Nicole Rampersaud, Yorkville University’s Associate Director of Admissions, has had a lot to celebrate lately – not only is she nominated for an upcoming East Coast Music Award (ECMA), but she was also recently named a Guggenheim fellow and received two grants from the New Brunswick Arts Board (ArtsNB).
The multi-talented trumpet player and composer received her ECMA nod in the Instrumental Recoding of the Year category for her debut solo album, Saudade, which was released last November by Ansible Editions.
“I have always admired and have been inspired by the depth and breadth of the talent and artistry of the musicians in Atlantic Canada. I am deeply honoured and humbled to be included in the list of artists nominated for an ECMA this year,” Rampersaud said of being nominated for the award, which will be announced during the 2024 ECMA ceremony in Charlottetown, PEI this May.
Rampersaud was also recently named one of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation’s 2024 fellows in the area of Music Composition.
Chosen through a rigorous application and peer review process from a pool of almost 3,000 applicants, the 188 members of the Class of 2024 Guggenheim Fellows were tapped on the basis of prior career achievement and exceptional promise.
Rampersaud and her fellow fellows will receive a monetary stipend to pursue independent work at the highest level under “the freest possible conditions.”
Rampersaud has also received the support of ArtsNB to launch her new project, Pathways – a long-term project that adapts her solo trumpet compositional approach to large ensembles comprised of music-makers from a wide range of backgrounds, locations, and communities.
“The project mirrors my lived experience of establishing and nurturing connections within and between communities through collective music-making using compositions that incorporate non-idiomatic improvisation,” she said.
“The support from ArtsNB will allow me to compose and rehearse new works with a new ensemble of Atlantic Canada-based musicians, as well as produce a documentary that provides an inside look into the music-making process.”
