Talent Trust awards over $33,000 to the 2017 Special Award Recipients at today's Special Awards Ceremony

The Talent Trust (NSTT) recognized the 2017 Scholarship and Special Award recipients at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at Halifax Central Library in a ceremony attended by His Honour The Honourable Arthur J. LeBlanc, ONS, QC Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. Created to support the career of contralto Portia White 73 years ago, the Talent Trust has continued to support talented Nova Scotian artists as they pursue their studies toward establishing professional careers in the arts. One such gifted artist is Halifax' musical theatre performer Maya Read, who received the $1,500 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Artistic Achievement, the NSTT’s highest honour for a student in any discipline. Read studies musical theatre at Sheridan College in Oakville, ON.  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 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. In 2017, the two $10,000 awards were received by Halifax film producer Gharrett Paon and type designer Lee Yuen-Rapati from Dartmouth.  Gharrett Paon (Halifax) is currently studying film production at the Canadian Film Centre in Toronto, ON.

Type designer Lee Yuen-Rapati(Dartmouth), is studying type design at the University of Reading in Reading, England. The other Special Award recipients, each of whom demonstrates exceptional potential to become professional artists, are: Scenographer Jodie Fox (Musquodoboit Harbour) is the recipient of the $1,500 RBC Emerging Artist Award for applied craft/design theatre. Fox studies scenography (stage design) at the Hochschule Hanover in Hanover, Germany. (Award supported by RBC Emerging Artist Program.) New Award - Given for the fist time in 2017: Cello player India Gailey (Wolfville) is the recipient of the $1000 Yue Lih and Marion Kuo Award for exceptional commitment and potential in music as an instrumentalist. Gailey is currently studying at McGill University in Montreal, QC. (Award supported by Marion Kuo and Earl Wadden.) Visual artist Curtis Botham (Bedford) is the recipient of the $1,000 Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/Visual Arts Nova Scotia Award. Botham graduated with a BFA from NSCAD. He is currently attending the NSCAD University Residency Program in New Glasgow. (Award supported by Charlotte Wilson-Hammond and Visual Arts Nova Scotia.) Opera singer Benjamin Shaw (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,000 Portia White Awardfor voice. He studies at the University of Toronto, ON. (Award supported by the Music-in-Medicine and Humanities-HEALS Program, Dalhousie University.) Ballet dancer Maggie Oates-Johnson (Dartmouth) is the recipient of the$1,500 Robert George Jackson Award for dance. Maggie studied ballet at Canada's National Ballet School in Toronto this past summer. (Award supported by the Jackson family.) Rebecca Wolfe (Dartmouth) is the recipient of the $500 Theatre Nova Scotia Award for theatre. Wolfe is studying theatre performance at the Humber College in Toronto, ON. (Award supported by Theatre Nova Scotia.) Pianist Chantal Peng (Wolfville) is the recipient of the $1,000 Tietje Zonneveld Award and is studying privately with John Hansen in Wolfville. (Award supported by Tietje Zonneveld.) Choral conductor Thomas Burton (Wolfville) is the recipient of the $750 Kenneth Elloway Award for classical performance. He is studying choral conducting at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, USA. (Award supported by the Elloway family.) Ballet dancer Carrigan MacDonald (Hammonds Plains) is the recipient of the $1000 Janice Merritt Flemming Award and is currently studying at L'Ecole Superieure de Ballet du Québec in Montreal, QC. (Award supported by the Flemming family.) Euphonium player Ross Macintosh (Truro) is the recipient of the $1,000 Raymond Simpson Award for music and is studying at University of Toronto in Toronto, ON. (Award supported by the Simpson family.) Film Producer Gharrett Paon (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,000 Shelagh Mackenziehe  Award and is currently studying film production at the Canadian Film Centre in Toronto, ON. In addition to the Special Awards announced today, the Nova Scotia Talent Trust gave out scholarships to 48 recipients earlier this year. You can find a list of the 2017 Nova Scotia Talent Trust scholarship recipients below. List of the 2017 NSTT Scholarship and Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship Recipients Dance - Ballet               Julia Barkhouse, Dartmouth Kieron Harper, Halifax Claire Campbell, Head of St. Margaret's Bay Carrigan MacDonald, Hammonds Plains Olivia MacLean, Dartmouth Ellery Jackson, Dartmouth, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship Katherine McDonald, Halifax Maggie Oates-Johnson, Dartmouth, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship Mollie Oates-Johnson, Dartmouth Niamh Perrins, Wolfville - Modern/Contemporary Lucie Schmidt, Lakeview Stan Tonin, Windsor Junction Music - Keyboard - Piano Vlad Chiriac, Bedford Devin Huang, Bedford Lala Lee, Halifax Chantal Peng, Wolfville Dakota Scott-Digout, Barrington Andrew Son, Halifax Alex (Zixuan) Yang, Bedford - Strings - Cello India Gailey, Wolfville - Strings - Violin Lilith Richter-Stephenson, Dartmouth Heemin Choi, Bedford - Strings - Guitar Matthew Fraser, Inverness - Conducting Thomas Burton, Wolfville - Voice - Opera Nickolas Higgs, New Glasgow Breanna Miller, Halifax Morgan Reid, Sydney Benjamin Shaw, Vancouver,  NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship - Brass - French Horn Mimisu Lee, Halifax - Brass - Euphonium Ross Macintosh, Truro - Composition Adam Clarke, Antwerpen - Woodwind - Oboe Julia Millett, Lunenburg Film  - Production Gharrett Paon, Halifax Theatre  - Acting Rebecca Wolfe, Dartmouth - Music Theatre Ria Kapur, Bedford Emily Robertson, Oakville Maya Read, Dartmouth, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship - Directing Luciana Silvestre Fernandes, Halifax Visual/Fine Arts  - Interdisciplinary Gabriel Soligo, Halifax, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship - Design/Applied Craft Jodie Fox, Mosquadoboit Harbour Isaac Fresia, Halifax Andrew Gilmour, Halifax Lee Yuen-Rapati, Dartmouth - Painting Drawing Nat Chantel, Dartmouth Curtis Botham, Bedford Caterina Slamovits, Halifax - Printmaking Emma van Zeumeren, Dartmouth Literary Arts - Fiction Conor Martin, Dartmouth

