Canadian writer, producer, director Paul Gross will be honoured for exceptional achievement in the arts, along with other media and performing artists, as part of the upcoming Governor General Awards presentation.
Peggy Baker, Edith Butler, Clémence DesRochers, Robert Lepage, R. Murray Schafer and George F. Walker have been named the 2009 recipients of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, the most prestigious artistic honour bestowed in Canadian performing arts.
The Lifetime Artistic Achievement Awards are accompanied by two special
Awards. The Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts and the National Arts Centre (NAC) Award recognize luminous contributions made to the cultural landscape of Canada.
The Awards will be presented at Rideau Hall on May 8, 2009 by Governor
General Michaelle Jean.
"The presentation of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards is a time for us to recognize the invaluable contribution of our artists who have chosen the stage as a space in which to create and to express themselves and who dedicate their lives to enriching our own," said Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada.
This year's recipients of the six Governor General's Performing Arts
Awards for Lifetime Artistic Achievement are:
- Peggy Baker: Internationally acclaimed as one of the most outstanding
and influential contemporary dancers of her generation. A compelling
performer, renowned choreographer, brilliant teacher, and passionate
arts advocate, she has inspired several generations of young dancers,
captivated audiences in Canada and abroad, and made an indelible mark
on the modern dance scene;
- Edith Butler: One of the first artists to promote Acadian culture in
Canada and around the world. For over 40 years this warm and generous
performer has celebrated her rich heritage in story and song, from
rollicking down-home party music to haunting laments, and has achieved
star status both at home and abroad;
- Clémence DesRochers: A writer, broadcaster, singer, actress and
monologuist regarded as a national treasure with a special place in the
hearts of Quebecers. In a career spanning half a century she has made a
profound mark on Quebec entertainment and paved the way for countless
other artists and creators. A pioneer in many fields, this
multitalented artist has shared the stories of her native province with
audiences across the country;
- Robert Lepage: One of Canada's best known artists, he has earned an
international reputation for his dazzling work as a director,
playwright, actor and filmmaker. From one-man shows to epic collective
creations to classics of the repertoire, Mr. Lepage's original, highly
visual style integrates new technologies, multiple languages, and
different art forms to reinvest performance with a sense of ritual,
magic and wonder;
- R. Murray Schafer: Acclaimed as a gifted composer, visionary educator
and mentor, and committed environmentalist. In a career spanning over
50 years, he has explored the relationships between people and sound,
created unique performance genres in the field of acoustic ecology, and
raised awareness of Canada's new music internationally; and,
- George F. Walker: A prolific and popular playwright, director and
screenwriter who has greatly enriched Canada's cultural landscape and
garnered critical acclaim at home and abroad. Over the last 35 years he
has written more than 20 plays and has created screenplays for several
award-winning Canadian television series. His bold, darkly comic work
sounds a unique note in Canadian theatre, and has inspired young
writers and artists across the country.
Each recipient will receive a cash award of $25,000 contributed by the
Canada Council for the Arts and a commemorative medallion struck by the Royal
Canadian Mint.
James D. Fleck is this year's recipient of the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award
for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts.
Dr. Fleck is one of Canada's most active cultural philanthropists. For
over 35 years, he has generously donated his time, expertise and financial
support to numerous arts organizations across the country. He has enriched
Canadian music, theatre, dance, visual arts and literature, and furthered the
careers of such outstanding artists as ballerina Veronica Tennant and soprano
Measha Brueggergosman. He will receive a specially commissioned work by
Canadian glass artist Naoko Takenouchi of Vancouver, British Columbia, and a
commemorative medallion struck by the Royal Canadian Mint.
Paul Gross is this year's recipient of the National Arts Centre Award
presented for exceptional achievement over the past performance year.
Known foremost as an actor, Mr. Gross is also an award-winning writer, producer, director and singer, and a tireless promoter of Canadian culture. Mr. Gross - whose outstanding work in theatre, television and film has garnered
international acclaim - is being recognized for Passchendaele, a sweeping
World War I epic inspired by his grandfather's wartime experiences in Canada
and Belgium. The $21-million production, the most ambitious Canadian war movie ever made, opened the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival and set records for English Canadian film, grossing almost $5 million in Canada and abroad. In addition to a commemorative medallion struck by the Royal Canadian Mint and a cash award of $25,000, Mr. Gross will receive an original piece of artwork designed by Québec-based artist Paula Murray.
