.
We love our donors!
The Nicol-Brown concerts and contests are made possible by donations from the EUSPBA, The Piobaireachd Society, and other generous sponsors and volunteers. Your donations to the Nicol-Brown are always welcome.