Ballet dancers Claire Campbell and Carrigan MacDonald were chosen by National Ballet Balanchine repetiteur Joysanne Sidimus to perform a duet in Montreal

l-r: Claire Campbell, Joysanne Sidimus, Carrigan MacDonald

Carrigan MacDonald and Claire Campbell got to dance together for the first time! Both are studying at École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec (ESBQ).

They are pictured here with Balanchine repetiteur Joysanne Sidimus. 

Join us to celebrate the 2017 Special Award Recipients on December 12, 2017 at 2 p.m. at the Halifax Central Library

The Talent Trust will recognize the 2017 Scholarship and Special Award recipients at 

2:00 p.m. on 

Tuesday, December 12 

at Halifax Central Library 

We are looking forward to host the ceremony in a space that is open to the public and to celebrate the recipients' achievements with all Nova Scotians. 

We hope to see you there too. (smile)

This year’s Special Award winners were chosen from a field of 48 scholarship recipients representing the artistic disciplines of music, literary arts, visual arts, film, new media, design, dance, and theatre.

Come on out and meet these wonderful emerging artists. 

India Gailey, cello to release new CD Dec 2017 with compositions by former scholarship recipients and Ellen Gibling, harp

India Gailey CD release

December 14, 2017
Manning Memorial Chapel, Wolfville at 7:30 p.m.

December 16, 2017
The Townhouse, Antigonish at 8 p.m.

December 18, 2017 
1313 Hollis, Halifax at 7:30 p.m.

India Gaily and Sam Wilson will release their new CDs at the same time. 

India collaborated on her CD with three former Talent Trust scholarship recipients. They are composers Lucas Oickle and Adam Langille, and harpist Ellen Gibling. 

