International Uilleann Piping Day Celebration with Nicolas Brown and Torrin Ryan (Matinee)

Join us as we celebrate International Uilleann Piping Day, an annual global celebration held on the first Saturday of November to promote Ireland’s national bagpipes. This concert will feature two of the finest uilleann pipers in North America, Nicolas Brown and Torrin Ryan. Nicolas Brown is an acclaimed uilleann piper, flautist, and scholar of Irish traditional music, praised by The Irish Echo as “an excellent piper” and part of a “who’s who of Irish music scholarship.” In the decades since he first picked up a tin whistle at the Fergus Highland Games, he has not only become a very proficient musician, but has also developed a vast knowledge of Irish music history, about the old musicians, tune histories, Irish music in America, and more. Nicolas has released three albums of Irish music: Not So Good As The Flute (2025), Good Enough Music For Them Who Love It (2020), and All Covered With Moss (2016). He has performed, taught workshops, given lectures, and played at venues and festivals throughout Canada, the United States, and Ireland. Torrin Ryan has been playing the uilleann pipes, simple system flute, and tin whistle since he was nine years old. Before turning twenty, he had already won five Senior All-Ireland Fleadh medals and over two dozen regional first-place titles. His playing is heavily rooted in the archival recordings of piping masters like Leo Rowsome, Willie Clancy, and Séamus Ennis, while continuing to draw inspiration from today’s generation of pipers. This approach is the foundation of his debut solo album, Uilleann Piping from the ‘Boros. Based in Massachusetts, Torrin is an active performer and educator. He has toured nationally with various stage productions and has appeared on PBS’s Bluegrass Underground and Brian O’Donovan’s A St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn. He spent over a decade teaching at the Boston CCÉ Music School and is a regular instructor at the Northeast Uilleann Pipers Tionól. Recognizing his role as a tradition-bearer, the Southern New England Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program awarded him grants in 2018 and 2019 to pass the history and art of Irish traditional music down to a new generation. Launched by Na Píobairí Uilleann, International Uilleann Piping Day features worldwide recitals, workshops, and sessions. In addition to the concert at 3pm, Nicolas and Torrin will be on hand for an uilleann pipe petting zoo, for anyone who would like to try the uilleann pipes, starting at 2pm, and Torrin will be providing an uilleann piping workshop for anyone who already owns a set at 11am..