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.

Jane Archibald, Jennifer Jones in Annelies, presented by the Halifax Camerata Singers

Jane Archibald and Jennifer Jones will perform in the choral Annelies, presented by the Halifax Camerata Singers.

Annelies is based on The Diary of Anne Frank (whose first name was Annelies) by British composer James Whitbourn. 

Jane Archibald will sing the role of Annelies. The full ensemble features Jennifer Jones on violin, Shimon Walt (cello), Graham Lord (clarinet) and Camerata accompanist Lynette Wahlstrom (piano).

The concert takes place at Shaar Shalom Synagogue on Sunday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are expected to go quickly — see below for concert details.

Soprano Jane Archibald stars in Annelies on November 11

Jane Archibald received a Talent Trust scholarship to assist with her voice studies. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Wilfrid Laurier University. She also trained at the Orford Arts Centre and the Tanglewood Music Center. 

She’s performed with Opera Ontario (for Delibes' Lakmé, her professional operatic debut), Toronto Operetta Theatre, Symphony Nova Scotia, the San Frrancisco Opera, and the Vienna State Opera.

The Canadian Opera Company named Jane as their first-ever Artist-in-Residence for their 2017/18 season.

Jennifer Jones performs violin in Annelies on November 11

Jennifer Jones was awarded a Talent Trust scholarship to support her music studies. She trained at the Maritime Conservatory of Music and Dalhousie University, and completed her Master of Music degree in Performance and Pedagogy at Indiana University.

She’s performed as a soloist with the NSYO, Dalhousie Chamber Orchestra, Chebucto Orchestra, Saint John Symphony and Symphony Nova Scotia. She’s currently Assistant Concert Master at Symphony Nova Scotia and first violinist with the Blue Engine String Quartet.

Jennifer is a respected violin teacher, as a faculty member at Acadia University and the Maritime Conservatory of the Performing Arts. She’s taught from her private studio throughout her career, coaching members of the NSYO and serving on the faculty of various summer institutes throughout the Maritimes.

Concert details
Shaar Shalom Synagogue, Halifax
(Pepperell at Oxford Streets)
Sunday, November 11 - 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: purchase online at tickethalifax.com, or 
The Coast offices at 2309 Maynard Street, Halifax

Lux Habrich Selected as Media Arts Scholar for the Centre for Art Tapes Class of 2018-19

Lux Habrich is among the 2018-19 media arts scholars at the Centre for Art Tapes (CFAT). 

Originally from Montréal, Lux moved to Atlantic Canada in 2012 to complete an Interdisciplinary BFA at NSCAD University. She received Talent Trust scholarships in interdisciplinary visual arts to assist with her studies in 2016.

Lux was a participant in Craft Nova Scotia’s Craft LAIR, an eight-week community focused local artist in residence program in 2015, and was a mentee in the 2017-18 Visual Arts Nova Scotia Mentorship Program.

She employs tactile craft processes in her work as she explores their highly political nature as a domestic, feminine and often undervalued form of production.

Details of work by Lux Habrich from CONVERSATIONS: the VANS Mentorship Program exhibition

The CFAT scholarship program is an intensive six months of education and mentorship for artists who will make a media art piece in a medium where they have little to no experience. Artists will learn new art-making skills during the program, and are responsible to complete their projects by the program deadline.

To learn more about Lux, visit her website at luxhabrich.com.

Charley Young Mentors Emerging Nova Scotia Artist in Visual Arts Nova Scotia Mentorship Program

Charley Young will mentor an emerging Nova Scotia artist in VANS 2018-19 Mentorship Program

Visual Arts Nova Scotia has announced the participants of their 2018-19 Mentorship Program. 

The artists are Carrie Allison, Emily Lawrence, Jenny Yujia Shi, and Katharine Vingoe-Cram. The mentors are Ursula Johnson, Peter Dykhuis, Karin Cope, and Charley Young.

The 10-month program supports four dedicated emerging Nova Scotian artists who are individually paired with established artists and mentors. 

Born in Calgary, Alberta, Charley received a Talent Trust scholarship to help support her studies at NSCAD University as she pursued her BFA. In 2012 she received the Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/Visual Arts Nova Scotia Award and the Lieutenant Governor Award.

She holds an MFA from the Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine.

Installation by Charley Young

Charley has been Artist-in-Residence at the Klondike Institute for Arts and Culture in Dawson City, Yukon, the Vermont Studio Centre in Johnson Vermont, and Spark Box Studios in Picton County, Ontario and The Banff Centre, in Banff, Alberta. In 2014 she participated in the Arctic Circle Program Expedition to Svalbard, Norway.

