Luciana Fernandes
Luciana received the 2011 Canada Games Young Artist of Excellence Award in 2016. She completed her undergrad at Dalhousie University, then relocated to British Columbia to pursue her MFA in directing at UBC.
Luciana returned to Halifax in 2018 to participate in Neptune Theatre’s Chrysalis Project, which provides practical experience and mentorship to emerging theatre artists.
Devin Huang
Devin began playing piano in 2013 at the age of seven, and has won both awards and competitions since then.
He was the 2017 recipient of the first ever Gordon Murray rising Star Award, and one of the winners of the 2017/18 Chebucto Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, an honour which gave him the opportunity to perform with the Orchestra in the spring of 2018.
Ian Parsons
Ian received Talent Trust scholarships to pursue studies in dance. He trained at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts in Halifax, then attended Canada’s National Ballet School.
Ian began teaching ballet after touring with CATS in 2013, and relocated from London, UK back to Canada three years later.
Charley Young
Born in Alberta, Charley moved to Nova Scotia to pursue her BFA at NSCAD University. She received the Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/Visual Arts Nova Scotia Award and the Lieutenant Governor Award.
Charley is a practing artist who teaches drawing and printmaking at NSCAD University and Mount Allison University in New Brunswick.
Lee Yuen-Rapati
Lee received the Talent Trust 2011 Canada Games Award in 2017, the year he began the MA Typeface Design program at the University of Reading in the UK, which is considered by many in the design industry as the best in the world.
He completed his Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Design at NSCAD University, where he taught as a guest lecturer for two years prior to beginning his MA.
Shanice Skinner
Shanice, a soprano born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with an Honours Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance in 2017.
Shanice was Nova Scotia’s alto selection for the 2014 National Youth Choir, and soprano for the 2016 National Youth Choir tour in Alberta. She won the Talent Trust Portia White award in 2016, and received a scholarship in 2018 to continue her voice studies.
Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medals
In 2022, the Nova Scotia Talent Trust was given the great honour of nominating five individuals to receive the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal.
“Her Majesty’s reign embodies the importance of commitment to one’s community, and the Platinum Jubilee Medal honours those who have demonstrated an unwavering dedication to their professions and the well-being of the province." - The Honourable Arthur J. LeBlanc, ONS, KC, Lieutenant Governor of NS.
The Talent Trust Board of Directors proudly announces the five recipients of this esteemed award for their outstanding contributions to the Arts and to the Talent Trust:
Charlotte Wilson-Hammond, RCA
For over thirty-five years Charlotte has actively advocated for the Arts, provincially and nationally. She is a founding member of Visual Arts Nova Scotia, Eye Level Gallery and the Nova Scotia Coalition on Arts and Culture. As well she served on the Board of Governors of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Canadian Artists Representation, Canadian Conference of the Arts and is a life governor of Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Currently, Wilson Hammond is on the boards of Visual Arts Nova Scotia (ex-officio), the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, and The Cultural Federations of Nova Scotia. In 2004 Charlotte received the Portia White Prize and established a scholarship for visual arts students.
Timothy C. Matthews, KC
Tim's volunteer work has been ongoing tirelessly for over thirty years and his contributions to the Arts & Culture sector has been exemplary. His volunteer work includes: Past President, Scotia Chamber Players (Scotia Festival); President of the Scotia Festival of Music Foundation; Secretary, Symphony Nova Scotia Foundation; Past President, Symphony Nova Scotia Society; Past (and First) Chairman, Nova Scotia Talent Trust; Trustee, Nova Scotia Talent Trust Foundation; Director and Vice President Halifax Youth Foundation since 1991; Chair of the Official Board, St. Matthews United Church which supported and housed the “Out of the Cold Shelter”. He was named a member of the Queen's Council in 1998 (now King's Council) and received the Best Lawyers Trusts and Estates “Lawyer of the Year” award in 2021.
Janice Merritt-Flemming
Janice served as a Nova Scotia Talent Trust Board member for 23 years and now holds the title of Honorary Lifetime Director. She established the Janice Merritt Flemming Award in 2007 to be awarded annually to a recipient who shows exceptional commitment and potential in dance, and has made significant contributions within the dance community.
Ninette Babineau
Ninette's career as an arts education consultant, musician, adjudicator, clinician, teacher, mentor, performer has spanned over five decades. She has held leadership roles on many regional, provincial and national boards and advisory groups, among them the National and Provincial Music Educators Associations, Coalition for Music Education in Canada, the provincial Department of Culture, Nova Scotia Arts Council, Canada Council, the Department of Canadian Heritage, Symphony Nova Scotia, Orchestras Canada, and Nova Scotia Talent Trust.
Jacqueline Steudler
Jacqueline served as the Executive Director for Nova Scotia Talent Trust for 11 years and was instrumental in building the organization's capacity to provide financial support to emerging artists in Nova Scotia. Her passion for the arts led her to become a trained art therapist which enabled her to help others to navigate through difficult situations using art as a tool. Since 2012 she is an elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists and a juried member of Craft Nova Scotia. Her art is found in both private and public collections, including the Nova Scotia Art Bank Collection.
Luciana Fernandes
Luciana received the 2011 Canada Games Young Artist of Excellence Award in 2016. She completed her undergrad at Dalhousie University, then relocated to British Columbia to pursue her MFA in directing at UBC.
Luciana returned to Halifax in 2018 to participate in Neptune Theatre’s Chrysalis Project, which provides practical experience and mentorship to emerging theatre artists.
Devin Huang
Devin began playing piano in 2013 at the age of seven, and has won both awards and competitions since then.
He was the 2017 recipient of the first ever Gordon Murray rising Star Award, and one of the winners of the 2017/18 Chebucto Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, an honour which gave him the opportunity to perform with the Orchestra in the spring of 2018.
Ian Parsons
Ian received Talent Trust scholarships to pursue studies in dance. He trained at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts in Halifax, then attended Canada’s National Ballet School.
Ian began teaching ballet after touring with CATS in 2013, and relocated from London, UK back to Canada three years later.
Charley Young
Born in Alberta, Charley moved to Nova Scotia to pursue her BFA at NSCAD University. She received the Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/Visual Arts Nova Scotia Award and the Lieutenant Governor Award.
Charley is a practing artist who teaches drawing and printmaking at NSCAD University and Mount Allison University in New Brunswick.
Lee Yuen-Rapati
Lee received the Talent Trust 2011 Canada Games Award in 2017, the year he began the MA Typeface Design program at the University of Reading in the UK, which is considered by many in the design industry as the best in the world.
He completed his Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Design at NSCAD University, where he taught as a guest lecturer for two years prior to beginning his MA.
Shanice Skinner
Shanice, a soprano born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with an Honours Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance in 2017.
Shanice was Nova Scotia’s alto selection for the 2014 National Youth Choir, and soprano for the 2016 National Youth Choir tour in Alberta. She won the Talent Trust Portia White award in 2016, and received a scholarship in 2018 to continue her voice studies.
