Talent Trust grants $48,500 in Awards at 2021 Special Awards Ceremony

 

Today, we recognized our 2021 scholarship and Special Award recipients at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 12, 2021, virtually in a ceremony which included greetings by His Honour The Honourable Arthur J. LeBlanc, ONS, QC, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. Portia White's legacy represents the catalyst for the Talent Trust and its 77-year commitment to aspiring artists across the province. The Talent Trust supports talented Nova Scotian artists as they pursue their studies toward establishing professional careers in the arts.

Halifax dancer Minuet Charron received the $1,500 Talent Trust Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Artistic Achievement, the NSTT’s highest honour for a student in any discipline. Minuet studies Jazz dance at Decidedly Jazz Danceworks in Calgary, Alberta.

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 2021, the two $10,000 awards were received by Halifax visual artist Ada Denil and musical theatre performer Emily O'Leary from Glace Bay.

Ada Denil (Halifax), 2021 recipient of a 2011 Canada Games Young Artist of Excellence Award, is currently studying visual arts at NSCAD University (Halifax).

Emily O'Leary (Glace Bay), 2021 recipient of a 2011 Canada Games Young Artist of Excellence Award, is studying musical theatre at New York University - Steinhardt (New York City).

Today, the Talent Trust had the pleasure to present a new award. The Nova Scotia Talent Trust and RBC Foundation are collaborating to launch the RBC Emerging BIPOC Artist Award. This new $2,500 Special Award will be presented annually to a Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color who shows exceptional commitment and professional potential as an artist. Preference will be given to emerging artists in the areas of film, visual arts and music.

Visual artist Excel Garay (Halifax) is the recipient of the $2,500 RBC Emerging BIPOC Artist Award. Excel studies expanded visual arts at NSCAD University (Halifax). The award is supported by RBC Emerging Artists Program through RBC Foundation.

Actor Kevin Munroe (Sydney) is the recipient of the $2,500 RBC Emerging Artist Award. Kevin studies acting at the National Theatre School (Montreal, Quebec). The Award is supported by RBC Emerging Artists Program through RBC Foundation.

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

Opera singer Abigail Sinclair (Halifax) is the recipient of the $2,000 Sheila K. Piercey Legacy Award in voice studies. Abigail studied privately with Joan Patenaude-Yarnell (Opera). The Sheila K. Piercey Award is supported through a generous Bequest by the late Sheila Piercey.

Ryan MacDougall (Dartmouth) is the recipient of the $500 Theatre Nova Scotia Award for theatre. Ryan is studying musical theatre at Sheridan College (Oakville, Ontario). The Award is supported by Theatre Nova Scotia.

Visual artist Kaya Panthier (Halifax) receives the $1,500 The Susan Wood Award in visual arts. Kaya is currently studying visual arts at Mount Allison University (Sackville, New Brunswick). The Award was made possible through generous donations by family and friends of Susan Wood and Visual Arts Nova Scotia.

Pianist Gabriel O'Brien (Halifax) is the recipient of the $8,000 Dr. James Burchill Award for an organist, choral or instrumental conductor or a student of another musical instrument or voice. Gabriel is studying music at Dalhousie University. The award is supported by former Talent Trust scholarship recipient and organist Dr. James Burchill through a $220,000 Bank Bond donation to the NSTT Foundation.

Pianist Lala Lee (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,000 Peggy Corkum/Musique Royale Legacy Award. Lala studies piano performance at the Glenn Gould School (Toronto, Ontario). The Award is supported by Barbara Butler, Musique Royale, and friends of Peggy Corkum.

Ballet dancer Gabrielle Trudel (Timberlea) is the recipient of the $2,000 Robert George Jackson Award for dance. Gabrielle is attending Ryerson University (Toronto, Ontario). The Award supported by Daphne Cruikshanks in memory of her late husband Robert Jackson.

Visual artist Charles Bourne (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,000 Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/Visual Arts Nova Scotia Award. Charles currently studies architecture at Dalhousie University (Halifax). The Award is supported by Charlotte Wilson-Hammond and Visual Arts Nova Scotia.

