2018 Performing Arts Awards Ceremony

Tegan and Sara received the National Arts Centre Awards. They have sold more than one million albums and performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, from the 2015 Academy Awards telecast to major festivals such as Coachella, Lollapalooza and Glastonbury. They have appeared on Canadian, American, Australian and European television, and their songs have been featured in numerous films and TV shows. Tegan and Sara have openly identified as queer since the beginning of their career. Outspoken advocates for equality, gender justice, and progressive social change, they have built a strong and loyal fan base in both the straight and the LGBTQ community.

Murray McLauchlan is one of Canada’s leading singer–songwriters. Known for his socially conscious songs, he achieved wide acclaim for his 1972 breakthrough single “Farmer’s Song,” which earned him the first of 11 Juno Awards. He is also an accomplished visual artist and a popular radio and TV host. Deeply committed to the art of songwriting and creators’ rights, he has had a long association with the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN). He continues to tour regularly, both on his own and with the band Lunch at Allen’s.

Angela Hewitt is widely considered the leading Bach pianist of our time. Known for her clarity, precision and vast repertoire, she has performed in recital and with major orchestras around the world and is especially renowned for her recordings of all of J. S. Bach’s major keyboard works. Her discography also includes solo recordings of Couperin, Rameau, Scarlatti, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Chabrier, Granados, Fauré, Debussy, Ravel and Messiaen, as well as concertos by Mozart and Schumann. Personal communication with her audience is important to her, and she has built a huge international fan base.

In a career spanning more than 50 years, Geneviève Bujold has appeared in more than 70 films in both English and French, and her intensity, passion, and luminous screen presence have earned her international acclaim and numerous awards. From historical dramas to thrillers and adventure movies, her work is as impressive for its range as for its quality: as Moe Doiron of The Globe and Mail remarked, “There’s nothing that could be called ‘a typical Geneviève Bujold picture.’” Her best-known lead roles include Anne Boleyn in Anne of the Thousand Days (directed by Charles Jarrott, 1969) and Élisabeth in Kamouraska (Claude Jutra, 1973); more recently, she appeared in Still Mine (Michael McGowan, 2012) and Chorus (François Delisle, 2015).

Andrew Alexander is a prolific theatre, film and television producer, notably of The Second City—the world’s premier improv comedy club, theatre and school—and the award-winning sketch comedy show “SCTV.” As the CEO and executive producer of The Second City, he has devoted over 40 years to cementing its status as an international comedy empire. Through its theatres, training centres and outreach programs, the organization has popularized the art of improvisation and elevated the quality of comedic theatre in North America.

Chair and CEO Mr. Douglas Knight and Co-Chair Ms. Anik Bissonnette of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation presented each recipient to the audience.

Recipients of the 2018 Governor General Performing Arts Awards.

The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are presented annually to Canadians whose accomplishments have inspired and enriched the cultural life of our country.

Florence Junca Adenot was presented with the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts. In a prolific career spanning over 45 years, Florence Junca Adenot has held leadership roles in arts and culture, university administration, public transit, and heritage preservation. A passionate arts supporter actively involved in her community, she has volunteered with numerous arts organizations and coordinated several heritage, urban revival, and cultural projects. A native of Bordeaux, France (where as a teenager she organized guided heritage walks), she was the founding chair of Agora de la danse, the first permanent venue in Quebec devoted to contemporary dance; the Centre Pierre-Péladeau creation and performance centre for music and dance; and the Corporation de développement urbain du Faubourg Saint-Laurent, which laid the groundwork for the Quartier des spectacles, Montréal’s downtown culture and entertainment district.

Dione Taylor, former protégé of the Awards' mentorship program, offered a musical interlude during the ceremony.

Peter A. Herrndorf was presented with a Special Lifetime Achievement Award. He has devoted his career to journalism, broadcasting and the arts in Canada. As president and CEO (1999–2018) of Canada’s National Arts Centre, North America’s only multidisciplinary, bilingual performing arts centre, he has worked tirelessly to fulfill the centre’s mandate: to play a leadership role in fostering artistic excellence in all disciplines of the performing arts in Canada.

Hailed internationally as one of Canada’s foremost choreographers, with more than 50 works to her credit, Ginette Laurin is a pioneer of the contemporary dance movement in Quebec. She is the founding artistic director of O Vertigo, and worked with the company for over 30 years. She has also hosted numerous dance workshops and taught at several universities and theatre schools in Canada and internationally.

Presented in six categories: classical music, dance, film, popular music, radio and television broadcasting, and theatre, the Lifetime Artistic Achievement are Canada’s most prestigious performing arts awards. Recipients of these awards are nominated by the general public.

In her remarks during the presentation ceremony at Rideau Hall, the Governor General congratulated each recipient by highlighting their individual accomplishment.

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 renowned actor, musician and activist Tom Jackson (absent) (2014 recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award). The protégé is multidisciplinary artist Sarah Robertson (standing).