Recipients of the 2010 Governor General’Äôs Performance Arts Awards Announced

Governor General’Äôs Performing Arts Awards

for Lifetime Artistic Achievement

BRYAN ADAMS, FRANˆáOISE FAUCHER, WALTER HOMBURGER,

EDOUARD LOCK, ROBIN PHILLIPS, BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE

Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts

MOHAMMED AND YULANDA FARIS

National Arts Centre Award

YANNICK NˆâZET-SˆâGUIN

MONTREAL, February 23, 2010 ’Äì Bryan Adams, Franˆßoise Faucher, Walter Homburger, Edouard Lock, Robin Phillips and Buffy Sainte’ÄëMarie have been named the 2010 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 recipients have propelled their talent and vision to the highest level and made an enduring contribution to culture in Canada. Each year, the Awards shine a spotlight on these phenomenal people who, with their magic, enrich the lives of all Canadians.

The Lifetime Artistic Achievement Awards are accompanied by two special Awards which recognize individuals taking the performing arts in inspiring new directions. The Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts is given this year to Mohammed and Yulanda Faris, and Yannick Nˆ©zet’ÄëSˆ©guin will receive the National Arts Centre (NAC) Award.

The Awards will be presented at Rideau Hall on April 30, 2010 by Governor General Michaˆ´lle Jean. ’ÄúTime will never erase the pathways that these great performing artists have traced, both for us the public and for young generations of creators. For they are pathways of light that cross through our lives and shed a brighter light on everything they touch. And so we thank them for all of those rays of hope they shine on our world, which would otherwise be a darker and duller place," said Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaˆ´lle Jean, Governor General of Canada.

This year’Äôs recipients of the six Governor General’Äôs Performing Arts Awards for Lifetime Artistic Achievement are:

¬… Bryan Adams (Singer/songwriter, photographer and social activist): One of Canada’Äôs most successful recording artists, rock singers and songwriters, he has established himself as a leading figure on the international popular music scene. With numerous awards and millions of album sales and sold-out concerts worldwide, he is also an accomplished photographer and is actively involved with many social and humanitarian causes through The Bryan Adams Foundation.

¬… Franˆßoise Faucher (Actress, director and broadcaster): From her stage debut in Montreal in 1951, she has personified the dynamic vitality of Quebec theatre. A veritable living legend, she has played a central role in the development of Quebec culture and inspired an entire generation of theatre artists (particularly women) with the unquenchable passion and boundless dedication she has shown for over 60 years. On stage and on screen, she attracted’Äîand, with remarkable energy, continues to attract’Äîa wide and diverse audience of loyal fans.

¬… Walter Homburger (Orchestra manager, impresario and artist manager): A driving force in the development of orchestras and classical music in Canada for over half a century, he has promoted a succession of extraordinary artists (including Glenn Gould, Victor Braun, Jan Rubes, Louis Lortie, and James Ehnes). His unrivalled 25’Äëyear term as managing director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra set new standards for orchestra management in Canada and became a model for following generations of music directors and managers.

¬… Edouard Lock (Choreographer): A brilliant innovator whose originality and daring have transformed contemporary dance, he has reinvented the art form, bridging contemporary dance and classical ballet to create a unique choreographic language. His influence over the past 30 years has been phenomenal: he has built his company, La La La Human Steps, into one of the world’Äôs most exciting and original dance troupes, and has put Quebec and Canada firmly on the international cultural map.

¬… Robin Phillips (Director, actor, designer and teacher): One of Canada’Äôs greatest English-language stage directors, he has inspired an entire generation of Canadian actors, designers and directors with his creative vision, passion, and discipline, and has set the standard for excellence in staging works both classical and contemporary. In his six seasons with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival he directed 35 productions featuring such outstanding artists as Martha Henry, William Hutt, Brian Bedford, Maggie Smith, Jessica Tandy, and Colm Feore.

