Violinist Irain Quirós, recipient of the 2025 Cecilia Concerts Developing Musician Award, poses with his violin against a dark background. He wears a black suit and holds the violin up near his shoulder while drawing the bow across the strings. His expression is calm and focused, and the image highlights both his face and the warm wood tones of the instrument.

Past (2025) Cecilia Concerts Developing Musician Award Recipient:
Cuban-Nova Scotian violinist Irain Quirós

2026 Developing Musician Award

Cecilia Concerts is committed to nurturing the next generation of musicians in Nova Scotia. Our Developing Musician Award supports outstanding young musicians in the province who show strong artistic promise and a clear commitment to advancing their musicianship. Created to encourage creative growth and professional readiness, the award package offers a fully supported recital presented by Cecilia Concerts, a $2,500 bursary to assist with educational expenses, a professional photo session for headshots, and a professionally produced concert video for portfolio and grant use. This annual initiative helps developing musicians take meaningful steps forward and prepare for future opportunities.

Open to musicians aged 16 to 24 currently studying classical or acoustic instrumental performance, or classical voice, the award highlights excellence across performance, interpretation, and artistic direction. Applicants are asked to share their musical goals, recent performance work, and proposed recital program, which will be assessed by a jury of prominent Canadian classical musicians and educators. The award provides practical support that strengthens confidence, broadens experience, and connects recipients to the wider musical community.

Cecilia Concerts welcomes applicants from all communities and encourages submissions from young musicians who have faced financial, social, geographic, or systemic barriers in their artistic development. The jury values fairness and will assess each application with care and respect for individual backgrounds and lived experiences.

Award Timeline

  • Applications open: November 24, 2025
  • Deadline Closed: January 23, 2026
  • Jury review: January–February 2026
  • Winner announced: by March 15, 2026
  • Recital: May 2026

Prix du musicien en développement 2026

Cecilia Concerts s’engage à soutenir la prochaine génération de musiciens et musiciennes en Nouvelle-Écosse. Notre Prix du musicien en développement appuie de jeunes artistes exceptionnels de la province qui démontrent un fort potentiel artistique et un engagement clair envers le perfectionnement de leur pratique. Créé pour encourager la croissance créative et la préparation professionnelle, le prix comprend un récital entièrement soutenu par Cecilia Concerts, une bourse de 2 500 $ pour aider aux dépenses liées aux études, une séance photo professionnelle pour des portraits artistiques, ainsi qu’une vidéo de concert produite à un niveau professionnel pour les portfolios et les demandes de subvention. Cette initiative annuelle aide les jeunes musiciens à franchir des étapes importantes à un moment déterminant de leur parcours.

Ouvert aux musiciennes et musiciens âgés de 16 à 24 ans qui étudient actuellement un instrument classique ou acoustique, ou le chant classique, le prix met en valeur l’excellence en interprétation, en expression artistique et en direction musicale. Les candidates et candidats sont invités à présenter leurs objectifs artistiques, leurs récents travaux d’interprétation et leur programme de récital proposé, lesquels seront évalués par un jury composé de musiciennes, musiciens et pédagogues classiques de renom au Canada. Le prix offre un soutien concret qui renforce la confiance, élargit l’expérience et favorise les liens au sein de la communauté musicale.

Cecilia Concerts accueille les candidatures de toutes les communautés et encourage particulièrement les jeunes musiciennes et musiciens ayant fait face à des obstacles financiers, sociaux, géographiques ou systémiques dans leur développement artistique. Le jury accorde une grande importance à l’équité et évaluera chaque candidature avec soin et respect pour les parcours individuels et les expériences vécues.

Calendrier du prix

  • Ouverture des candidatures : 24 novembre 2025
  • Date limite dépassée : 23 janvier 2026
  • Évaluation du jury : janvier à février 2026
  • Annonce de la personne lauréate : d’ici le 15 mars 2026
  • Récital : mai 2026

2026 Jury Members: (L-R) Flautist Marina Piccinini, Violinist Jonathan Crow, Trumpeter Abbey Frias, Pianist and Vocal Coach Michael McMahon, and Pianist Silvie Cheng

Marina Piccinini, a flautist with long blonde hair, holding her gold flute upright and looking toward the camera against a light grey background.
Portrait of violinist Jonathan Crow against a dark grey background. He is shown from the shoulders up, wearing a black suit jacket and a white dress shirt. He looks directly at the camera with a calm, focused expression. The scroll of his violin is partially visible over his right shoulder.
Black and white portrait of trumpeter Abbey Frias. She faces the camera over her shoulder while holding a trumpet across her back, raised behind her head with one hand. She has short dark hair with bangs, visible tattoos on her arm and shoulder, and wears a sleeveless black top.
A portrait of pianist and educator Michael McMahon, a member of the Cecilia Concerts Developing Musician Award jury. He is smiling warmly, with white hair and a neatly trimmed beard, and is wearing a blue suit jacket over a light blue shirt against a dark background.
A portrait of pianist Silvie Cheng, shown from the waist up in an elegant, sleeveless patterned gown. She faces the camera with a calm and confident expression, her dark hair styled in a smooth updo.

Support This Program

Your donation to the Developing Musician Award helps young Nova Scotia artists take important steps in their training, performance experience, and professional growth. Your support makes it possible for us to offer recital opportunities, bursaries, valuable support, and high-quality portfolio materials at no cost to the recipients. All donations receive a tax-deductible charitable gift receipt.