More information on all three performances can be found on Facebook at

Wolfville: https://www.facebook.com/events/1863488610647762/

Antigonish: https://www.facebook.com/events/2029779267306089/

Halifax: https://www.facebook.com/events/141927126532432/

Invitation to Portia White Gala Concert on Dec 8, 2017 in Halifax

We hope you join us for the 

Portia White Gala Concert

Friday, December 8, 2017

7: 30 p.m. at Faith Tabernacle 
6225 Summit Street, Halifax

Tickets are $15 for all.
Use our Eventbrite online ticketing service: http://tiny.cc/Portia2017
 or printed tickets can be obtained from chorale and band members, or reserved
through the Medical Humanities office at (902) 494-1533 or at medhuman(at)dal.ca.

The Portia White Gala concert will feature the Dalhousie Health Professions Choral and Ensembles and the Sackville Concert Band. Our 12th Portia White Gala showcases a repertoire that includes a special Passchendaele remembrance piece, a final tribute to Canada 150, and a  selection of seasonal favorites.

A part of the proceeds of this concert will support a young Nova Scotian musician through the Talent Trust. The NSTT was started in 1944 to assist the career of Portia White and has continued in its support of talented Nova Scotian artists in their formative years. The Dalhousie University Humanities-HEALS Program is pleased to be able to make a yearly contribution to this worthy cause.

We would like to thank Dr. Wendy Stewart, Ana Bela Sardinha, David Elliott, Bryan Crocker, Jim Forde, the choir members, the Sackville band members, and the many volunteers that will make the concert yet another memorable event.

During the intermission you will be able to treat yourself again to Bill Chaddock's fine fudge in support of the NSTT's Scholarship Program. Portia White's family has donated 100 CDs of 'Portia White - First You Dream to the NSTT. The CD is a compilation of three concerts featuring contralto Portia White. They can be purchased for $20 with all proceeds going towards the Portia White Award. Thank you Bill Chaddock, Chris White and the whole White family for your generous support.

Suzanne Rigden, soprano performs in Mozart's Messiah on December 21 and December 22, 2017 with Symphony NS in Halifax

Suzanne Rigden will perform

suzannerigden.com

in Mozart's Messiah on 

December 21, 2017 and
December 22, 2017
at 7:30 p.m.
Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax

This evening will feature:

Bernhard Gueller, conductor
Suzanne Rigden, sopranoLauren Segal, mezzo-soprano
Owen McCausland, tenor
Brett Polegato, baritone
The Symphony Nova Scotia Chorus, with the Halifax Camerata Singers under the artistic direction of Jeff Joudrey

From Symphony NS' website:

For the first time in over 15 years, Symphony Nova Scotia presents Mozart’s magnificent Messiah! Once a staple of Christmas concerts worldwide, Mozart’s 1789 arrangement of Handel’s great oratorio is now rarely performed – but it remains a rich, dramatic, and nuanced interpretation that showcases both composers’ incredible genius. With added woodwinds, horns, and trombones, and a variety of new classical colours and flourishes, Mozart’s Messiah is a grand, fascinating masterpiece, and a chance to discover this beloved holiday favourite all over again.

More about Suzanne Rigden can be found at https://www.suzannerigden.com/

For tickets go to: https://symphonynovascotia.ca/concerts-and-tickets/concerts/rebecca-cohn-auditorium/mozarts-messiah/

Win a Basket filled with Art experiences and support emerging NS artists at the same time. Raffle Tickets can be purchased at the Craft Nova Scotia Christmas Show Nov 17-19, Cunard Centre, Halifax

Symphony Nova Scotia contribution

Do you like to support emerging Nova Scotia artists through our Scholarship Fund and get a chance to win a Basket filled with art experiences?

Raffle tickets can be purchased in person at the NSDCC's Christmas Show at the Cunard Event Centre, Pier 23 in Halifax from Nov 17 - Nov 19. 

Our friendly board members and volunteers will be happy to chat with you about Talent Trust recipients and all the wonderful donations by local art organizations and artists. (List attached below.)

This year we are dividing the donations up into three baskets. Your chances to win are bigger.