Charley is an interdisciplinary artist whose work is primarily drawing, sculpture, and public installation. She teaches traditional and non-traditional approaches to drawing and printmaking at NSCAD University and Mount Allison University in New Brunswick.

To learn more about Charley Young and see her work, visit her website at charleyyoung.com.

Karen Wyatt in Concert: Blues Deluxe at Neptune Studio Theatre

Karen Wyatt follows her jam-packed summer concert schedule that included her debut with Symphony Nova Scotia and returns to the stage with Blues Deluxe, a two-night tribute to the genre’s greatest performers.

Tickets are going fast for the September 28 and 29 performances (details below).

Karen received Talent Trust scholarships to help support her studies in voice. She attended the Randolph Academy in Toronto, and is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.

A well-known and accomplished performer, she’s one of the nominees for The Coast magazine's 2018 Best of Halifax Readers' Choice Awards.

Blues Deluxe will feature both classic and contemporary blues artists such as Robert Johnson, LaVern Baker, Muddy Waters, Nina Simone, BB King, Billie Holiday, and Aretha Franklin.

The multi-media performances will also showcase many modern blues artists, including The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Blues Saraceno.

From Karen: “I have absolutely fallen for the blues. I love the heart and soul of the rhythms and melodies, the gritty vocals, the tremendous history and culture of the music.”

She’ll be backed by an 8-piece band, including a horn section and backup singers.

Blues Deluxe details
Friday, September 28
Saturday, September 29
Neptune Studio Theatre, Halifax

Showtime for both nights is 8:00 p.m.

More information, including ticket details for Blues Deluxe, are available at karenmyatt.net.

NAT chantel Selected as Media Arts Scholar for Centre for art Tapes Class of 2018-19

NAT chantel. Photo: Kate Ward

NAT chantel is a hardworking artist. She's been selected as a Media Arts Scholar for the Centre for Art Tapes (CFAT) class of 2018-19.

The CFAT scholarship program is an intensive six months of education and mentorship for artists who will make a media art piece in a medium where they have little to no experience. 

CFAT scholars will learn new art-making skills during the program, and are responsible to complete their projects by the program deadline.

NAT is a primarily self-taught artist who engages repetitive processes to recall memory and personal history as a way to reclaim the body and voice.

NAT chantel's work from NSCCD residency exhibition, Echoes

She was a participant in the 2017-18 VANS Mentorship Program, and the 2018 Summer Professional Development Residency with the Nova Scotia Centre for Craft and Design. 

During the summer of 2018 NAT studied with artist Kate Ward, where she deepened her exploration into textiles.

NAT holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature, and received Talent Trust scholarships to assist with her studies in painting and mixed media art. She’s an active member in the Black Artists Network of Nova Scotia, Visual Arts Nova Scotia, and Nova Scotia Basketry Guild.

During her time at CFAT, NAT will incorporate sound and visual art, and will present a performance piece during Nocturne, Halifax’s art at night festival.

To see more of NAT’s work, visit natchantel.com. 

Introducing the Talent Trust and Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund 2018 Scholarship Recipients

We're happy to announce the Talent Trust has recently awarded scholarships to 65 emerging Nova Scotian artists in the fields of dance, music, theatre, film, new media, literary arts, and visual arts.

This is a significant increase over the 49 emerging artists who received scholarships in 2017.

The 65 successful scholarship recipients were chosen from a field of 141 applications over two submission periods, March 1 and May 1, 2018. 

Five of the 65 scholarships are supported by the Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund at $2,000 each. Talent Trust scholarships totalled $80,000 in 2018.

Applications were received from across the province, from Port Medway to New Glasgow, Antigonish to Prospect Bay. 

An independent, volunteer Scholarship Selection Committee, made up of twelve professional artists, two from each discipline, met in April and again in June to adjudicate the applications and determine scholarship amounts.

Scholarships make a significant difference in the lives of these emerging artists. From India Yeshe Gailey:

“Looking back on the musician I was before beginning music school, I dreamed, but I’m not sure I would have believed, that I could actually accomplish some of the things I can report from the past year. Last winter I published an album of contemporary cello music, in May I toured with the chamber jazz quartet New Hermitage, in June I worked with Philip Glass, I recently found myself in a string quartet with three truly excellent musicians, and now I’m halfway through my master’s study at McGill. It’s all very surreal, especially viewing my life condensed into a pithy list of accomplishments.”