In addition to honouring the 2009 recipients, the Awards feature a unique
Mentorship Program, a partnership between the Governor General's Performing
Arts Awards Foundation (GGPAAF) and the National Arts Centre, inaugurated in
2008. Designed to unite past Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award recipients
and talented mid-career artists, the program serves as a creative catalyst and
as an investment in future Canadian artistic achievement.
Distinguished jazz legend Oliver Jones, who received a Governor General's Performing Arts Award in 2005, has chosen to mentor Dione Taylor, an extraordinarily talented young singer. In addition to receiving coaching and career advice from Mr. Jones, Ms. Taylor will also perform at the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Gala and receive an honorarium. The program is a unique opportunity for the potential laureates of tomorrow to benefit from the creativity and experience of icons who have blazed the trail before them.
The 2009 recipients will be honoured at various events in Ottawa from May
7 to 9. On May 7, recipients will be introduced in the House of Commons,
followed by a Parliamentary Reception. On May 8 at Rideau Hall, Her Excellency
the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, will present
the country's highest performing arts honour to each recipient at a special
ceremony and dinner. On May 9, the National Arts Centre will host a glittering
Gala saluting the 2009 recipients. The Gala performance will be a star-studded
tribute to the 2009 recipients, who will be celebrated with superb
performances, evocative video portraits and personal tributes by guest stars.
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB), an important creative concept
partner for the Gala, will produce eight unforgettable film portraits to
celebrate the lives of the 2009 recipients, which will be screened at the May
9 Gala. The NFB brings together some of Canada's most talented documentary
filmmakers for this project to create signature films that capture the essence
of each Award laureate. The NFB film portraits have been recognized as
original works of art -- the 2008 NFB film tribute to laureate John Murrell
was screened at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
The Awards continue to benefit from the significant partnership with the
National Arts Centre, established in 2007. Dedicated to achieving the highest
presence for the Awards, the NAC is responsible for the production of the
annual gala performance as well as the event's fundraising and marketing
activities. The NAC's in-house expertise and experience in these key aspects
of the annual celebrations significantly enhance the profile of the Awards and
their distinguished recipients.
Created in 1992, the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are the
most prominent artistic honour bestowed upon Canadians in the performing arts.
They are administered by the GGPAA Foundation, a private, not-for-profit
charitable organization. Nominations for the awards are solicited from the
public and the performing arts community. Peer selection committees,
representing the various performing arts disciplines and regions of Canada,
review the nominations and submit a short list of nominees in the seven award
categories to the GGPAA Foundation Board of Directors, which makes the final
selection of recipients of the Awards for Lifetime Artistic Achievement and
the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts.
Nominations for 2010 are now being accepted at www.ggpaa.ca. The recipient of
the National Arts Centre Award is selected by the Board of Trustees of the NAC
from a list of candidates proposed by a nominating committee of senior NAC
artistic programmers.
The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are presented by Bell, the
founding presenting sponsor of the Awards. Bell's generous support since 1992
has been an outstanding force in the success of the Awards. The National Arts
Centre is proud to produce the 2009 Awards Gala in partnership with the
National Film Board of Canada and the Governor General's Performing Arts
Awards Foundation. The Awards are presented with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts. The 2009 Mentorship Program Partner is The Keg Spirit Foundation. Event Sponsors are Groupe Aeroplan, Corus Entertainment Inc., Porter Airlines, Pratt & Whitney Canada Corporation and Trinity Development Group.
The GGPAAF acknowledges the significant contributions of the Friends of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Gala, Technology Partner IBM Canada, Weber Shandwick Worldwide, Hotel Indigo and Media Partners The Ottawa Citizen, 'A' Ottawa, Majic100 and Optima. The Royal Canadian Mint crafted and provided all commemorative medallions. Thanks also go to the National Volunteer Committee, including Honourary Co-Chairs the Honourable Peter Lougheed and Jeanne Lougheed along with Melanie Munk, and Chair, Robert Foster, President & CEO of Capital Canada Ltd.