Raffle tickets are 1 for $5 or 5 for $20. We accept cash and cheques. (There is an ATM in the Cunard Centre). 
All proceeds will go in full towards our Scholarship Fund. 
You can only enter the draw if you live in Nova Scotia.
Licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Authority: AGD-103528-17

Where and When:Cunard Event Centre at Pier 23
961 Marginal Road, Halifax

• Friday, Nov 17: 10 a.m.- 9 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov 18: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov 19: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

We thank Susan Hanrahan and Julie Rosvall of Craft Nova Scotia Designer Craft Show for their support. The Christmas show is a juried craft event of Maritime artists. 

The draw will be held on December 12, 2017 at 3:45 p.m. during our annual Special Awards Ceremony at the Central Library in Halifax, NS. 

Thank You to all our friends from the arts community for their generous contributions.

Alan Syliboy, small art work alansyliboy.ca

Alex E. Pierce, book: Vox Humana ealexpierce.com

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia: Complimentary Family Membership for 2018  artgalleryofnovascotia.ca

Blue Engine String Quartet, 3 CDs blueenginestringquartet.com

Cecilia Concerts: 2 tickets to O Mistress Moon on January 21, 2018 with Jennifer King stcecilia.ca

Charlotte Wilson-Hammond RCA: small original painting charlottewilsonhammond.net

Dawn MacNutt RCA: small sculpture dawnmacnutt.com

Debut Atlantic: ticket for two valid for the 2018 concert season debutatlantic.ca

Easternfront Theatre: ticket to 2018 season easternfronttheatre.com

FIN Atlantic International Film Festival: 2 complimentary tickets for 2018 finfestival.ca

Jacqueline Steudler SCA: small original art work jacquelinesteudler.com 

Jenni Blackmore: book jenniblackmore

Live Art Dance: 2 complimentary tickets liveartdance.ca

Memory Lane Heritage Village: Lake Charlotte: Family Pass for Heritage Village Tour  heritagevillage.ca 

Rose Vaughan: CD rosevaughantrio.com

Sheree Fitch: book / reading / trip to new book store in River John shereefitch.com

Symphony Nova Scotia: 2 tickets to Rhapsody in Blue and West Side Story on April 21, 2018  symphonynovascotia.ca

Tangled Garden Gift Shop: Wolfville: Dazzling Damson Plum Liqueur tangledgardenherbs.ca

Wayne Boucher: original small painting wayneboucher.ca

Will Fisher (2008 NSTT Chico Berardi Award): CD Portage willfisher.ca

You can only enter the draw if you live in Nova Scotia.

Licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Authority: AGD-103528-17

The Yue Lih "Lee" and Marion Kuo Award will be presented for the first time at the 2017 Special Awards Ceremony on Dec 12 in Halifax

The Talent Trust is proud to announce the creation of the Yue Lih “Lee” and Marion Kuo Award. The award will be given to a Talent Trust scholarship recipient who shows exceptional commitment and potential in music as an instrumentalist. The award is $1,000 and is made possible by Marion Kuo and Earl Wadden.

“This award will celebrate my father's life and his love for music. My husband and I are happy to help young musicians succeed in their formative years”, states Marion Kuo.

Marion Kuo has been a member of the Sackville Community Band Society for over ten years. She performs on a regular basis with the Sackville Concert Band at the Portia White Gala Concert. She has been an accompanist/band player for several choirs, orchestras and a community theatre; she volunteers with Seniors Groups regularly.

Marion Kuo’s father Lih Kuo was born in Swatow, China on January 6th, 1916 (as China became a Republic following the Last Emperor). He went to England n 1938 under a student exchange program as part of Britain’s reparation for the Opium Wars. However, when the 2nd World War broke out, he was unable to return home and stayed in England as a “Friendly Alien”. Although he was not a musician, he was interested in music and encouraged his daughter Marion in musical studies - mainly piano, but also cello and church organ. He died in 2011.

The Yue Lih and Marion Kuo award will be presented for the first time at the Special Awards Ceremony on December 12, 2017 from 2- 4 p.m. at the Halifax Central Library. The event is open to the public.

