Monday, December 14, 2015

Nova Scotia Talent Trust awards over $32,000 to 2015 Special Award Recipients at today's Special Awards Ceremony

The Nova Scotia Talent Trust (NSTT) recognized the 2015 Scholarship and Special Award recipients at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, December 14 at Halifax Central Library in a ceremony attended by His Honour Brigadier-General the Honourable J.J. Grant, CMM, ONS, CD (Ret’d), Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.


Aliah SchwartzCreated to support the career of contralto Portia White 71 years ago, the NSTT has continued to support emerging Nova Scotian artists as they pursue their studies toward establishing professional careers in the arts.

One such gifted artist is Canning choreographer and dancer Aliah Schwartz, who will receive the $1,500 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Artistic Achievement, the NSTT’s highest honour for a student in any discipline.  Schwartz is currently in her second year studying for her BFA in Contemporary Dance at Concordia University in Montreal.  


Presented for the first time in 2013, the two 2011 Canada Games Young Artist of Excellence Awards, valued at $10,000 each, will be awarded to any recipient, regardless of age, from any artistic discipline, who best exemplifies the qualities embraced by the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, that of the utmost commitment, promise, exceptional technique, talent and the highest achievement of excellence, someone who demonstrates the passion and drive to become a professional Nova Scotia artist in their field of discipline. These two awards will be awarded every December until 2022 and are the legacy of the 2011 Canada Games Young Artists of Excellence Program.

Erin AtkinsonThe two $10,000 awards in 2015 will be received by Amherst ballet dancer Erin Atkinson and visual artist Isaac Fresia from Oxford.

Erin Atkinson (Amherst) is currently in her seventh year studying ballet at the Royal Winnipeg School of Ballet in Winnipeg.




Isaac Fresia 
(Oxford), who recently graduated with his BFA from NSCAD, is in his first year at Dalhousie University, studying for his Bachelors of Environmental Design, followed by his Masters in Architecture.







The other Special Award recipients, each of whom demonstrates exceptional potential to become professional artists, are

Sarah MacLeodVisual artist Sarah MacLeod (New Minas) is the recipient of the $1,000 Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/Visual Arts Nova Scotia Award and just finished her BFA degree (Interdisciplinary) at NSCAD, and is currently participating in the NSCAD Community Studio Residency Program at the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design in Sydney. (Award supported by Charlotte Wilson-Hammond and Visual Arts Nova Scotia.)


Lindsay Connolly, 2015 NSTT Portia White AwardSinger Lindsay Connolly (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,500 Portia White Award for voice. She studied voice this past summer at the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy and is in her final year at Dalhousie University (Fountain School of Performing Arts) studying for her BMus in Vocal Performance. (Award supported by the Music-in-Medicine and Humanities-HEALS Program, Dalhousie University.)




Niamh Perrins, 2015 Robert G. Jackson AwardBallet dancer Niamh Perrins (Wolfville) is the recipient of the $1,500 Robert George Jackson Award for dance and studied ballet at the National Ballet School in Toronto this past summer. (Award supported by the Jackson family.)







Holly Rice, 2015 RBC Emerging Artist AwardWriter Holly Rice (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,500 RBC Emerging Artist Award for literary arts and is studying fiction in her first year of a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at The New School in New York City. (Award supported by RBC Emerging Artist Program.)






Laura Vingoe-Cram, 2015 NSTT Theatre NS AwardTheatre director Laura Vingoe-Cram (Dartmouth) is the recipient of the $1,000 Theatre Nova Scotia Award for theatre and recently completed her MA in Classical and Contemporary Text (Directing) at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland. (Award supported by Theatre Nova Scotia.)







Emery Van de Wiel, 2015 Raymond Simpson AwardFlautist Emery Van de Wiel (Antigonish) is the recipient of the $1,000 Raymond Simpson Award for music and is in his third year studying for his Bachelor of Music in flute at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland. (Award supported by the Simpson family.)




Adam Clarke, 2015 Kenneth Elloway AwardClassical guitarist and composer Adam Clarke (Kingston) is the recipient of the $750 Kenneth Elloway Award for classical performance. He has recently finished his Bachelor of Music degree in Contemporary Music Composition and Classical Guitar at Acadia University, and this past summer took part in the Iserlohn Guitar Symposium/Festival in Germany. 
(Award supported by the Elloway family.) 




Erin Atkinson, 2015 Janice Flemming AwardBallet dancer Erin Atkinson (Amherst) is the recipient of the $1000 Janice Merritt Flemming Award and is currently i
n her seventh year studying ballet at the Royal Winnipeg School of Ballet. (Award supported by the Flemming family.)