Cellist Jacob MacDonald (Upper Kennetcook) is the recipient of the $1,000 Raymond Simpson Award for music. Jacob studies at the University of Ottawa (Ottawa, Ontario). The Award is supported by the Simpson family.

Piano player Chantal Peng (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,000 Yue Lih and Marion Kuo Award for exceptional commitment and potential in music as an instrumentalist. Chantal is currently studying at the American University College of Arts and Sciences (Washington, D.C.). The Award is supported by Marion Kuo and Earl Wadden.

Ballet dancer Aidan Vaudreuil (Lower Sackville) is the recipient of the $1,000 Janice Merritt Flemming Award and is currently studying at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School (Winnipeg, Manitoba). The Award is supported by the Flemming family.

Opera singer Natalie Mitchell (Pictou County) is the recipient of the $1,000 Talent Trust's Portia White Award for voice. Natalie studies privately with Suzanne Mentzer (San Francisco, California). The Award is supported by the Music-in-Medicine and Humanities-HEALS Program, Dalhousie University.

Film director, writer and producer Spencer MacKay (Windsor Junction) is the recipient of the $1,000 Shelagh Mackenzie Award for film. Spencer spent the summer studying privately with mentor Ian MacLeod. The Award is supported by Shelagh Mackenzie's friends.

Euphonium player Ross Macintosh (Truro) is the recipient of the $1,000 Kenneth Elloway Award for composition and instrumental performance. Ross spent the summer 2021 attending the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance LAMP (Lunenburg). The Award is supported by the Elloway family.

In addition to the Special Awards announced today, the Nova Scotia Talent Trust gave out scholarships to 55 recipients earlier this year. You can find a list of the 2021 Nova Scotia Talent Trust scholarship recipients below. The NSTT’s scholarship application deadline date for Spring/Summer study is March 1, 2022. The deadline for Fall/Winter study is May 1, 2022. The NSTT is supported by individual donors like Margaret and David Fountain and the 2011 Canada Games Legacy Fund, RBC Foundation, The Craig Foundation,, Musique Royale, Visual Arts Nova Scotia, Theatre Nova Scotia, Debut Atlantic, immediaC, the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, NSTT Foundation, Dalhousie Music in Medicine HEALS Program, Halifax Central Library, Cecilia Concerts, Craft Nova Scotia, Black Cultural Centre for NS, CIOE 97.5 Community Radio, 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.

Congratulations to the Talent Trust, Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund, and CN Halifax Community Board Scholarship Recipients CIRCUS ARTS RECIPIENT Juggling  Luca Haase, Conquerall Mills DANCE RECIPIENTS Ballet Sahara Nyathi, Halifax Maggie Oates-Johnson, Dartmouth Katrina Ouellette, Middle Sackville, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship Emma Purdy, Debert Aidan Vaudreuil-Wakeham, Lower Sackville Ballet/Contemporary Julia Barkhouse, Dartmouth Sienna Nyathi, Halifax Bharathanatyam Priyadarshini Satheesh, Halifax Contemporary Minuet Charron, Halifax Stan Tonin, Windsor Junction Gabrielle Trudel, Timberlea FILM Film Production Reva Bhardwaj, Dartmouth, CN Halifax Community Board Scholarship Producing, Writing, Directing Spencer MacKay, Windsor Junction, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship LITERARY ARTS RECIPIENTS Creative Essay  K.R. Byggdin, Halifax Creative Nonfiction Peggy Walt, Halifax Short Fiction/Poetry Sidney Robichaud, Halifax, MUSIC RECIPIENTS Brass – Euphonium  Ross Macintosh, Truro Brass – Trumpet  Shaw Nicholson, Halifax Composition Kayleigh James, Halifax Jessica MacIsaac, Halifax Gaelic Culture/Fiddle Abby Hanson, Montague Gold Mines Ella Hanson, Montague Gold Mines Keyboard – Organ Gabriel O'Brien, Halifax Keyboard – Piano Sherry Chen, Hammonds Plains Natalia Comeau, Hammonds Plains Devin Huang, Bedford Lala Lee, Halifax Carmen Peng, Wolfville Chantal Peng, Wolfville Alex Yang, Bedford Percussion/Drum Kit Lucas Goudie, Halifax Strings – Cello Jacob MacDonald, Upper Kennetcook, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship Strings – Violin Kelvin Mansaray, Halifax Voice - Opera Rhian Merritt, Upper Tantallon Natalie Mitchell, Halifax Nicole Ross, New Glasgow Abigail Sinclair, Halifax Shanice Skinner, New Glasgow Connie Young, Halifax THEATRE RECIPIENTS Acting Kevin Munroe, Sydney Musical Theatre Ryan MacDougall, Hammonds Plains Deanna Mann, New Glasgow Emily O’Leary, Glace Bay, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship Jillian Peters, Dartmouth VISUAL/FINE ARTS RECIPIENTS Architecture Charles Bourne, Halifax Digital Media, Digital Illustration   Leena Elkhateeb, Bedford Drawing, Textiles Madeleine West, Halifax Expanded Painting, Art History Excel Garay, Halifax Fine Arts Olivia Haill, Halifax Interdisciplinary/Computation Arts Jonah McKay, Canning Jewellery, Hollowware  Hannah Craig, Halifax, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship Painting Anna Syme, Hantsport Portraiture  Kaya Panthier, Halifax Sculpture/Illustration 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!