For more information about the special awards go to http://nstalenttrust.ns.ca/Awards/Special-Awards/

Micaela Archer-Shee and Julia Barkhouse: Snow Queen at Alderney Landing, Dartmouth Dec 1-3, 2017

Coastal Dance Theatre Society presents:

Snow Queen
Artistic Director: Micaela Archer-Shee

Alderney Landing Theatre
Dec 1 at 7:30 PM
Dec 2 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM
Dec 3 Matinee only at 2:00 PM

Poster: Jordan Horne as Snow Queen, Emily Turple as Kaya, Julia Barkhouse as Gerta 

http://coastaldance.ca/coastal-dance-theatre/

Tickets available at ticketpro.ca or call 1-888-311-9090


Coastal Dance Theatre’s 2017 adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “Snow Queen”

Hans Christian Andersen wrote The Snow Queen about 175 years ago. It is a magical story about friendship, courage and determination.

Kaya is Gerda's very best friend, but at a Christmas skating party, Kaya looks up at the snowflakes and her eye is struck by a falling piece of the Snow Queen ‘s Magic Mirror. The wicked mirror makes everything beautiful and kind look ugly and mean...and Kaya can only see hateful and nasty things. She is mean to Gerda and to all her friends and is swept away by the Snow Queen to her cold palace in the North.

But Gerda is determined to rescue Kaya and bravely follows her through many adventures until, all alone, she can save her friend from the Snow Queen 's cold grasp.

Join brave Gerda on her exciting quest to rescue her best friend Kaya from the spell of the cold Snow Queen. Meet Imps and courtiers, snowflakes and flowers, crows and robbers as Gerda travels ever North to the Snow Queen 's palace to free Kaya.

Molly Johnson, Aliah Schwartz, Georgia Skinner and Jacinte Armstrong at Kinetic Studio's Season Launch on Nov 4 and 5, 2017 in Halifax

KINETIC STUDIO LAUNCHES SEASON WITH OPEN STUDIO SERIES

(text and images below from their press release)

November 4 and 5, 2017 at 8 PM

DANSpace, Halifax

Open Studio will showcase four dance pieces by Molly Johnson, Aliah Schwartz, Georgia Skinner and Dustin Harvey. A post-show discussion on Saturday will be facilitated by Kinetic Artistic Director Jacinte Armstrong.

http://thisismollyjohnson.com/

Toronto-based, Cape Breton raised, Dora Award winning choreographer Molly Johnson will present Me and the Patriarchy. A finalist for the 2013 Toronto Arts Foundation Emerging Artist Award, Molly also dances for Montréal’s Le Carré des Lombes, performing the work of Danièle Desnoyers nationally and abroad.

Blunder Blunder. Photo by Willie Wilson.

Canning’s Aliah Schwartz, 2015’s Lieutenant Governor's Award and 2014 Canada Games Young Artist of Excellence Award, is in the beginning stages of creating and developing an aesthetic with Montreal’s Guillaume Loslier-Pinard.

Together they are Blunder Blunder and will show their first piece No Need for Blue Jeans Here is “situated in a limbo between life and death, the line between humour and tragedy.” Schwartz is currently completing her BFA in contemporary dance at Loslier-Pinard’s alma mater Concordia University.

Georgia Skinner + Joel LeBlanc. Photo by Joanna Bryson

No stranger to the Open Studio Series, Halifax’s Georgia Skinner’s Clench working title) is an exploration of how particular emotions manifest in the body with a focus on anxiety, stress. Isolated, intuitive, and palpable, Clench is a tribute to habitual motions of  bodies under stress, the trickery of panic attacks and the struggle to feel content. Recently seen at the Bus Stop Theatre in Votive Dance’s EAST MEETS WEST, Georgia is a member of Halifax’s Nostos Collective and The Woods Hip Hop Society.

Tickets $8 student, seniors, artists, $10 regular. ( http://www.kineticstudio.ca/boxoffice or at the door)

Location - DANSpace-on-Grafton, 1531 Grafton St, Halifax NS.