Stars And Pipes
Pipers and Drummers in the USA are building a formidable musical legacy for future generations.
by Vincent Janoski
The major solo bagpiping prizes in Scotland read like a list of stately national treasures: The Gold Medal; The Silver Medal; The Clasp; The Silver Chanter; The Bratach Gorm.
The events that feature them such as The Northern Meeting and the Argyllshire Gathering boast a long and proud tradition among Scotland's community of solo performers. These contests continue year to year without interruption, seemingly on their own by virtue of their revered place in history. But in the pockets of Scottish immigration to North America, a new cultural history is stirring and has spawned competitions that have begun to form the roots of an American piping tradition.
It is difficult to build an annual event that even approaches the renown and prestige of the Northern Meeting or others. After all, these events have a couple of hundred years head start! But with the pluck and devotion of local performers, enthusiasts, and other members, the eastern U.S. bagpiping community has succeeded in establishing one premier event that has consistently attracted up and coming performers who have featured, and will continue do so, among the winners of the more treasured historic Scottish piping events.
The Nicol-Brown Chalice
The Nicol-Brown Chalice, the primary prize at the Nicol-Brown Championship, is awarded each October in Troy, New York.
For the last 23 years this invitational contest has honored the memory of Robert B. Nicol and Robert U. Brown, “the Bobs of Balmoral.” By setting a high musical standard and guiding developing solo performers this event has offered an elite competitive showcase for amateur players of Piobaireachd and light music. “The Bobs” were two figures who not only influenced Scottish piping, but also influenced and, in later years, became important mentors to a host of successful American pipers. It is fitting then that those pipers should go on to create one of the major competitive awards and showcases for up and coming piping talent in the U.S. and name it in their honor.
The contest, which had its first event in 1982, was the brainchild of Donald F. Lindsay, a student of Bob Brown and then Bob Nicol, and the first North American piper to win a significant solo prize in Scotland when he scooped the College of Piping's MacDougall Gillies competition as a young man in 1964. He later went on to win the Highland Society of London Silver Medal more than twenty years later in 1986. In addition to being an active piper, he is currently Director of the Invermark School of Piping and Drumming, and Pipe Major of the Grade 2 Oran Mor Pipe Band of Troy, New York.
Donald is a prolific teacher of piping, carrying on the tradition of his former tutors, with the ability to inspire and excite young players. The origins of the Nicol-Brown Chalice arose from Donald’s wish for greater exposure for the excellent piping he was hearing in the U.S. as a judge.
“The typical piping games [in the U.S.] were most often held at some agricultural grounds,” he said. “I was hearing some exquisite tunes from players, and thought it was a shame that it was just me and the piper there to hear it.”
It became clear to Donald that what was needed was a showcase for up-and-coming piping talent in the United States to expand the horizons of the burgeoning U.S. piping scene and to prepare pipers for contests overseas.
“At the time before the Nicol-Brown’s founding, there were many North American pipers venturing to the international competitions who were shocked to find how unprepared they were for what was expected of them,” Donald went on.
Creating the Nicol-Brown was a way to create an amateur preparatory event with the stature of the MacDougall Gillies competition that had been such an important step for Donald’s own solo career as well as that of some of the most well known players of the twentieth century. His aim was to create an encouraging, yet challenging atmosphere for solo pipers in an arena outside the typical North American Highland Games schedule, and one that captured the feeling of the stage at Inverness (now Aviemore). As Donald says: “to give amateurs an environment to get their act together…to look at the matter of presenting themselves in a professional manner, which is absolutely obligatory at Oban and Inverness.”
When the Nicol-Brown contest was founded in 1982, it was the first elite invitational contest for amateurs in the world. Since then, many worldwide organisations have recognized the need for and success of such events and have developed their own series of competitions for top amateur players. The George Sherriff Memorial contest in Ontario, Canada and the recent Competition League for Amateur Solo Players (CLASP) organised by the National Piping Centre in Glasgow are two examples of contests that have followed the Nicol-Brown example. North American performers who aspire for the bigger boards in Scotland now have a series of events on their home territory in which to prepare. The Nicol-Brown has become part of the jigsaw that provides motivation for players to hone their musical and performance skills for the international circuit.
Originally a prize purely for Piobaireachd, the contest has evolved over the years to offer top prizes in light music as well. The major awards at the Nicol-Brown (The Nicol-Brown Chalice for Piobaireachd, the William Ross Challenge Targe for March, Strathspey and Reel, and the Donald MacLeod Memorial Silver Buckle for 6/8 Marches) have taken on their own status of ‘stately treasures’ among U.S. competitors and are prized possessions of previous year's winners. The overall winner also receives paid airfare to London to either compete in (if he or she wishes) or attend the events at the Bratach Gorm.
North America’s Best
The invitees to the Nicol-Brown reflect the very top level of amateur piping in North America. In order to gain an invitation, pipers must be active Amateur Grade 1 competitors with significant rankings in their home associations in both Piobaireachd and light music. Several top prizes at other well-regarded events for amateur players are also considered in the invitation, as are top prizes in the Nicol-Brown itself. The Nicol-Brown represents true championship boards in the tradition of the Northern Meeting, with only the very best amateur players collected from each region of North America converging for a single event.