Shauntay Grant's play The Bridge at Neptune Theatre January 22 - February 10, 2019

Writer and storyteller Shauntay Grant.

Shauntay Grant’s play The Bridge will be onstage at Neptune Theatre’s Fountain Hall January 22 - February 10, 2019.

Shauntay received a Talent Trust scholarship to support her studies in music. She is a writer and storyteller who teaches creative writing at Dalhousie University.
As Halifax's third poet laureate, she organized Canada's first national gathering of Canadian poets laureate. 

Shauntay has presented her work at events including Canada’s national Word on the Street festivals, the Vancouver Writers Festival, Toronto's Luminato Festival, Australia's National Young Writers’ Festival, and the Jamaica Poetry Festival. 

Her plays have been presented by 2b theatre, Eastern Front Theatre, and Neptune Theatre in Halifax, Black Theatre Workshop in Montreal, and b current in Toronto.

Directed by Anthony Black, The Bridge is a 2b theatre company and Neptune Theatre co-production in association with Obsidian Theatre.

Set in a rural Black Nova Scotian community, The Bridge explores the complexities of a relationship between two brothers strained over 20 years of secrecy, sin and shame. Secrets are revealed one by one from the brothers themselves, as well as a trio of community gossips who provide the musical backdrop for this gospel-infused tale.

To purchase tickets, visit Neptune Theatre online.

To learn more about Shauntay Grant, visit her website at shauntaygrant.com.

Announcing the Nova Scotia Talent Trust 2019 Scholarship Application Deadlines

We’re pleased to announce that we are ready to receive new scholarship applications for 2019.  

The deadlines are fast approaching!

The scholarship application process will again happen online, thanks to the generous support by Code & Mortar, a Halifax-based web design and development firm, and the Support4Culture program.

We advise applicants to read the submission guidelines carefully and to submit their applications early since there are a number of changes to the submission procedures this year.

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION DEADLINES

Spring/Summer study: 
5:00 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time (AST)
March 1, 2019

Fall/Winter study: 
5:00 p.m. Atlantic Daylight Saving Time (ADT)
May 1, 2019

For more information, go to nstalenttrust.ca or call the Talent Trust at (902) 492-6801.

Please help us spread the word: If you know a Nova Scotian student that is studying in the arts, let them know about this opportunity and our March 1 and May 1 deadlines.

George Elliott Clarke Reads Dalhousie University Bicentennial Epic Poem December 6

 George Elliott Clarke (right) and musician Tim Crofts (left). Photo: Dalhousie University.

