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Former CCA President receives GG's Award
Ottawa , September 22, 2004 - A past president of the CCA's Board of Governors Jean-Louis Roux will be presented with a Governor General's Performing Arts Award at a ceremony at Rideau Hall on November 5 2004 .
Roux is a dynamic figure in Canada 's theatre community. He has performed more than 150 roles on stage and more than 50 more on television. He has written two plays and adapted into French more than twenty classic works by the likes of William Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams. This winter, he will appear on the National Arts Centre's stage in a French adaptation of Franz Kafka's The Trial .
In addition to his time as head of the CCA Board of Governors from 1968 to 1970, Jean-Louis Roux has served as president of the Société des auteurs and of the Centre canadien du théâtre, and as Director General of the National Theatre School of Canada. He recently concluded a five year tenure as President of the Canada Council for the Arts. He was a member of the Senate from 1994 to 1996, and Lieutenant Governor of Québec from 1996 to 1997. Roux was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1987.
Winners of the Governor General's Performing Arts Award are presented with a commemorative medallion and a $15,000 prize. Other winners for this year include:
Kate and Anna McGarrigle : One of Canada 's preeminent folk acts, the McGarrigle sisters came to prominance in 1975 when their song “Heart Like A Wheel” became an international hit for Linda Ronstadt. That year, they recorded Kate & Anna McGarrigle , an album that is still considered a classic of the genre. They have embraced their mixed anglophone-francophone heritage in their music, recording in both languages. The duo were appointed to the Order of Canada in 1993.
Gordon Pinsent : Possibly Canada's most recognizable screen actor, the Grand Falls, Newfoundland native has appeared in dozens of films and television shows over his 40-plus year career, including the original 1969 version of The Thomas Crown Affair , the blaxploitation classic Blacula , and the 2001 adaptation of E. Annie Proulx's The Shipping News . Through the 1990's, Pinsent was a fixture on Canadian television, appearing in “Due South”, “The Red Green Show”, “Power Play” and “Wind at My Back”.
Pinsent has received five Gemini Awards for his television work, and three Genie awards for film, including one for his performance in the 1972 classic The Rowdyman , which he also wrote. He has recieved ACTRA's Lifetime Achievement Award and was named a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1998.
Joseph Rouleau : An internationally-renowned opera singer, Joseph Rouleau has performed some of the most celebrated roles in opera, including Basilio in The Barber of Seville and Mephistopheles in Faust . During his distinguished career, he has shared the stage with the likes of Pavarotti and Maria Callas. Rouleau has also worked hard to promote musical arts in Canada . He served as President of the Board of Governors of Jeunesses Musicales du Canada, and helped found the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal and the Opéra de Montréal, as well as helping to establish the Centre Pierre-Péladeau. He was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 1977.
Veronica Tennant : One of the National Ballet of Canada's most celebrated prima ballerinas, the British-born Tennant's dance career spanned 25 years. She performed in many of the classics with the likes of Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov. After her retirement from the stage in 1989, she shifted gracefully into the role of a television producer, earning an International Emmy Award for the 1997 production Karen Kain: Dancing in the Moment . Earlier this year, Tennant was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada .
Eric Till : A prolific film and television director with a taste for biographical material, Till has helmed some of this country's most famous productions, including the 1977 TV biopic Bethune , and the 1982 feel-good film If You Could See What I Hear . His television credits run the gamut from the American classic “The Streets of San Francisco”, to the family favourite “Fraggle Rock”, to “To Catch a Killer”, the story of the capture of serial killer John Wayne Gacy. His recent work includes directing the 2002 Red Green film Duct Tape Forever , and 2003's Luther , a biography of Martin Luther.
Two other awards were also announced. The Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts will be given to Constance Pathy , a driving force in the cultural community who has served on the board of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, for the past 15 years as President.
The National Arts Centre Award will be presented to satirist Rick Mercer. The acclaimed writer and performer has established himself as one of Canada's foremost comedic voices, through his writing and performing on “This Hour Has 22 Minutes”, “Made In Canada” and his new show, “Monday Report”. His special “Rick Mercer's Talking to Americans” is the highest-rated comedy special in Canadian television history.
After receiving their awards, the laureates will be celebrated at the 2004 Awards Gala at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on November 6 2004 . The gala will air on Radio-Canada on Sunday December 26 2004 , at 8:00p.m and on CBC Television on Thursday, December 30 at 8:00p.m.
New Head for CRIA
After 30 years as President of the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) Brian Robertson has annouced his departure from the organization in mid-November. Robertson will be succeeded by music industry lawyer Graham Henderson , the former Senior Vice-President of Business Affairs and eCommerce at Universal Music Canada . Henderson was instrumental in launching Canada 's first legal download site Puretracks.com in 2003, and has represented Canadian performers such as Loreena McKennitt, The Northern Pikes, The Pursuit of Happiness, as well as True North Records.
For more information:
Kevin Desjardins
Communications and Public Relations Manager
(613) 238 3561 ext.11
Fax (613) 238 4849
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