India is currently pursuing her master’s degree in cello performance at McGill University. She received the Talent Trust Yue Lih and Marion Kuo Award in 2017.

Since we were founded in 1944, the Talent Trust has awarded scholarships to over 1,000 recipients.

The Talent Trust is supported by Code+Mortar, the 2011 Canada Games Legacy Fund, The Craig Foundation, RBC Foundation, Craft Nova Scotia, Music Nova Scotia, Visual Arts Nova Scotia, Theatre Nova Scotia, Debut Atlantic, ImmediaC, Pavia Cafe, Allan Carver Creative Partners, the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, Support4Culture, Halifax, Dalhousie Music in Medicine Program and Arts Nova Scotia, as well as many private donors. 

We're pleased to work in partnership with the province to develop and promote our cultural resources for all Nova Scotians.

Congratulations to the Talent Trust and Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship Recipients

Dance — Ballet

• Julia Barkhouse, Dartmouth 
• Olivia MacLean, Dartmouth
• Katherine McDonald, Halifax
• Mollie Oates-Johnson, Dartmouth
• Maggie Oates-Johnson, Dartmouth
• Aidan Vaudreuil, Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship

Dance — Ballet/Contemporary

• Chloe Bruce, Dartmouth
• Claire Campbell, Head of St. Margaret’s Bay, Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship
• Carrigan MacDonald, Hammonds Plains
• Stan Tonin, Windsor Junction

Dance — Modern/Contemporary

• Gabrielle Kachan, Halifax
• Lucie Schmidt, Lakeview
• Denver Scott, Halifax

Dance — Choreography

• Aliah Schwartz, Canning

Music — Keyboard (Piano)

• Devin Huang, Bedford
• Lala Lee, Halifax
• Chantal Peng, Wolfville
• Dakota Scott-Digout, Barrington
• Andrew Son, Halifax
• Cindy Thong, Halifax
• Alex (Zixuan) Yang, Bedford

Music — Strings (Cello)

• India Yeshe Gailey, Wolfville

Music — Strings (Violin)

• Leo Hanada, Halifax
• Rose Hanada, Halifax
• Wyatt Johnson, Halifax
• Lilith Richter-Stephenson, Dartmouth

Music — Strings (Bass Guitar)

• Mark Carroll, Valley
• Aidan Zann-Roland, Truro

Music — Voice (Opera)

• Meagan Adams, Halifax
• Ruusu-Maaria Brousseau, Halifax
• Hannah Ernst, Lunenburg
• Laura Johnston, Prospect Bay
• Emma MacEachern, Truro
• Breanna Miller, Hubley
• Natalie Mitchell, New Glasgow
• Morgan Reid, Sydney
• Abigail Sinclair, Halifax
• Shanice Skinner, New Glasgow

Music — Composition

• Ben Coleman, New Glasgow
• Gavin Fraser, Antigonish
• Jessica MacIsaac, Halifax
• Taylor MacGillivray, Halifax

Music — Brass (French Horn)

• Mimisu Lee, Halifax

Music — Brass (Euphonium)

• Ross Macintosh, Truro

Music — Woodwind (Clarinet)

• Lucas March, New Glasgow

Theatre — Acting

• Angus Stevens, Port Medway
• Rebecca Wolfe, Dartmouth

Theatre — Music Theatre

• Katie Cochrane, Bridgewater
• Brent Raddall, Summerville Centre

Visual/Fine Arts —Interdisciplinary

• Emma Allain, Halifax
• Helah Cooper, Lunenburg
• Arjun Lal, Halifax

Visual/Fine Arts — Design/Applied Craft

• Jodie Fox, Mosquodoboit Harbour
• Isaac Fresia, Halifax
• Andrew Gilmour, Halifax
• Jenna Lee, Bedford
• Ahmed Naji, Halifax

Visual/Fine Arts — Painting/Drawing

• NAT chantel, Dartmouth
• Curtis Botham, Bedford
• Caitlin McGuire, Halifax, Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship
• Letitia Fraser, Halifax, Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship
• Madeleine West, Halifax

Visual/Fine Arts — Textiles/Fashion

• Brianna West, Halifax
• Jessie McLaughlin, Bedford

Visual/Fine Arts — Typeface Design

• Lee Yuen-Rapati, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship

Congratulations to all these emerging artists.