George Elliott Clarke will read his epic poem written for Dalhousie University’s bicentennial on Thursday, December 6. He will be accompanied by pianist Tim Crofts.

A former Talent Trust scholarship recipient, Clarke was born near the Black Loyalist community of Windsor Plains, Nova Scotia, and grew up in Halifax. 

He holds an Honours B.A. in English from the University of Waterloo, an M.A. in English from Dalhousie University, and a Ph.D. in English from Queen's University. 

He is the inaugural E.J. Pratt Professor of Canadian Literature at the University of Toronto. 

In 1998, Clarke was the first recipient of the Nova Scotia Arts Council Portia White Prize. In 2001, he won the Governor General's Award for Poetry for his collection Execution Poems, published by the Gaspereau Press. 

George Elliott Clarke was Canada’s 2016-17 Parliamentary Poet Laureate.

To Tell Dalhousie’s Story: 
Speak a Poem Insurgent / Sound a Piano Insolent!

Thursday, December 6, 2018 
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Dalhousie Art Gallery
6101 University Avenue
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Admission is free; all are welcome.

The 65th Annual Student, Staff, Faculty, and Alumni Exhibition follows at 4:00 p.m., which includes Talent Trust scholarship recipient Alice MacLean.

For more information on the poetry reading, visit the event page on Dalhousie University's website.

Talent Trust Launches Campaign to Double Scholarship Funding

We're marking our 75th anniversary in 2019 with an ambitious project: we've launched a campaign to double the funding for scholarships awarded to Nova Scotians studying in the arts.

 

Our campaign launches today with a video featuring seven Talent Trust scholarship recipients: Maggie Oates-Johnson (ballet), Devin Huang (piano), Reeny Smith (voice), Michael Hirschbach (circus arts), Veronique MacKenzie (dance), Sandra Brownlee (fibre arts), and Isaac Fresia (architecture).

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Fibre artist and Talent Trust scholarship
recipient Sandra Brownlee

“The scholarship was a huge boost for me, not just financially, but in terms of the morale boost as well. It came just when I needed it the most. It was thrilling, and it made what I was doing seem more real, and viable. It put me on a really good path,” says Sandra Brownlee, who received her Talent Trust scholarship in 1980.

Sandra has built a career as a practicing artist who exhibits her work internationally, and is a Governor General's Award winner. She gives back to the community by sharing her skills and experience through teaching. Sandra lives and works in Halifax.

Pianist and Talent Trust scholarship recipient Devin Huang

At the other end of the spectrum, Devin Huang received his first Talent Trust scholarship in 2016 at the age of 10. He’s already won Kiwanis Festival and Chebucto Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition awards, and is a committed piano student.

As you may already know, Talent Trust scholarships are awarded across disciplines: music, voice, dance, theatre, literary arts, circus arts, design, visual arts, film, and new media. Recipients come from every corner of the province, from Sydney to Barrington, and Musquodoboit Harbour to Wolfville.

With assistance from Support4Culture, the scholarship campaign video was produced by Fillet Production Services in Halifax.

“We’re proud and honoured to support the development of more than 1,000 Nova Scotia artists over the past 75 years,” says our Board of Directors Chair Erin Sparks. “There’s extraordinary talent in this province. We know education costs are rising. We want to support our artists more.”

The Talent Trust is pleased to work in partnership with the Province of Nova Scotia, which assists with administrative costs. That funding allows 100% of donations to go directly to scholarships for emerging Nova Scotian artists across disciplines.

Thank you for being part of our community and believing in our artists. And thank you for sharing our news through the links below.

Congratulations to Shauntay Grant on her Governor General’s Literary Award Nomination

Halifax writer Shauntay Grant is nominated for a
Governor General’s Literary Award  for her book Africville

Shauntay Grant is nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award.

Shauntay’s book Africville, illustrated by Eva Campbell, is nominated in the Young People's Literature-Illustrated Books category.

Africville is nominated alongside At the Pond by Werner Zimmermann; Go Show the World: A Celebration of Indigenous Heroes by Wab Kinew and Joe Morse; Ocean Meets Sky by The Fan Brothers; and They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki.

