Curtis Botham Exhibition: Flattening the Curve

 

Join visual artist and past Talent Trust scholarship recipient Curtis Botham for his exhibition entitled "Flattening the Curve". It will deal with the social isolation and other changes to our lives brought about by the COVID pandemic. The exhibition will take place between January 5 and January 30, 2022 (Visual Arts Nova Scotia's Corridor Gallery at 1113 Marginal Road, Halifax)

Curtis Botham graduated from NSCAD University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2017. Since then, he has won numerous grants and awards, including in 2018 the 2011 Canada Games Young Artists of Excellence Award and in 2017 the Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/VANS Award both through the Talent Trust, plus grants from Arts Nova Scotia and the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation.  

His artwork has been displayed in numerous galleries around Nova Scotia, as well as published in numerous journals and magazines, and some of his drawings are part of the permanent collection of the Nova Scotia Art Bank. 

In 2022, he plans on creating large-scale drawings focusing on Nova Scotia’s fishing industry and the people who work in it.  

To inquire about purchasing any of the displayed work, contact: ctbotham@gmail.com

More of his artwork can be seen at: curtisbotham.weebly.com. 

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Holiday Cheer with Reeny Smith

Former Talent Trust recipient Reeny Smith has a new Christmas single AND is currently on tour!

You can find her tour dates here: https://www.iamreeny.com/

And hear her new single, Dear Santa, here: 

https://youtu.be/98xzbvNGFgk

About Reeny (from her website: https://www.iamreeny.com/about.html)

Since releasing her first in EP in 2015, “I Am Reeny,” Reeny Smith’s powerful voice and vibrant, emotional rollercoaster of a stage show have solidified her as one of the most enthralling artists in Canada.

Signing with Cymba Music Publishing in 2016, she released her breakout single, “Good Girl Swag”, a song with an unrelenting positivity in an increasingly harsh world. Smith went on to win Music Nova Scotia’s African Canadian Artist of the Year award in 2016, 2017 and 2018, as well as Best RnB Artist award in The Coast’s Best of Halifax awards in 2017 and 2018.

She’s collaborated with artists like Quake Matthews, and opened for Anderson Paak at the Halifax Jazz Festival, but through it all, Smith says the thing she’s the proudest of is developing her craft as a songwriter and being recognized for all of the hard work she’s put into the depth and realism of her work.

“My biggest achievement thus far has been recognized internationally for my songwriting work. Songwriting was never something I thought I was good at, so to have reached this level of validation means a great deal to me.”

Awards & Achievements 
2019 - East Coast Music Award   -    R & B/Soul Recording of the Year
2019 - East Coast Music Awards -  Bucky Adams Memorial Award
2019 - Top 10 CBC Searchlight 
2018 The Coast Best Of Halifax Best R&B Gold winner​
2018 Music NS African Nova Scotian Artist of The Year
2018 ANSMA Artist of The Year
2017 Music NS African Nova Scotian Artist of The Year
2017 The Coast Best Of Halifax Best R&B Gold winner
2016 Music NS African Nova Scotian Artist of The Year
2015 ANSMA Artist of The Year
2015 Music NS African Nova Scotian Artist of The Year
2015 Casino Nova Scotia Artist in Residence Winner
2011 NSTT Teachers Award
2011 ANSMA Rising Star
2010 Halifax Jazz Festival Galaxy Rising Star
Represented Nova Scotia in Canada Games National Artist Program
2010 ANSMA Best Up and Coming Artist
2010 NSTT Portia White Award

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Congratulations Shauntay Grant and India Gailey

Congratulations to former Talent Trust scholarship recipients Shauntay Grant and India Gailey for their recent Arts Nova Scotia Awards.

Shauntay was awarded the Black Artist Recognition Award and India the Emerging Artist Recognition Award.  

India was the winner of the Yue Lih and Marion Kuo Award in 2017 and the Raymond Simpson Award in 2020.

About Shauntay Grant

Shauntay Grant is a poet, playwright, author, and multimedia artist. She is a descendant of Black Loyalists, Jamaican Maroons, and Black Refugees who came to Canada during the 18th and 19th centuries. A multidisciplinary artist with professional degrees in creative writing, music, and journalism, she “creates artworks that are engaging and accessible, but also challenging, rigorous, and informed by deep research (The Royal Society of Canada).” Her honours include a Joseph S. Stauffer Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts, a Robert Merritt Award for her stage play The Bridge, a Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award for Africville, and a Poet of Honour prize from the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. A member of The Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists, she teaches creative writing at Dalhousie University, shares her blend of words and music internationally at festivals and events, and collaborates with visual artists and art galleries to create multidisciplinary artworks, installations, and exhibitions. She curated the exhibition Stitched Stories: The Family Quilts (Dalhousie Art Gallery, 2016), and the multimedia installation Grandmother, Teach Me (Art Gallery Of Ontario, 2017). Her literary work has been commissioned by Symphony Nova Scotia, Eastern Front Theatre, Against The Grain Theatre, and Obdisian Theatre among others. A former poet laureate for the City of Halifax, her poetry for children and adults has been published in educational resources, anthologies and literary journals. Her forthcoming poetic picture book My Fade Is Fresh will be published in 2022 by Penguin Books.

