Nicol – Brown Competition/ Winter Storm Dates

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Paula Glendinning (left) of the Nicol-Brown Chalice Committee has sent this: We’re pleased to announce that the 35th Nicol-Brown Competition will be held at the First Reformed Church of Scotia in Scotia, New York, on Saturday, October 7, 2017. The contest will be judged by three of the world’s premier pipers, Ian K. MacDonald (Ontario), Andrew Lee (British Columbia), and Ben McClamrock (Maryland).

We are especially proud that all three of these fine musicians competed at the Nicol-Brown when they were amateur pipers. We hope you’ll join us for the weekend!

On Friday, October 6, the Nicol-Brown committee will be hosting a judges’ recital and reception for the competitors where they will be given their tune submissions for the following day. We hope you’ll be able to join us for this excellent evening of music at the First Reformed Church of Scotia. More details will be available soon at www.nicol-brown.org and on Facebook.

N-B judge Andrew Lee (r) receives the Open Piobaireachd trophy from judge Andrew Carlisle at the 2016 BC Pipers Gathering

On Saturday, October 7, the contest will begin at 9:30 am, and the award ceremony will be held at approximately 6:30 pm. Ten of the finest amateur pipers from across North America will be selected to play in this elite invitational contest with 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. The overall winner will receive airfare to compete in London in 2018.

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On Sunday, October 8, the Nicol-Brown will host a Master Class at Celtic Hall from 10:00 am to noon. Nicol-Brown competitors will be given the privilege of receiving instruction from the judges, and pipers at all levels are encouraged to observe this very special Master Class. Topics will include musical expression, technique, and improving performances toward the professional level. More details will be available soon at www.nicol-brown.org and on Facebook.
We are always looking for prizes that will be meaningful rewards for our talented competitors. Cash is especially welcome to help us with travel expenses for our judges, and for scholarships for our prizelist. The Nicol-Brown is a 501c3 organization, so most donations are tax-deductible.
N-B judge Ian K MacDonald winning the Gold medal at the 2016 Northern meeting

If you’d like to sponsor or donate a prize for our prizelist, please reply to Paula Glendinning <glenpaula@gmail.com> or speak to any of our committee members.

If you’d like to see the prizes that were donated last year, or download a copy of last year’s program, that is available online at:
http://www.nicol-brown.org/2016results.html . Memorial gifts are certainly welcome, and we’d be glad to publish your dedication in our program. Donations may be sent online using our PayPal button:
www.nicol-brown.org/donations.html. Checks should be made payable to Nicol-Brown Chalice.We encourage you to help us by forwarding this email to your friends. Please consider joining us in Scotia and Albany for the Nicol-Brown to see how much the weekend’s events mean to the competitors. If you are teaching young pipers, what better motivation than for them to listen to some of the best amateur pipers in North America, and to learn from Ian K. MacDonald, Andrew Lee, and Ben McClamrock?

Still in the US, the Midwest Highland Arts Fund board has announced dates for their 2018 Winter Storm event: January 12 – 14. The board continues to confirm staff for the 2018 workshop consisting of master classes, concerts, and competitions.

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