Announcing the Talent Trust's 2019 Special Award Recipients

Today, we were able to grant 15 special awards at our annual Special Awards Ceremony. We recognized our 2019 scholarship and Special Award recipients at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at the 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 75 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. The Special Awards Ceremony was the culmination of our 75th anniversary year.  Have a look below and celebrate with these wonderful artists!

Halifax pianist Lala Lee received the $1,500 Talent Trust Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Artistic Achievement, the NSTT’s highest honour for a student in any discipline. Lee studies at the Glenn Gould School of Music in Toronto, Ontario.

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 granted every December until 2022 and are the legacy of the 2011 Canada Games Young Artists of Excellence Program. In 2019, the two $10,000 awards were received by Halifax dancer Gabrielle Kachan and visual artist Gillian Baldwin from Port Williams.

Gabrielle Kachan (Halifax), 2019 recipient of a 2011 Canada Games Young Artist of Excellence Award, is currently studying contemporary dance at École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal in Montréal, Québec.

Visual artist Gillian Baldwin (Port Williams), 2019 recipient of a 2011 Canada Games Young Artist of Excellence Award, is currently studying visual arts (digital image/3D) at the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Today, we had the pleasure to present two new awards in honour of two exceptional women; philanthropist Peggy Corkum and visual artist, teacher and mentor Susan Wood. Both touched many lives and hearts. We're thankful to Musique Royale and Barbara Butler for the new Peggy Corkum/Musique Royale Legacy Award for a piano student. And we thank the family of Susan Wood and Visual Arts Nova Scotia for creating The Susan Wood Award for visual arts students in the field of painting, drawing, print making.

Pianist Devin Huang (Bedford) is the recipient of the $1,000 Peggy Corkum/Musique Royale Legacy Award. Huang studies privately with Lynn Stodola. (Award supported by Barbara Butler and friends of Peggy Corkum.)

Visual artist Ada Denil (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1500 The Susan Wood Award in visual arts. Denil is currently studying sculpting and drawing at NSCAD University in Halifax. (Award supported by family and friends of Susan Wood and Visual Arts Nova Scotia.)

There are ten more Special Award recipients, each of whom demonstrates exceptional potential to become a professional artist. We're pleased to introduce them here.

Musical theatre actor Ryan MacDougall (Hammonds Plains) is the recipient of the $1,500 RBC Emerging Artist Award for theatre. MacDougall studies musical theatre at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. (Award supported by RBC Emerging Artist Project.)

French horn player Mimisu Lee (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1000 Yue Lih “Lee” and Marion Kuo Award for exceptional commitment and potential in music as an instrumentalist. Lee is currently studying French horn at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto, Ontario. (Award supported by Marion Kuo and Earl Wadden.)

Visual artist Jessie McLaughlin (Bedford) is the recipient of the $1,000 Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/Visual Arts Nova Scotia Award. McLaughlin currently studies fashion and textile art at NSCAD University in Halifax. (Award supported by Charlotte Wilson-Hammond and Visual Arts Nova Scotia.)

Baritone Nicholas Higgs (New Glasglow) is the recipient of the $1,500 Talent Trust Portia White Award for voice. Higgs studies at the University of Toronto. (Award supported by the Music-in-Medicine and Humanities-HEALS Program, Dalhousie University and the family of Portia White.)

Ballet and contemporary dancer Sahara Nyathi (Halifax) is the recipient of the $2,000 Robert George Jackson Award for dance. Nyathi spent the Summer 2019 studying at the National Ballet School in Toronto, Ontario (Award supported by the Jackson family.)

Filmmaker Rose-Marie Daniels (Port Williams) is the recipient of the $1000 Shelagh Mackenzie Award in filmmaking. Daniels is currently studying film production and post-production at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. (Award supported by Shelagh Mackenzie's friends).

Musical theatre actor Brooke Mitchell (Beaverbank) is the recipient of the $500 Theatre Nova Scotia Award for theatre. Mitchell is studying musical theatre at the Neptune Theatre School in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Award supported by Theatre Nova Scotia.)

Composer Jessica MacIsaac (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1000 Kenneth Elloway Award for composition. MacIsaac attended Valencia International Performance Academy in Valencia, Spain in the summer of 2019. (Award supported by the Elloway family.)

Ballet dancer Julia Barkhouse (Dartmouth) is the recipient of the $1000 Janice Merritt Flemming Award and is currently studying at Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto, Ontario. (Award supported by the Flemming family.)

Flutist Amelia Bruce (Dartmouth) is the recipient of the $1,000 Raymond Simpson Award for music. Bruce is studying at Schulich School of Music, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec. (Award supported by the Simpson family.)