The Nicol-Brown is a different event from some of the other solo boards hosted in the United States. Marc DuBois, a competitor at this year's event and Pipe Major of the Grade 3 Schenectady Pipe Band from Schenectady, New York, finds that there is a more fully charged atmosphere at the Nicol-Brown that that found at other U.S. solo events, or indeed the normal Highland Games circuit.
“It's different from other [U.S.] solo events, where people go to hear great pipers like Alasdair Gillies play hornpipes and jigs,” says Marc. “The crowd coming to listen at the Nicol-Brown is there for a different reason. People are there to see the future of piping. There's a different vibe in the room when playing for that kind of audience.”
That ‘vibe’ is well earned. There is a consistently higher level of play year on year and while the musical standard grows higher, it is testament to the depth and quality of U.S. and Canadian piping that the average age of competitors at the Nicol-Brown gets younger and younger. The top winners in each contest of this year's event were all 16 years old. Colin Lee, young son of Jack Lee, premier soloist and Pipe Sergeant of the renowned Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, won the overall prize and finished at the top of the list for the Nicol-Brown Chalice and the Donald MacLeod Memorial Buckle contests. Alex Gandy, son of noted soloist and composer Bruce, took top honors in the William Ross Challenge MSR.
The ultimate goal for aspiring North American pipers has always been to play the major solo boards in Scotland. All of those involved with the Nicol-Brown, performers and organizers alike, agree that the contest is an important milestone toward that goal. The top of the prize lists in previous years at the Nicol-Brown have featured some pipers who continue to appear in the prize lists at the major events in the U.K. Michael Rogers (Highland Society of London Gold Medal), Alan Bevan (top placings in A-Grade events), and Andrew Douglas (winner of the 2004 MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd at the Argyllshire Gathering, third and fourth at the 2005 Silver Medal contests at the Argyllshire Gathering and Northern Meeting respectively) are a few U.S. and Canadian Nicol-Brown alumni who continue to vie for the major Scottish prizes.
Past winners in the early years of the contest such as Nancy (Crutcher) Tunnicliffe and June Hanley continue to play an important role in shaping U.S. piping. Other past prize winners such as Glenn Brown (second, A-Grade Strathspey and Reel at the Northern Meeting), Jamie Troy, and Erin McCarthy continue to make their mark both here in North America and abroad in further study and on the pipe band scene. The contest has also been judged by a list of the most recognizable names in competitive bagpiping. Colin MacLellan, Jim McGillivray, Murray Henderson and Dr. Jack Taylor among others, have been present to offer their adjudication skills. Recent Highland Society of London Gold Medal winner Donald MacPhee judged the 2005 contest.
In keeping with its aim to prepare pipers for greater things, recent Nicol-Brown events have added an educational component. Recent judges such as Jack Taylor, John Wilson, and Donald MacPhee have all conducted master classes with contestants the day after the contest. The master classes add another valuable dimension to the privilege of a Nicol-Brown invitation.
Inspiring
The Nicol-Brown contest leaves a lasting impression on many of the performers who have had the pleasure of an invitation. Many former performers and prize winners are so inspired by the experience of playing at the Nicol-Brown that they also wind up volunteering their time and energy to help make the event a continued success. Paula Glendinning, an active soloist at international contests and former winner of the overall prize at the Nicol-Brown in 1993 and 1995, has continued to offer her time over the last eight years to ensure the contest enjoys its high status.
“Playing in the Nicol-Brown contest is a very good memory. It was an important part of my experience as an amateur piper, and Bob Brown and Bob Nicol were important mentors in the short time that I knew them. I wanted to give something back to the contest and to their memory,” said Paula.
Paula is but one example of a growing tradition of pipers, and their families, who have played or visited the Nicol-Brown and come back to help organize and host the event each year. The level of devotion some of these folks display demonstrates how important the experience is.
The Nicol-Brown is fortunate to have this effect on its former players. It is their dedication to the goals and character of the contest that keep it alive each year. Even more so, since the contest subsists mainly from volunteers, donations, and other forms of philanthropic giving. This year the Nicol-Brown has released a DVD of the 2005 contest to try and generate further financial support. The contest has certainly lived up to the generosity shown by various benefactors, from the schools and bagpipe supply shops who sponsor the main prizes, the many individuals and organizations such as the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association (EUSPBA) who provide expertise and resources, to the pipe bands who continue to recognize that it is also good for the pipe band scene when solo pipers prosper. Any benefactors looking to promote competitive bagpiping in North America need look no further than the Nicol-Brown. The dates for next year's contest are already set for October 6 to 8, 2006. Make a point to attend and without a doubt you will be presented with the finest amateur piping North America has to offer.
To read more about piping and drumming in the USA why not visit the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association website and buy The Voice magazine online at www.euspba.org.