Website: www.shauntaygrant.com 

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/shauntay.grant/

About India Gailey  

India Gailey (she/they) is a musician—cellist, composer, vocalist, and improviser––who crosses many eras and genres, most often performing the realms of classical and experimental music. Pinned as a “young musician to watch” (Scotia Festival), she has performed across Canada, the United States, and Germany as a soloist and collaborator. She has worked with numerous contemporary composers, including Yaz Lancaster, Philip Glass, Nicole Lizée, and Michael Harrison. India is the recipient of several honours, including awards from the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, the Canada Council for the Arts, and McGill University, where she earned her Master of Music in cello performance. Her most recent work has been presented by organizations such as the Canadian Music Centre, International Contemporary Ensemble, Metropolis Ensemble, and Government House of Nova Scotia. India is also member of the environmental quartet New Hermitage, which recently released their fifth album, Unearth, to critical acclaim. 2022 will bring the release of a new solo cello album, as well as a series of commissioned works written especially for India by Canadian composers. 

https://www.instagram.com/india.yeshe/

https://www.facebook.com/india.yeshe/

https://indiayeshe.com/

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Karen Myatt: Femoir Album Release

Congratulations to former Talent Trust scholarship recipient and musician Karen Myatt on the release of her new album Femoir.

 

You can buy tickets to the album release concert here. And you can view the official video for Femoir here.

About Karen (from her website):

Karen Myatt has her grandmother to thank for her love of music.

“She turned me on to the American Songbook when I was a youngster,” says the Canadian vocalist. “That, in turn, led me to discover jazz, blues, gospel, soul, and rock music.”

After training at the Randolph Academy in Toronto and graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, Myatt performed across North and South America.

In 2016, she produced and premiered “Ladies of Song” to sold-out audiences at Neptune Theatre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Both 2017’s “Songs of the Silver Screen” and 2018’s “Blues Deluxe” were equally successful, earning rave reviews.

Other highlights include headlining the Halifax Jazz Festival and performing with Symphony Nova Scotia.

Her first full-length album – Enchanté (2014) – was recorded in her hometown of Halifax, and features Holly Arsenault (piano), David Langstroth (double bass) and Brock Caldwell (drums).

Her latest effort – Femoir – was recorded at The Sonic Temple Recording Studio in Halifax and was engineered by Darren van Niekerk. The album was mixed and mastered by Christian St. Germain at Studio 360 in Montreal.

Some of Canada’s most renowned musicians appear on the new recording, including Chris Mitchell (saxophone), Matt Myer (trumpet), Lisa MacDougall (keyboards), Adam Fine (bass), Geoff Arsenault (drums), Shimon Walt (cello) and Jennifer Jones (violin).

Along with nine unique takes on classic and contemporary songs, Femoir features five original tracks co-written by Myatt and Montreal composer J. Rimbaudelaire.

“Femoir was conceived at a small café in Rome,” shares Myatt. “It might have been the cappuccino or the cannoli, but something special there gave birth to the project.”

She notes that the album’s 14 tracks celebrate the feminine spirit.

“I found inspiration in both the immediate and eternal elements that define femininity – emotion, creativity, intuition, sensuality, beauty. These songs explore characteristics and archetypes that help to define us as both a species and as individuals. They are more relevant – even required – these days than perhaps ever before.”

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Andrew Boudreau: Family Plan album release

Congratulations to pianist/composer and former Talent Trust scholarship recipient Andrew Boudreau, and his New York based trio Family Plan, on the release of their debut album Family Plan. 

About Family Plan 

Born out of Immaculate Conception, Family Plan is an aesthetically diverse three-person extraction. Descendants in equal parts to sensibilities related to the high and low brow of music, Family Plan is a collective trio consisting of Vicente Hansen on drums, Andrew Boudreau on piano and Simón Willson on bass. At the moment they can be found performing original music that is intended to challenge conceptions of what should be listened to during dinner while trying to enjoy quality family time. 

Vicente and Simón are not only both from the skinny and often forgotten country of Chile, but also claim some sort of family relationship to the famed deceased pianist Claudio Arrau. Andrew is a native of the great northern country of Canada, where winters are very cold and people are very sorry.

Family Plan released their debut album in September 2021 on Endectomorph Records.

More about Andrew Boudreau here.

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Celebrating 35 years: Jeff Joudrey and the Camerata Singers

 

Congratulations to former Talent Trust scholarship recipient Jeff Joudrey (artistic director) and the Camerata Singers for celebrating 35 years of bringing choral excellence to Nova Scotia! 

