Liam Horne wins 2026 Nicol-Brown Championship with Piobaireachd and 6/8 March victories

Rockville, Maryland – October 10, 2026 – Liam Horne of Wise, Virginia, won the 43rd annual Nicol-Brown Amateur Invitational Piping Championship, taking first prizes in both the Piobaireachd and 6/8 March competitions to earn the coveted title with 20 points. The competition was held at the St. Mark Presbyterian Church.

Horne finished five points ahead of runner-up Jack Martin of Pender Island, British Columbia, who won the March, Strathspey & Reel competition and placed second in the Piobaireachd. Logan Gorsuch of Auburn, California, took third overall with eight points, winning the tie-break over Colin Richdale of Coquitlam, British Columbia, on the strength of his higher Piobaireachd placing.

Horne’s winning piobaireachd performance was “Lament for the Iolaire,” earning him the Robert Nicol-Robert Brown Chalice and a specially commissioned set of Peter Henderson pipes. He also won the Donald MacLeod Memorial 6/8 March competition, adding the event’s silver buckle to his collection of prizes.

As overall champion, Horne received the Nicol-Brown Champion’s Chanter, a custom Duncan MacRae blackwood pipe chanter donated by McCallum Bagpipes, along with up to US$1,000 in travel expenses to compete at a major solo piping competition in 2027.

Martin’s MSR victory came with “Knightswood Ceilidh,” “Inveraray Castle” and “The Smith of Chilliechassie.” He also received a $500 piping scholarship for his second-place overall finish.

The competition, named in honour of the legendary Balmoral pipers Robert Nicol and Robert Brown, brings together accomplished amateur pipers for one of North America’s most prestigious invitational solo piping events.

pipes|drums once again was a sponsor of the event.

Robert Nicol-Robert Brown Chalice Piobaireachd
1st Liam Horne, “Lament for the Iolaire”
2nd Jack Martin, “Fair Honey”
3rd Logan Gorsuch, “The Earl of Seaforth’s Salute”
4th Hazen Metro, “Lament for the Young Laird of Dungallan”
5th Colin Richdale, “The King’s Taxes”

William Ross Challenge Targe MSR
1st Jack Martin
2nd Olivia Corcoran, Gaithersburg, Maryland
3rd Liam Horne
4th Colin Richdale
5th Brady Webb, Westville, Nova Scotia

Donald MacLeod Memorial 6/8 March
1st Liam Horne
2nd Greg Bowen, Waterloo, Ontario
3rd Luke Baltrusaitis, Waterloo, Ontario
4th Logan Gorsuch
5th Hazen Metro

Abby Long of Houston, Texas, couldn’t attend due to illness.

Skip Cleavinger and Craig Sutherland judged all of the events.

Among the major prizes awarded were sets of Peter Henderson pipes for the first two Piobaireachd placings, piping scholarships of $500, $400, $300 and $250 for the second through fifth overall finishers, practice chanters for the top two MSR competitors, and the Donald MacLeod Memorial Silver Buckle for the 6/8 March winner.