The Atlantic Young Artist Competition and Tour

Note a change to the rules concerning NSRMTA competitions:

As of the 2010 Scholarship Competition, the winner of the Advanced Category will be the Nova Scotia Young Artist. A recital tour within Nova Scotia will be arranged for this student during the fall of 2010. Nova Scotia will no longer be part of the Atlantic Young Artist Competition, but will have our own provincial Young Artist instead. If the winner is a pianist, the student will then compete in the CFMTA Piano Competition that is part of the National Convention in Regina, Saskatchewan in July of 2011. If the winner of the Scholarship Competition is not a pianist, then the Scholarship Adjudicators will choose a piano winner to tour with the winning instrumentalist (or vocalist) who will then compete in the CFMTA Piano Competition. The Advanced Category winner of 2009 may compete in the 2010 Scholarship Competition.

The Atlantic Young Artist Competition and Tour is a project of the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Associations and its provincial counterparts in New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Competition is open to young Canadian pianists, singers, and instrumentalists who are residents of, or studying in, the Atlantic provinces. In addition, these performers must currently be students of a Registered Music Teacher. A biennial event, the Competition for the Atlantic Region takes place in the spring, with the Tour in the fall.

The Young Artist Series was initiated in 1942 under the direction of Saskatchewan music educator Dr. Lyell Gustin, in order to give talented young performers an opportunity to gain concert tour experience. The Young Artist Series now operates in three regions of Canada: Atlantic, Western, and Ontario.

Past winners

Many Young Artist soloists, who had their first major concert experience through the Series, have gone on to make careers in music. Our Atlantic Young Artist winners have included:

1985 Michelle Beaton, piano (NS)
1986 Donald Fraser, organist (PEI)
1987 Vicki MacNutt, voice (NS)
1989 Deborah Pardy, piano (NF)
1991 Jonathan Weiser, piano (NF)
1993 Thomas Yee, piano (NF)
1995 David Sharpe, piano (NB)
1997 Measha Gosman, voice (NB) and Mark Barter, piano (NF)
1999 Lynn Kuo, violin (NF)
2001 Marc Djokic, violin (NS)
2003 Patrick Cashin, piano (NF)
2006 Philip Roberts, piano (NF)
2008 Michael Thibodeau, piano (NB)

2008 Atlantic Young Artist Concert

by Maureen MacLean, Valley Chapter

Friends of the piano and of Michael Thibodeau gathered at Denton Hall on Friday, September 19, 2008 to attend the AYA concert. It was one of six recitals he presented as winner of the Atlantic Young Artists competition held last May. Michael played a demanding and varied program of Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Messiaen and Mclntyre. His program was well received, and while on stage he spoke to the audience about his memories of playing there at the Annapolis Valley Music Festival, when he was "just a little guy". He met with family and friends before and after the recital.

Michael will graduate from Mt. Allison University in May 2009, having studied with Edmund Dawe and Stephen Runge, and plans to continue with graduate studies in piano performance.

Pianist Philip Roberts Wins 2006 Atlantic Young Artist Competition

Twenty-two year old pianist Philip Roberts of Mount Pearl, Newfoundland is the winner of the 2006 Atlantic Young Artist Competition, which took place at the Marjorie Young Bell Conservatory of Music on the campus of Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB on Saturday, May 6, 2006. Eight gifted young musicians participated in the Competition, including one mezzo-soprano, two violinists, and five pianists, drawn from the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. 

Philip Roberts won the unanimous support of the Competition jury with a demanding concert programme which included Busoni's transcription of the Chaconne from J. S. Bach's Violin Partita no. 2 in D Minor, Reflets dans l'eau from Images, Book I (Debussy), Ballade no. 4 in F minor, op. 52  (Chopin), and the Fuga, allegro con spirito from Barber's Piano Sonata, op. 26.

Philip holds a Masters of Music degree in piano performance from l' Université de Montréal and an Honours Bachelor of Music degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland, as well as an ARCT diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. His past principal teachers include NLRMTA members Sheena Roberts and Timothy Steeves; Philip currently studies with QRMTA member Marc Durand, with whom he is preparing to begin his Doctoral studies.

Philip is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including First Place in the Canadian Music Competition National Finals, the Debut Atlantic-RBC Award for Musical Excellence (2001), and the International Gold Medal at the 56th annual Llangolen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales. He has been recorded regularly by the CBC in solo recitals and stage shows, and as part of the Up and Coming series hosted by Jon Kimura Parker. He has performed as a soloist with a variety of
ensembles, including the Newfoundland Symphony Youth Orchestra, the MUN Jazz Orchestra, the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, and the Banff Centre String Orchestra.

While pursuing his piano studies in Newfoundland, Philip also sang with the award-winning Quintessential Vocal Ensemble, and for many years served as Assistant Organist at St. James United Church. An avid composer, he was twice winner of the MUN School of Music Carol Composition Contest, and in 2004 was awarded first place in the Open Category of the CFMTA Music Writing Competition.

The Atlantic Young Artist Competition is a project of the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers' Associations(CFMTA) and its provincial counterparts in New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Open to young Canadian pianists, singers, and instrumentalists, who are residents of, or studying in, the Atlantic provinces, the Competition is a biennial event specifically designed for the students of Registered Music Teachers. Each performer presented a short recital, featuring major solo works from the baroque, classical, romantic, or contemporary repertoire; Canadian works played an important role in several programmes. Three well-known music professionals - Elvira Gonnella, Julien LeBlanc, and Ninette Babineau - acted as the adjudication panel.

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