Africville launched on September 29 at the Africville Museum in Halifax.

Shauntay received a Talent Trust scholarship to support her studies in visual arts. She later switched disciplines and is now a writer and storyteller who teaches creative writing at Dalhousie University. 

As Halifax's third poet laureate, she organized Canada's first national gathering of Canadian poets laureate. 

Shauntay has presented her work at events including Canada’s national Word on the Street festivals, the Vancouver Writers Festival, Toronto's Luminato Festival, Australia's National Young Writers’ Festival, and the Jamaica Poetry Festival. 

Her plays have been presented by 2b theatre, Eastern Front Theatre, and Neptune Theatre in Halifax, Black Theatre Workshop in Montreal, and b current in Toronto. 

Africville tells the story of a young girl who visits the site of the former community in Halifax and imagines what it was once like: a place of brightly painted homes and children playing throughout the neighbourhood.

Approximately 1,400 Canadian titles were submitted for this year’s Governor General’s Awards. Africville is one of the 70 finalists. The winners are chosen by peer assessment committees.

The Governor General’s Literary Awards are one of Canada's oldest literary awards programs, with total annual prizes of $450,000. Winners each receive $25,000. Non-winning finalists receive $1,000, and the publisher of each winning book receives $3,000 to support promotional activities. 

The program, founded 82 years ago, is currently funded and administered by the Canada Council for the Arts. Winners will be announced on October 30, and the awards will be presented in Ottawa on November 28.

Africville is available to purchase online at Indigo Books and Amazon. To learn more about Shauntay, visit shauntaygrant.com.

Shauntay Grant's New Picture Book Africville Launches at the Prismatic Arts Festival

Shauntay Grant's newest picture book, Africville (Groundwood Books), launches at the Prismatic Arts Festival on September 13. 

The event, which includes a reading from the book, takes place at the Africville Museum in Halifax.

Africville, a collaboration with illustrator Eva Campbell, is available through Indigo Books and Amazon. Bring your copy to the launch for Shauntay to sign, or you can purchase a copy at the Museum.

Africville was a longstanding, vibrant Black community that was demolished in the 1960s and its residents forcibly relocated. That story is a tragic one. Shauntay brings to life the Africville that those outside the community don't often hear about, through family stories shared with her young protagonist — stories of brightly painted houses, children playing, and fishing and rafting in the community pond. 

Shauntay Grant is a writer and storyteller from Halifax, Nova Scotia. She teaches creative writing at Dalhousie University, and as Halifax's third poet laureate, she organized Canada's first national gathering of Canadian poets laureate. 

A Talent Trust scholarship recipient, she’s presented her work at events including Canada’s national Word on the Street festivals, the Vancouver Writers Festival, Toronto's Luminato Festival, Australia's National Young Writers’ Festival, and the Jamaica Poetry Festival. 

Shauntay’s plays have been presented by 2b theatre, Eastern Front Theatre, and Neptune Theatre in Halifax, Black Theatre Workshop in Montreal, and b current in Toronto. 

Africville Book Launch and Reading
Thursday, September 13, 11:00 a.m.
Africville Museum
5795 Africville Road, Halifax

Admission: free

You can also see Shauntay at the Halifax Word on the Street Festival on September 15 at 2:00 p.m., where she’ll give a reading, followed by a book signing, at the Halifax Central Library.

Pearl Chan at Impressment Gang Celebration & Open Mic Reading

Pearl Chan, writer and editor, is one of the founders of literary magazine The Impressment Gang (IG). Tonight, June 15, will see a celebration marking the publication’s final issue after four years of publication.

Pearl studied at University of King’s College and was awarded the Talent Trust RBC Emerging Artist Award for literary arts in 2014.

The party is a free all-ages event that includes an open mic for anyone who would like to sign up to read. Back issues of IG will be available on a pay what you can basis.

The celebration takes place from 7:00 -10:00 p.m. at the Khyber Centre for the Arts at 1880 Hollis Street in Halifax. For more details, visit the IG Facebook event page.