¬… Buffy Sainte-Marie (Singer/songwriter, visual artist, educator and social activist): She has achieved international acclaim as a singer/songwriter, visual artist, advocate for Aboriginal rights, and mentor. Her powerful songs of love, hope, protest and triumph have sensitized people around the world to important political and social issues. She continues to tour extensively, capturing audiences everywhere with the energy, intensity, and raw communicative power of her performances.

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.

Mohammed and Yulanda Faris are this year’Äôs recipients of the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts. They have been an active force in the Vancouver arts community for close to 40 years. They have liberally donated their time and financial support (often anonymously) to opera, dance, the visual arts, and literature, with a particular focus on young people, arts education, professional training opportunities, and legacy giving. The Farises 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.

Yannick Nˆ©zet’ÄëSˆ©guin is this year’Äôs recipient of the National Arts Centre Award, presented for exceptional achievement over the past performance year. Yannick Nˆ©zet’ÄëSˆ©guin is one of the fastest-rising stars on the international classical music scene. Acclaimed by musicians, audiences and critics alike for his musicality, dedication and charisma, he is in great demand as a symphonic and operatic conductor and has appeared with leading orchestras around the world. In addition to a commemorative medallion struck by the Royal Canadian Mint and a cash award of $25,000, Maestro Nˆ©zet ’ÄìSˆ©guin will receive an original piece of artwork designed by Canadian ceramic artist Paula Murray of Chelsea, Quebec.

In addition to honouring the 2010 recipients, the Awards feature a unique Mentorship Program, a partnership inaugurated in 2008 between the Governor General’Äôs Performing Arts Awards Foundation (GGPAAF) and Canada’Äôs National Arts Centre. 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 actor Gordon Pinsent, who received a Governor General’Äôs Performing Arts Award in 2004 (film/theatre), has chosen to mentor Kevin Loring, an extraordinarily talented young actor. 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 2010 recipients will be honoured at various events in Ottawa from April 29 to May 1. On April 29, the recipients will be introduced in the House of Commons, followed by a Parliamentary Reception. On April 30 at Rideau Hall, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaˆ´lle Jean, Governor General of Canada, will present the country’Äôs highest performing arts honour to each recipient at a special ceremony and dinner. On May 1, the National Arts Centre will host a sparkling Gala to celebrate the 2010 recipients, a star-studded celebration featuring superb performances, evocative film portraits, and personal tributes by guest stars.

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB), an important creative concept partner for the Gala since 2008, will once again produce eight unforgettable short films to celebrate the lives of the 2010 recipients, which will be screened at the May 1 Gala. The NFB brings together some of Canada’Äôs most talented documentary filmmakers for this project to create signature films that capture the essence of each Award laureate.

The Awards continue to benefit from the significant partnership established in 2007 with the National Arts Centre (NAC). 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’Äôs 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 2011 are now being accepted at http://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 National Arts Centre is proud to produce the 2010 Governor General’Äôs Performing Arts Awards Gala in partnership with the Governor General’Äôs Performing Arts Awards Foundation and the National Film Board of Canada. The Awards are presented with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts. The GGPAAF gratefully acknowledges National Partners McDonald’Äôs Restaurants of Canada, Pratt & Whitney Canada Corporation and Weber Shandwick Worldwide. The GGPAAF also acknowledges the significant contributions of Enbridge, Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, technology partner IBM, Llama Communications, automobile sponsor Mark Motors of Ottawa, Optima, media partner The Ottawa Citizen, and The Royal Canadian Mint. Grateful thanks also go to the National Committee of volunteers, including Co-Chairs M. Ann McCaig, C.M., A.O.E., LL.D and James S. Kinnear.

Tickets for the Governor General’Äôs Performing Arts Awards Gala on Saturday, May 1, 2010 go on sale to the general public on February 23, 2010 at the NAC Box Office and through Ticketmaster, 613-755’Äë1111 or http://www.ticketmaster.ca/.