Andrew Machum, 2015 Chico Berardi AwardSinger and songwriter Andrew Machum (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,000 Chico Berardi Award and is currently in his second year studying Vocal Performance, Music Engineering and Production 
at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. (Award supported by Music Nova Scotia.)





LaLa Lee, 2015 Tietje Zonneveld AwardClassical pianist LaLa Lee (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,000 Tietje Zonneveld Award and is studying privately with Professor Lynn Stodola in Halifax. (Award supported by Tietje Zonneveld.)








In addition to the Special Awards announced today, the Nova Scotia Talent Trust gave out scholarships to 49 recipients earlier this year. 

The NSTT’s scholarship application deadline date for Spring/Summer study is March 1, 2016 and for Fall/Winter study it is May 1, 2016.

The NSTT is supported by the 2011 Canada Games Legacy Fund, RBC Foundation, Music Nova Scotia, Visual Arts Nova Scotia, Theatre Nova Scotia, Debut Atlantic, immediaC, the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, Norex,ca, NSTT Foundation, Dalhousie Music in Medicine HEALS Program, Support4Culture, Halifax Municipality, Business for the Arts, Canadian Heritage, and Arts Nova Scotia.  The NSTT is pleased to work in partnership with the province to develop and promote our cultural resources for all Nova Scotians.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Win a Fabulous Basket of Art

Take a chance to win unique art and dinning experiences. Priceless! 
All proceeds are going towards the NSTT Scholarship Fund.
Draw is on December 14, 2015 at 4 p.m.
Gaming License No. AGD-107506-15
Value of Basket of Art is at $2,600. Have a look below what our friends from the arts community and beyond have contributed.
Online purchases of raffle tickets until December 11, 2015.
We are only allowed to sell raffle tickets to residents of Nova Scotia.
You can purchase raffle tickets in person at our
Special Awards Ceremony on December 14, from 2 - 4 p.m. at Paul O'Regan Hall, Halifax Central Library. 


Thank you! Together we are able to help tomorrow's artists today.
Get your raffle ticket today at
http://nstalenttrust.ns.ca/Support-Us/Basket-of-Art/
(The link above will lead you to our website and from there to PayPal where you can pay with your credit card or through your personal PayPal account.)
Thank You to all our friends from the arts community and beyond for their generous contributions.
Aeolian Singers 2 CDs: Here I Live and A Woman's Voice aeoliansingers.ca 
Alex E. Pierce, book: Vox Humana ealexpierce.com
Atlantic Film Festival: 2 “Festival Experience” passes for 2016 atlanticfilm.com
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia: Complimentary Family Membership for 2016 
artgalleryofnovascotia.ca
Blue Engine String Quartet, 2 CDs: Christmas and If it be Your Will  
blueenginestringquartet.com
Candice Prior, jewelry candice-j-prior
Cecilia Concerts: 2 tickets for each of the 7 Cecilia Concert Series concerts in 2016
stcecilia.ca
Charlotte Wilson-Hammond, limited edition of GiclĂ©e monoprint
charlottewilsonhammond.net
Debut Atlantic: ticket for two valid for the 2016/17 concert season debutatlantic.ca
Gypsophilia, 2 CDs: Constellation and Night Swimming gypsophilia.org
Halifax Dance: 10% off on Adult Recreational Program  and Free PD-Day Camp
hfxdance.ca
Ironworks, Lunenburg: Gift Certificate ironworksdistillery.com
Jacqueline Steudler, original art work jacquelinesteudler.com 
Jenni Blackmore, 2 books: The Moon Egg and One jenniblackmore
Life Art Dance Productions: 2 tickets to any Life Art Dance show in their 2015/16 season liveartdance.ca
Memory Lane Heritage Village, Lake Charlotte: Family Pass for Heritage Village Tour & Chow Special plus 1940's Webber Family Paper Dolls heritagevillage.ca 
Musique Royale: 2 tickets to Lunenburg concert on February 25, 2016 musiqueroyale.com
Neptune Theatre: pair of tickets to any show of 2 Pianos 4 Hands 
neptunetheatre.com
Rhapsody Quintet CD: Passion rhapsodyquintet.com
Rime Restaurant & Wine Bar, Lunenburg: dinner for two rimerestaurant.ca
Symphony Nova Scotia: 2 tickets to Symphonic Schubert, January 14, 2016
symphonynovascotia.ca
Tangled Garden Gift Shop, Wolfville: Dazzling Damson Plum Liqueur 
tangledgardenherbs.ca
Two Planks and a Passion Theatre, Canning: 2 tickets to the summer season 2016 twoplanks.ca
Thank you for purchasing a raffle ticket and supporting tomorrow's artists today.