What is the YADP?
The Calgary Pro Musica Society Young Artists Development Program is intended to discover, nurture and promote young Calgary musicians. The resources of CPM allow us to offer unique opportunities in individual instruction, performance and career development for emerging musicians in Calgary. We are looking for players with outstanding talent and a serious commitment to developing themselves as well-rounded musicians. Participants in the Program will receive exclusive instruction from the CPM visiting artists, be presented in a fully sponsored and publicized CPM concert and prepare and perform a series of school concerts with CPM Education Advisor. We will also provide scholarship support to the winning individuals or pre-formed ensemble. Scholarships will be used to fund the student’s regular individual instruction. Depending upon the audition results, there will be 2 to 5 students in the program per season.
Acknowledging YADP’s Benefactors
Dick Matthews is remembered as one of Calgary’s great arts supporters, and he was a true friend of Calgary Pro Musica. His philanthropy was recognized nationally in 2012 when he was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada. Dick had a special passion for young artists. With this in mind, Calgary Pro Musica recognizes Mr. Matthews’ unique contributions to the arts by naming our Young Artists Development Program in his honour.
Tristram Chivers is Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the University of Calgary. He and his wife Sue are longtime CPM subscribers and supporters. Tristram has generously provided scholarship support for all YADP musicians this season and in perpetuity. Tristram writes on August 11, 2024, “The inspired establishment of the Young Artists Development Program 15 years ago has become an integral part of Pro Musica’s concert season. In addition to their exceptional musical ability, YADP participants are enthusiastic and articulate promoters of classical chamber music. These scholarships are intended to recognize their successful acceptance into this prestigious Program and to provide encouragement in the pursuit of their musical careers.”
Bella Nguyen, flute
Bella (Nhien) Nguyen currently studies her Bachelor’s in Music Performance at the University of Calgary under Gwen Klassen, Assistant Principal Flute and Principal Piccolo of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Bella completed the first two years of her degree at the University of Victoria, and after transferring to the University of Calgary, she continues to explore how music and the arts can better interact with her community. Bella has performed with the University of Calgary Orchestra, the University of Calgary Wind Ensemble, the Calgary Youth Orchestra, the University of Victoria Orchestra, the University of Victoria Wind Symphony, and the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra, and was awarded the Valerie Kuehne Undergraduate Research Award in 2023 to support her research in performer/composer collaboration and commission four flute pieces by international recent UVic graduate composers. She was also a member of the NFA Collegiate Flute Choir in 2023, a group that performed at the NFA convention in Phoenix, Arizona, and attended the Orford Musique Académie in 2024 where she performed for world-class musicians, such as Sooyun Kim and Alexa Still.
Charlotte Giraudeau, piano
Born in 2008, Charlotte began her music studies at the age of five and is currently under the instruction of Professor Marilyn Engle of the University of Calgary. Charlotte is a prize-winner in numerous national and international competitions, including the Canadian Music, Steinway, Aloha, IPPA, and Canadian Chopin Piano Competitions. Charlotte has participated in many masterclasses, including the Morningside Music Bridge, the Gina Bachauer Piano Festival, and the Art of the Piano Festival at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Charlotte was featured in the 2025 High River Gift of Music Young Musicians Extraordinaire Concert Series. She has had many opportunities to study with artists, including Arie Vardi, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Sasha Starcevich, Wha Kyung Byun, Nicolas Namoradze, and Sir Stephen Hough. In addition to her piano studies, she organizes the Capriccio International Young Artists. Aside from her music activities, she enjoys skiing in the Rockies, swimming and doing math contests.
Jerry Liao, piano
Born in China, Canadian pianist Bo Xuan (Jerry) Liao resides in Calgary and currently studies with Professor Jani Parsons at the University of Calgary. In 2025, Jerry won first prize in Category IV of the VI Vienna International Chopin Competition and was invited to perform a debut concert in Vienna. Jerry is also a medalist of the IPPA Conero Competition and a finalist at the Canadian Music Competition. In addition, Jerry is an active performer of contemporary music, being involved in the Sound Atlas Festival and the premiere of The Twelve Chinese Zodiac Animals, Book 2 by Vincent Ho. Outside of performing, Jerry has an avid interest in the field of pedagogy and maintains an active private studio as a teacher of piano and music theory.
Sweta Babladi, flute
Sweta Babladi is a Calgary-born flautist who is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance at the University of Calgary with Lucie Jones. Her passion for music began with her early training in vocal Carnatic music and piano, and she discovered her love for the flute at the age of 12. Sweta performs with Mount Royal Conservatory’s Calgary Youth Orchestra, the UCalgary Orchestra, and UCalgary Wind Ensemble, where she has explored a wide range of repertoire, from classical symphonic works to contemporary ensemble music. In addition to her performance work, Sweta is dedicated to music education and advocacy in the performing arts. She regularly teaches young musicians one-on-one, and is a member of the Music Undergraduate Society, where she works to elevate the visibility of the performing arts in Calgary and foster a stronger sense of community among music students.
Samantha Whelan Kotkas M. Music, B. Music
Born in Canada, raised in Africa and educated in Calgary and Houston, Samantha Whelan Kotkas has been praised for creating truly unique and totally engaging experiences for young audiences. She is an award-winning producer, storyteller, trumpet player and teaching artist who has traveled internationally as a creative consultant and performer. Her creative efforts have focused on combining her love of music and the outdoors with her desire to enhance arts education in Canada. In June of 2018, she was very honoured to be asked to serve as the “Distinguished Graduate” at the University of Calgary’s convocation ceremony.
In conjunction with her active career as a performer, Samantha is the education advisor for Calgary Pro Musica and a teaching artist for the National Arts Centre of Canada (NAC) where she finds the cross-cultural work she does with Walter MacDonald White Bear, as part of the Arts Alive Program, very meaningful. She has written outreach and music teaching guides for the NAC, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
Samantha just completed writing and producing ‘Wandering with Wonder’: an immersive outdoor musical storytelling experience with original live and recorded music, story, puppetry and dance which was successfully premiered to a sold-out audience in September 2021 at the Leighton Arts Centre and then made into a film by the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra with full orchestrations in October 2022. For more information about Samantha please visit her website at www.samanthawhelankotkas.com
2025-26 Application Information