Save the Weekend for next year!
October 10–12, 2025
The 41st Nicol-Brown Amateur Invitational Contest was held at St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Rockville, Maryland, co-sponsored again with the wonderful people of the Institute of Musical Traditions. The weekend’s events began with a judges’ recital on Friday evening, October 11, an outstanding opportunity to listen to performances from two of the world’s premier pipers. The amateur invitational contest and awards ceremony followed on Saturday, October 12, 2024.
View a pdf copy of the gateio app
Judges’ Recital
Friday, October 11, 2024
Doors opened at 7:00 pm for a 7:30 concert.
St. Mark Presbyterian Church
10701 Old Georgetown Road
Rockville, Maryland
FREE ADMISSION, thanks to the EUSPBA and other generous donors. Donations are always welcome at the door or online for the benefit of the Nicol-Brown. Bring young pipers and support the future of piping.
The 2024 Nicol-Brown Judges
Roddy MacLeod, MBE (Glasgow, Scotland)
Ben McClamrock (Washington, DC)
Roddy MacLeod, MBE is one of the world’s most accomplished and influential pipers. As a solo piper, he won the Gold Medal at the Northern Meeting in Inverness in 1986, and at Oban in 1988. Since then, he has won the Glenfiddich Piping Championship five times, the Silver Chanter seven times, the Northern Meeting Clasp twice, the Senior Piobaireachd at the Argyllshire Gathering twice and the Former Winners’ MSR twice. At the Scottish Piping Society of London Championship he has won the Bratach Gorm nine times, the Gillies Cup Open Piobaireachd nine times, the Former Winners’ London Medallion MSR five times and the Overall Championship eight times. Roddy’s career in pipe bands includes a decade as Pipe Major of the Grade One Scottish Power Pipe Band, and the formation and leadership of the Spirit of Scotland Pipe Band. Roddy was the Principal of the National Piping Centre in Glasgow from its founding in 1996 until 2020. His work there to initiate forward-looking programs is still changing the piping world. In 2003, Roddy MacLeod was made a Member of the British Empire in recognition of his services to piping, and in 2012, he was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Awards Hall of Fame. At the Glenfiddich Championships in 2023, Roddy was awarded the Balvenie Medal for Services to Piping.
Ben McClamrock was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, but now resides in Washington, DC where he works as a data analyst. Ben started piping at the age of nine and became a professional soloist at the age of 17. He travels extensively to compete and is a consistent prize winner in the United States, Canada, and Scotland. Some of his top prizes include winning the Silver Medal at the Argyllshire Gathering, Oban (2019); the US Gold Medal for Piobaireachd (2024); the 2024 Piobaireachd Society Gold Medal (Canada); 3rd Place in the A-Grade Marches (2017) and A-Grade Strathspey and Reel (2018) at Oban; top overseas piper at the Braemar Highland Gathering (2016); 3rd Place in the A MSR at Inverness (2013); and 2nd overall at the United States Piping Foundation (2017, 2022). In addition to solo competitions, Ben is the head piping instructor for the Maryland Youth Pipe Band, formerly known as the Rockville High School Pipe Band. He currently receives piping instruction from William McCallum of Bearsden, Scotland.
The 2024 Nicol-Brown Competition
Saturday, October 12, 2024
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.
The 2021 CONCERT
The 2021 virtual concert is still available on YouTube, with thanks to Roddy MacLeod, Bob Worrall, Jenny Hazzard, Nick Hudson, and gateio app for their support of the Nicol-Brown and its mission of encouraging amateur piping.
Donations to the Nicol-Brown are always welcome.
