May 25, 2022
OTTAWA, Ontario—Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, will present the 2022 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) during a ceremony at Rideau Hall. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the GGPAA.
Date: Friday, May 27, 2022
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Rideau Hall Ballroom
The Governor General will also deliver opening remarks at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala at the National Arts Centre (NAC) in Ottawa, on Saturday, May 28, 2022.
Lifetime Artistic Achievement Laureates
Laureates of the Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award are selected from the fields of classical music, dance, film, popular music, broadcasting and theatre.
Recipients of these awards are nominated by the general public.
- Fernand Dansereau, film and television screenwriter, director and producer
- Rita Shelton Deverell, television broadcaster, theatre artist, scholar and activist
- David Foster, songwriter, composer, performer, producer and philanthropist
- Tomson Highway, author (plays, novels, non-fiction), pianist and songwriter
- Linda Rabin, dancer, teacher, choreographer and somatic movement educator
Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts Laureate
Recognizes outstanding contributions by an individual or group in voluntary service to the performing arts in Canada. Recipients of this award are also nominated by the general public.
- Michelle Smith
National Arts Centre Award Laureate
Recognizes work of an extraordinary nature by an individual artist or company in the past performance year. Recipients are selected by the NAC board of trustees from a list of candidates proposed by a nominating committee of NAC artistic programmers.
- Crystal Pite, choreographer and director
GGPAA Mentorship Program
Each year, a past laureate of the Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award is invited to select a professional artist (or artists) to share, learn and grow from the experience and insight of their mentor. This year’s mentor is one of Canada’s most celebrated composers, Alexina Louie, O.C. (2021 recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award). The protégé is Canadian composer and pianist Christopher Goddard.
Notes for Media:
- To guarantee your access to the ceremony, we ask that you please confirm your attendance with the Rideau Hall Press Office at media@gg.ca.
- Media are asked to arrive at the Princess Anne Entrance no later than 5:45 p.m. on the day of the ceremony.
- Please note masks are mandatory.
- Photos of the ceremony taken by the Governor General’s official photographer will be made available upon request.
About the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards
Created in 1992 by the late Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, then-Governor General, and his wife, Gerda, the awards are presented annually to Canadians whose extraordinary achievements have contributed significantly to the enrichment of Canada’s cultural life. For more information, visit www.ggpaa.ca.
Media information:
To cover the award presentation at Rideau Hall:
Rideau Hall Press Office
343-573-7563
media@gg.ca
For more information on the awards or to arrange interviews with the laureates:
Lucy van Oldenbarneveld
613-297-8024
lvanoldenbarneveld@compassrosegroup.org
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