7.30pm w FREE ADMISSION (donations accepted for the benefit of the Nicol-Brown). Bring music fans of all ages and support the future of piping. This outstanding opportunity to listen to performances from two of the world’s premier pipers is co-sponsored by the Nicol-Brown Chalice and the Institute of Musical Traditions.

The 43rd Nicol-Brown Amateur Invitational Contest will be held at St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Rockville, Maryland, hosted in partnership with the Institute of Musical Traditions. The weekend will begin with a judges’ recital, a rare opportunity to listen to performances from the world’s premier pipers and authorities on pipe music. The contest and award ceremony will follow on Saturday, October 10. 

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.

FREE ADMISSION, thanks to the EUSPBA, The Piobaireachd Society, and other generous donors.
Your donations are welcome at the door or online for the benefit of the Nicol-Brown and IMT. Support the future of piping.

https://nicol-brown.org/donations.html