Former NSTT scholarship recipient Ifan Williams in concert January 19, 2019

Cellist and NSTT music scholarship
recipient Ifan Williams.

Cellist Ifan Williams and violinist Bonnie Romkey will perform DUOS Violin and Violoncello on January 19, 2019 at the Pond Playhouse in Halifax. 

DUOS is a one-night only concert presented by Theatre Arts Guild.

Ifan Williams is a former Talent Trust music scholarship recipient. 

He has performed with the New Philharmonia of London, London Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Chamber Ensemble, and the Classical Quartet of Montreal. 

He’s been Artist In Residence at the University of New Brunswick, Professor of Cello at Mount Allison University, and is the current Chair of Musique Royale and Opera Nova Scotia.

DUOS is a semi-formal affair to ring in the new year. As Theatre Arts Guild says, who doesn’t love to dress up!

There are only 90 seats available, so don’t wait to buy your tickets, which make a lovely stocking stuffer for classical music fans.

For more information, visit the Theatre Arts Guild website.

Concert Program:
Passacaglia — Handel-Halvorsen
K.424 in B flat Major — W.A. Mozart
Etude (from Gliere Collection) — Reinhold Gliere 
Intermission
Sonata Op. 7 — Zoltan Kodaly

Details:
DUOS Violin and Violoncello 
Saturday January 19, 2019 - 8:00 p.m.
  
The Pond Playhouse
6 Parkill Road Halifax

General Seating - 90 seat capacity
Cash bar and light refreshments

Ticket prices: 
$15 for members 
$25 for non-members (which includes a membership to Theatre Arts Guild. Forms available at the door)

To buy tickets:
Ticket Atlantic outlets

Atlantic Superstores

TicketAtlantic online 
Or call (902) 451-1221

Pianist Andrew Son on Final Stop of Atlantic Young Artist Regional Tour November 25

Andrew Son performs in Halifax on the final stop of his Atlantic Canada tour with a free afternoon concert of Chopin, Scarlatti, Mendelssohn, and Rachmaninoff. 

The performance takes place Sunday, November 25.

Andrew is an award-winning pianist who recently captured the 2018 Atlantic Young Artist Competition and the Piano Rose Bowl at the Kiwanis Music Festival in Halifax.

He represented Nova Scotia at the 2015 Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Association National Piano Competition in Vancouver. 

Andrew received Talent Trust scholarships from 2014-17. He’s currently a student at Dalhousie University.

The Talent Trust is pleased to co-present Andrew’s Halifax concert with Cecilia Concerts, Nova Scotia Registered Music Teachers Association, and the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts.

Concert details

Sunday, November 25, 2:00 p.m.

Admission: free

Lilian Piercey Concert Hall

Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts

6199 Chebucto Rd, Halifax

For more information, visit the Cecilia Concerts website.

 

Heemin Choi Receives Rare Violin from Canada Council Instrument Bank

Heemin Choi plays his 1768 Januarius Gagliano violin. Photo: Canada Council Instrument Bank

Heemin Choi is one of the 2018 recipients of a rare violin from the Canada Council Instrument Bank.

Two dozen musicians were selected by a peer assessment committee to receive some of the world’s most legendary cellos and violins. 

Over the next three years, Heemin will have the opportunity to play a 1768 Miller Januarius Gagliano violin. Gagliano was an Italian luthier whose father was thought to be a contemporary of the legendary Antonio Stradivari.

Heemin began playing violin at the age of 6. He received a Talent Trust scholarship to assist with his music studies, and completed a bachelor’s degree in music from Dalhousie University's Fountain School of Performing Arts. 

He’s currently a master’s student at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music in Texas.

Heemin won the Canadian Young Artist Competition in 2012, and was the recipient of the Hnatyshyn Developing Artist Grant in 2011. He is the Talent Trust Goodwill Ambassador for 2018.

Heemin has performed throughout North America, Europe and Asia, and recently appeared at the Pond Playhouse in Halifax to perform with cellist and Talent Trust scholarship recipient Ifan Williams for Theatre Arts Guild’s opening of Death and the Maiden.