About the Camerata Singers (from their website)

The Halifax Camerata Singers is Atlantic Canada’s premier chamber choir. Founded in 1986 by Artistic Director Jeff Joudrey, the Nova Scotia ensemble has distinguished itself by performing exciting choral repertoire that covers all periods and styles, with special attention to Canadian music. The auditioned choir is known for its high performance standards, claiming national recognition and the Healy Willan Grand Prize in the 2010 National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs.

Members of the Halifax Camerata Singers come from many communities for the opportunity to perform demanding choral repertoire. The choir often appears in collaboration with chamber ensembles, Symphony Nova Scotia, other musicians, and since 2001 has been the core choir of the Symphony Nova Scotia Chorus. The ensemble performs in regional concert series such as Music at the Three Churches, Musique Royale, Music at Trinity, Dartmouth Community Concert Series, and Indian River Festival, P.E.I.

The Halifax Camerata Singers organization has an active program of commissioning choral music from Canadian and international composers and is proud to encourage young singers through its Youth Mentoring Program, bursaries for the Nova Scotia Youth Choir, and commissioning of emerging and established composers. The organization was also instrumental in the success of Xara Choral Theatre, a choral theatre ensemble for young women aged 18–30 years, which was founded as a youth initiative of the Halifax Camerata Singers in 2008.

The choir has made five recordings:  A Time for All Things (2015), Solace:  Songs of Remembrance (2009), Songs of the Stable:  Christmas Music from Canada (2006), Songs of Home (1997), and Celtic Mass for the Sea (1993).  A Time for All Things was nominated for a 2017 East Coast Music Award for Classical Recording of the year, and won Classical Recording of the Year in the 2016 Music Nova Scotia Awards. Recordings are distributed through Leaf Records Inc. and Naxos Canada.

The Halifax Camerata Singers is a not-for-profit society managed by a volunteer board of directors. Funding comes from performances, donations, and fundraising, with supporting grants from the Canada Council for the Arts; Arts Nova Scotia; Halifax Regional Municipality; and the Lloyd Carr-Harris Foundation.

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Devin Huang: Summer Success

Talent Trust scholarship Devin Huang had a busy summer! Congratulations Devin!

Devin won first place in piano at the Emerging Artist Stream at the Federation  of Canadian Music Festival.

Devin also won third place, and the Chopin Award, at the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Association National Piano Competition. 

You can see Devins stunning performance at the CFMTA here.

More about Devin (from his family):

Fourteen-year-old Devin Huang is a Grade 10 student at Sacred Heart School of Halifax and has been a student of Prof. Lynn Stodola since 2016. Since being introduced to piano at the age of seven, he has shown great enthusiasm towards piano performance, both solo and chamber.

Devin has had a very exciting and successful summer competing in two prestigious National competitions: Representing Nova Scotia at the Federation of Canadian Music Festivals National Competition in August, Devin won the First Prize in the Emerging Artist Piano Division, and representing the Nova Scotia Registered Music Teachers’ Association at the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Association Piano Competition in July, he won the Third Prize as well as the Chopin Award for the best performance of a work by Chopin. Devin was the youngest competitor in both of these competitions.  

In August 2020, Devin was named by CBC Music on the Canada’s hot “30 under 30” classical Musicians. He was interviewed by CBC Radio one and his video was broadcasted by CBC TV News also presented on social media by CBC Music. 

Devin has been a regular participant in numerous Nova Scotia Kiwanis Music Festivals, placing first in all of his classes and winning several named prizes and scholarships, including the prestigious President’s Cup for the past four years as well as the Dr. Piano and Yamaha Canada Rose Bowl in 2020 and 2021. 

He has also been the Junior Piano prize winner at the Nova Scotia Provincial Finals in 2018 and 2019 also Senior Piano prize winner in 2021 as well as winner of the Nova Scotia Registered Teachers’ Association Scholarship Competition in both Senior and Advanced Divisions (2020/2021). 

He has been a National Finalist for the Canadian Music Competition, 2017-2019, winning first prize each year in his age category as well as the overall Grand Prize in all instruments, age 11 - 14 in 2018.

In October 2019, Devin had the honour to be invited by the Nova Scotia Talent Trust to play at the Lieutenant Governor’s House which was recorded for Eastlink television. The same year he was featured soloist with Nova Sinfonia, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto K. 488, and made his recital debut on the Cecilia Concert Series. 

In November 2020, Devin was invited by Scotia Festival of Music to present a solo recital in their 2020/2021 Chamber Music Series at the Peggy Corkum Music Room. 

Devin was honoured and proud to receive the new Peggy Corkum/Musique Royale Legacy Award through the Nova Scotia Talent Trust in 2019 and 2020. 

He was featured by Musique Royale on their 35th Summer Festival by a virtual concert released in August 2020. Devin is very honoured to have been chosen as the first recipient of the Debut Atlantic Music Prize in this year’s Nova Scotia Kiwanis Music Festival (NSKMF).  

Devin has received tremendous support from the music community, receiving awards from the Halifax Ladies’ Musical Club and scholarships and special awards from the Nova Scotia Talent Trust. The generosity and support of these organizations continue to inspire Devin to strive to become a professional pianist.

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