In addition to the Special Awards announced today, the Nova Scotia Talent Trust gave out scholarships to 58 recipients earlier this year. You can find a list of the 2019 Nova Scotia Talent Trust scholarship recipients below. The NSTT’s scholarship application deadline date for Spring/Summer study is March 1, 2020 and for Fall/Winter study it is May 1, 2020. The NSTT is supported by individual donors like Margaret and David Fountain and the 2011 Canada Games Legacy Fund, RBC Foundation, The Craig Foundation, Canadian Federation of Musicians, Musique Royale, Visual Arts Nova Scotia, Theatre Nova Scotia, Debut Atlantic, immediaC, the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, MSVU Art Gallery, CBU Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Basil AV, BoyneClarke, Code+Mortar, NSTT Foundation, Dalhousie Music in Medicine HEALS Program, Support4Culture, Halifax Central Library, Halifax Regional Municipality, Cecilia Concerts, FIN Atlantic International Film Festival, Craft Nova Scotia, Black Cultural Centre for NS, CIOE 97.5 Community Radio, Symphony Nova Scotia, Neptune Theatre, and Arts Nova Scotia. NSTT is pleased to work in partnership with the province to develop and promote our cultural resources for all Nova Scotians. Contact: Jacqueline Steudler, Executive Director, Nova Scotia Talent Trust P. O. Box 575 Halifax  NS  B3J 2R7 (902) 492 6801 director@nstalenttrust.ns.ca nstalenttrust.ns.ca

Congratulations to the Talent Trust and Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship Recipients CIRCUS ARTS RECIPIENT Acrobatics/Tumbling Morganne Hartlen, Mineville DANCE RECIPIENTS Ballet Julia Barkhouse, Dartmouth  Chloe Bruce, Dartmouth Brooklyn Law, Bedford Mollie Oates-Johnson, Dartmouth Maggie Oates-Johnson, Dartmouth Aidan Vaudreuil, Lower Sackville Carrigan MacDonald, Bedford, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship Sahara Nyathi, Halifax, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship Ballet/Contemporary Niamh Draper, Bedford Stan Tonin, Windsor Junction Modern/Contemporary Gabrielle Kachan, Halifax Lucie Schmidt, Lakeview/Dartmouth Denver Scott, Halifax FILM Production and Post Production Rose-Marie Daniels, Port Williams Documentary Film Meagan Brown, Hammonds Plains Stop Motion and Digital Animation Katelyn Hawley, Hammonds Plains Directing and Producing Kassidy Mattera, Bedford Expanded Cinema Yalitsa Riden, Hammonds Plains LITERARY ARTS Creative Nonfiction Sara Leslie, Halifax Sidney Robichaud, Halifax, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship MUSIC RECIPIENTS Keyboard - Piano Devin Huang, Bedford Lala Lee, Halifax Andrew Son, Halifax Cindy Thong, Halifax Alex (Zixuan) Yang, Bedford Strings - Cello India Gailey, Wolfville Strings - Violin Rose Hanada, Halifax Lilith Richter-Stephenson, Dartmouth Indi Tisoy, Dartmouth Strings - Viola Ellis Yuen-Rapati, Dartmouth Strings - Double Bass Sean Sneddon, Halifax Voice - Opera Ruusu-Maaria Brousseau, Halifax Anisa Sobhani, Dartmouth Laura Johnston, Prospect Bay Morgan Reid, Sydney Nicholas Higgs, New Glasgow Nick Veltmeyer, Halifax Shanice Skinner, New Glasgow Composition Jessica MacIsaac, Halifax Cassie Mann, Halifax, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship Brass - Tuba Bryenton Innes, Lakelands Brass - French Horn Mimisu Lee, Halifax Brass - Trumpet Shaw Nicholson, Halifax Woodwind - Flute Amelia Bruce, Dartmouth THEATRE RECIPIENTS Music Theatre Brooke Mitchell, Beaverbank Brent Raddall, Wolfville Ryan MacDougall, Hammonds Plains, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship VISUAL/FINE ARTS RECIPIENTS Interdisciplinary Madeleine West, Halifax Gillian Baldwin, Port Williams Caterina Slamovits, Halifax Design/Applied Craft Andrew Gilmour, Halifax Charles Bourne, Halifax Painting/Drawing Caitlin McGuire, Halifax Robin Lauzon, Kentville Textiles/Fashion Sienna Maeba, Halifax Jessie McLaughlin, Bedford Sculpture/Drawing Ada Denil, Halifax Want to hear more? Please sign up for our newsletter Want to support the next generation of Nova Scotia artists? Donate today!