Pianist Jennifer King Performs in UPEI Music Department Clarinet Spectrum Recital Series

Pianist Jennifer King performs Olivier Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time with Karem J. Simon (clarinet), Karen Graves (violin), and Natalie Williams Calhoun (cello). 

The concert, which takes place on September 8, is part of the UPEI Music Department Clarinet Spectrum Recital Series.

A skilled performer, respected adjudicator, coach, and clinician, Jennifer holds a Masters of Music degree in solo piano performance from McGill University, postgraduate diplomas from the University of Reading in the UK as well as the Royal Academy of Music in London, England. 

In addition to her Talent Trust scholarships, Jennifer received an Award of Appreciation from the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia for her contributions to musical life in the province. 

She’s a member of the Nova Scotia Registered Music Teachers’ Association (NSRMTA) and a private piano instructor and faculty member of the Maritime Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Halifax.

Jennifer launched her album O Mistress Moon in January 2018. (Visit YouTube to hear her perform Claude Debussy’s La Lune.)

Quartet for the End of Time was written while Olivier Messiaen was was a prisoner of war at the Nazis' Stalag VIII-A camp. The work explores his struggle to endure the conditions of his imprisonment as well as his Catholic faith.

Concert details
Saturday, September 8
Dr. Steel Recital Hall, UPEI Campus
550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, PEI

Adults: $20.00 + service fee
Students: $10.00 + service fee
Available to purchase online at Brown Paper Tickets

Talent Trust Scholarship Recipients on the Best of Halifax 2018 Ballot

In 2017 22,000 people cast over 800,000 individual votes for The Coast's annual readers’ choice awards.

We scoured the ballot for 2018 nominees, and discovered there's an impressive list of Talent Trust scholarship recipients with either individual nominations or as part of a nominated organization or group.

Voting began August 1 and will close on September 15. The winners will be announced on November 1. Head over to the Best of Halifax website to make your choices.

Best Choreographer

• Jacinte Armstrong
• Veronique Mackenzie
• Sara Coffin

Best Dancer

• Georgia Skinner 
• Sara Coffin
• Lydia Zimmer

Best Dance Company / Group

Mocean Dance 


• Sara Coffin
• Ruth-Ellen Kroll Jackson
• Jacinte Armstrong
• Rhonda Baker
• Sarah Rozee
• Sara Harrigan
• Lisa Phinney Langley
• Melanie Ferro

Halifax Dance


• Sara Coffin
• 
Veronique Mackenzie
• Olivia MacLean

Best Filmmaker

• Michael Melski

Best Theatre Actor

• Mary Fay Coady

Best Theatre Production

Princess Rules, Heist

• Jacinte Armstrong, choreography

Best Visual Artist

• Emily Vey Duke (in collaboration with Shary Boyle, The Illumination Project)
• Caitlin McGuire

Best Classical Artist / Group

Rhapsody Quintet


• Jennifer Jones
• David Langstroth

Blue Engine String Quartet

• Jennifer Jones
• Hilary Brown

Symphony Nova Scotia

• Jennifer Jones
• David Parker
• D’Arcy Gray

Best Jazz Artist / Band
Karen Myatt

Best Music Video
Classified, “Powerless” — Breagh Mackinnon, piano and vocals

Best Pop Artist / Band, Best Folk Artist / Band

Port Cities

• Breagh Mackinnon with bandmates Dylan Guthro and Carleton Stone

Best R&B Artist / Band, Best Solo Artist

• Reeny Smith

Karen Myatt in Thorgy’s Thorchestra! with Symphony Nova Scotia

Photo by Michèle Parent of Chèle Photo Couture

Karen Myatt is a busy woman. She's about to make her Symphony Nova Scotia debut as guest vocalist for the highly-anticipated Thorgy and the Thorchestra!

The show, part of Halifax Pride 2018, is described as a "thrilling, thoughtful, and hilariously theatrical show featuring the fabulous Thorgy Thor, famed worldwide from the hit show RuPaul’s Drag Race." 

