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While completing his Music Performance (Bagpipes) degree at Carnegie-Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, Nicholas Hudson studied piping extensively with Alasdair Gillies and Jimmy McIntosh, widely regarded as two of the greatest Scottish pipers to emigrate to the United States. In addition to taking bagpiping lessons at university, he took classes typical of any conservatory music student on a university campus--Music Theory, Solfege, Eurhythmics, as well as performing a full spectrum of classical repertoire at various concert and recital halls with the Repertory Chorus under the direction of the Grammy-winning Dr. Robert Page. After graduation Nick has traveled every summer for extensive study in Scotland, with Chris Armstrong, Willie Morrison and Roddy MacLeod at the National Piping Centre and the College of Piping. Pursuing continued learning has contributed to his dynamic bagpipe teaching style.
He is an active competitor in the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association, competing at the highest level, Professional. Some solo piping competition highlights include the overall prize at the United States Piping Foundation in the amateur ranks, prize being free airfare and two-weeks tuition in Scotland, and, the Boreraig Trophy for Open Piobaireachd in 2012. He has been chosen as the bagpipe representative for the United States for two consecutive years (2011, 12) at the prestigious MacCrimmon competition at France's Festival Interceltique de Lorient.
Other performance highlights include piping in concerts with such celebrated acts as the Grammy-winning Chieftains, award-winning Bonnie Rideout, Grammy-nominated John Doyle and Jerry O’Sullivan. Nick has also piped for famous dignitaries such as in the White House for President Obama and Mrs. Obama, the current Prime Minister of Ireland, and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and has performed on field for three NFL games in Pittsburgh, as well as three performances competing in the World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland as well as France at the highest possible level.
Nick has been featured as a bagpiper on the front page of the Wall Street Journal and nationwide appearances on NBC (The Today Show) and CBS (Evening News).