Invitation to the Special Awards Ceremony on December 13

In 2019, visual artist Gillian Baldwin and dancer Gabrielle Kachan won the 2011 Canada Games Young Artist of Excellence Awards.

Who will it be this year?

Join us to find out!

We will recognize the 2020 Scholarship and Special Awards recipients at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 13, 2020, online in a ceremony with video greetings by The Honourable Arthur J. LeBlanc, ONS, QC, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia and Honorary Chair of the NSTT.

We are proud to present two new awards that honour the legacy of Sheila K. Piercey, soprano, teacher, and mentor, and celebrate Dr. James Burchill, organist and former scholarship recipient himself. 

The 16 Special Award winners were chosen from a field of 67 scholarship recipients from across the province representing the artistic disciplines of music, literary arts, visual arts, film, dance, circus arts, and theatre.

The Special Awards Ceremony will be held online on the Talent Trust's Facebook page facebook.com/nstalenttrust. The event is free and open to the public. (You don't need a Facebook account to watch the ceremony.)

“We are already missing the possibility to host the ceremony at the Halifax Library like in previous years. But we're fortunate to bring the Special Awards Ceremony directly to you where everyone is safe - your living room. We will celebrate the achievements of our scholarship and award recipients with all Nova Scotians.”, says Jacqueline Steudler, NSTT Executive Director.

For the last 76 years, the NSTT has continued to support emerging Nova Scotian artists as they pursue their studies towards the ultimate goal of establishing professional careers in the arts. 

Please share this event with your friends and celebrate with us on December 13th at 2 p.m.

You don't need to have a Facebook account to watch the ceremony. 

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Dr. James Burchill, organist, gives back to the community that supported him by establishing a Special Award

The Nova Scotia Talent Trust is excited

to announce the new Dr. James Burchill Award!

Dr. James Burchill 

Dr. Burchill states: "I have always been aware of how important study is in preparation for a professional career and, particularly in our day, how very expensive this is. For my own education, I was helped very considerably by years of awards from the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, and I am delighted to take my turn in helping future music students achieve their goals."

The Dr. James Burchill Award will be given out for the first time in December 2020. Dr. James Burchill, a former Talent Trust recipient (1958 through 1961) in organ studies, created the award to give back to the community.

The award will be given, if merited, to an organist, choral or instrumental conductor or, if there is no suitable applicant in either of these fields, to a student of another musical instrument or voice. The annual award is $8,000.

Dr. Burchill donated $220,000 in bank stocks to the NSTT Foundation in 2019, with stipulation that the investment income be used annually for the Dr. James Burchill Award of $8,000. The NSTT Foundation was incorporated to hold and invest endowment funds to benefit the Talent Trust in perpetuity.

 

Tim Matthews, Chair of the NSTT Foundation, told us: "The NSTT Foundation is immensely grateful to Dr. Burchill for this very generous gift. The Endowment will provide sustainable and perpetual financial support for future musicians. This is a great example of "paying it forward," and I hope it inspires others to consider such gifts to ensure the long-term success of the Talent Trust."

Dr. James Burchill is a well known organist in Nova Scotia:

Studies in music theory, organ playing and choral conducting earned James Burchill a doctorate from Eastman and, while a student at the Royal School of Church Music, the FRCO(CHM); these led to a more than fifty-year career as a church musician, including twenty years at All Saints' Cathedral in Halifax, theory teaching at the Conservatories in Hamilton and Halifax, and organ teaching at Mount Allison and Dalhousie Universities. He was also a frequent organ recitalist and accompanist for choral concerts. After ten retirement years often spent in England attending Cathedral daily choral Evensongs, he is now dividing his year between Victoria and Halifax, and his day between reading and walking.

"It was a pleasure to meet Dr. Burchill a few weeks back in person and hear about his achievements and love for the local music community. We're thrilled that we can announce his special award to help our young musicians succeed in their pursuit of a professional career. Thank you, Dr. Burchill!" Jacqueline Steudler, Executive Director, NS Talent Trust.

About the NSTT Foundation

The impetus for establishing the NSTT Foundation was a generous legacy gift made by the Nova Scotia Coalition on Arts and Culture. They wanted to ensure that their contribution would support the work of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust now and well into the future. The role of the NSTT Foundation is to steward significant resources and make the income available to the NSTT to fund artists in accordance with its mandate. Contributions are eligible for a charitable donation receipt. They may be made as a one-time gift, pledged over time, or a bequest in your will. Since 2012, the Endowment has grown to over $280,000.

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