Performances are Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28, 7:30 p.m. at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax. 

For tickets, call the Symphony box office at 902.494.3820, visit 6101 University Avenue, or you can purchase tickets online.

Karen received Talent Trust scholarships in 2003 and 2004. She studied at the Randolph Academy in Toronto and is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.

Her appearance with Thorgy and the Thorchestra! follows a recent pair of soirées at the Halifax Distilling Co., with a third show in that series on August 17, plus an upcoming concert on Friday, July 20 at Sandy Cove's Zion United Church, which is part of the Cove Summer Music Series.

For more information on Karen's music and upcoming concerts, visit karenmyatt.net.

Barbara Hannigan Named Finalist for 2018 Masterworks Award

Barbara Hannigan is among the five finalists for the 2018 Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award. She's nominated for her award-winning album Crazy Girl Crazy.

Crazy Girl Crazy is Barbara's debut recording, which was released in 2017. The work is a new arrangement of music from Gershwin’s Girl Crazy, and Berio’s Sequenza III for solo voice. 

Barbara combines the roles of conductor and soprano soloist throughout the album, which was recorded with the innovative musical collective LUDWIG Orchestra.

The New York Times named Crazy Girl Crazy one of the 25 Best Classical Music Recordings in 2017, which went on to win both a Juno and Grammy award for classical music in 2018. 

Barbara received a Talent Trust scholarship in 1993. She's carved out an impressive career since completing her studies, performing  with renowned orchestras such as The Berlin Philharmonic and Toronto Symphony, and at iconic venues including New York’s Lincoln Center and London’s Royal Opera House. 

She'll take on the role of Principal Guest Conductor with the Gothenburg Symphony in Sweden for their 2019-2020 season. 

Barbara's won numerous accolades during her career, including the Order of Canada in 2016.

The Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award recognizes the excellence of a work of art or design from any medium. The work must have made a significant impact through its public presentation and have contributed to the historical development and contemporary practice of the art form. 

The Masterworks Award was established by the Honourable Myra Freeman in 2005. To learn more about the five finalists for 2018, visit the Masterworks website.

Mimisu Lee and Lala Lee Perform in Cecelia Concerts 30th Anniversary Season

Halifax chamber music presenter Cecilia Concerts has launched its 30th season, which begins September 14 with a fundraising gala featuring opera star Measha Brueggergosman.

Among the stellar musicians in the lineup are French hornist Mimisu Lee and pianist Lala Lee, who will perform works from the classical-romantic repertoire including Ludwig van Beethoven’s horn sonata, Op. 17 and Robert Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70. The concert takes place January 6, 2019.

Named one of CBC’s “30 Hot Classical Musicians Under 30” in 2017, Lala made her debut with Symphony Nova Scotia under Bernhard Gueller that same year. She’s also performed with the Chebucto Symphony Orchestra and Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra.

Mimisu is the winner of the 2017/18 Chebucto Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. She’s performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute at Whistler Orchestra, Scotia Festival Orchestra, Dalhousie University Chamber Orchestra, Dalhousie University Symphony, the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, and the San Diego International Youth Orchestra.

Both sisters currently study at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto.

For ticket information, visit the Cecilia Concert website.

Marc Djokic, violinist wins Prix Goyer Canada's largest prize for classical music

Violinist Marc Djokic has been awarded the second biennial Prix Goyer, Canada’s largest prize for classical music. Congratulations Marc!

Awarded to a ‘collaborative emerging musician’ under the age of 33, the prize is worth CAD $125,000, which includes: $50,000 in cash, $50,000 from online classical music video channel Noncerto in the form of production, distribution and marketing of 18 classical music videos; a commission from composer Matthias Maute worth $13,500; and $11,500 of business coaching.

The Prix Goyer was created in 2015 and... Read more at https://www.thestrad.com/canadian-violinist-marc-djokic-wins-125000-prix-goyer/7122.article

Marc won the Talent Trust's Raymond Simpson Award in 2002 and the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Award in 2003.