The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation has announced the recipients of this year’s GGPAAs, considered Canada’s highest honour in the performing arts.
“The arts play a vital role in our lives, bringing joy, hope and understanding of diverse cultures,” said Douglas Knight, Chair and CEO of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation (GGPAAF), and Anik Bissonnette, Co-Chair of the Foundation. “While we celebrate and congratulate the exceptional 2024 Awards laureates, we should also pause and be grateful to all Canadian artists, and their supporters, who have given us light and a sense of community.”
This year’s honourees come from a range of artistic disciplines.
2024 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) for Lifetime Artistic Achievement
This category recognizes artists whose cultural imprint can be felt both in Canada and internationally.
“Through their artistic contributions, the recipients of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards have left a lasting mark on the cultural landscape of Canada and beyond,” said Michelle Chawla, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts. “This award is a testament to the breadth of these artists’ talent and their ability to inspire and unite us. Congratulations on this major honour, and thank you for your contribution to the arts as well as for your impact on society as a whole.”
Measha Brueggergosman-Lee | Soprano and faith advocate
Soprano Measha Brueggergosman-Lee a powerful voice and consummate musicianship have taken the Nova Scotia native across the world to perform in major concert halls and with prominent orchestras. She sang at the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill, and a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II.
Ronnie Burkett, O.C. | Puppeteer, playwright, designer and performer
Ronnie Burkett has been credited with reinventing the art of puppetry with imaginative and provocative productions that have been commissioned and performed across Canada, as well as at major theatres and festivals around the world.
Diane Juster, C.M. | Songwriter, composer, performer, pianist and arts advocate
Diane Juster has written hit songs for major artists, including Céline Dion, Ginette Reno (GGPAA 1999) and Dalida, along with accumulating an impressive discography of her own over a 50-year career. She is also known as an advocate for Canadian artists, and is the co-founder of the Société professionnelle des auteurs et des compositeurs du Québec (SPACQ).
Andrea Martin | Actor
From her earliest days on Second City Television (SCTV) in the late 1970s to a Tony Award winning career on Broadway, to iconic films and most recently TV, Andrea Martin has been making people laugh for more than four decades. She has won Emmy Awards for her writing, and received a star on the Canada Walk of Fame. Andrea has toured North America with a one-woman show, and released a critically acclaimed book titled Lady Parts.
Wes “Maestro” Williams | Recording artist, actor, author and motivational speaker
Dubbed the “godfather of Canadian hip hop,” Wesley (Wes) “Maestro” Williams was the first Canadian rapper to reach mainstream success. His debut album, Symphony in Effect, was the first album by a Canadian hip hop artist to reach platinum status. Williams is also a successful film and television actor, author, and motivational speaker.
The Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts
This award recognizes outstanding contribution by an individual or group in voluntary service to the performing arts in Canada
Jenny Belzberg, C.M.
A passionate community activist and philanthropist, Jenny is an advocate for arts and education, often taking a leadership role in various organizations, particularly Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. She has played a key role in promoting and developing the arts sector in her home town of Calgary, alongside her late husband Hyman Belzberg, for decades.
The National Arts Centre Award
This award recognizes work of an extraordinary nature by an individual artist or company in the past performance year.
Mélanie Demers | Multidisciplinary artist, choreographer, stage director and performer
Mélanie Demers is the founding artistic director of MAYDAY, a contemporary dance company based in Montréal. In a career that began almost three decades ago, she has toured more than 30 original works around the world.
Mentorship Program
In this unique program, past GGPAA recipients have the opportunity to give the next gen a leg up by offering mentoring to mid-career Canadian artists.
“Through The Keg Spirit Foundation, we are proud to support mentorship programs that enhance personal and professional growth, and enhance the broader community,” said David Aisenstat, Chairman and Founder of The Keg Spirit Foundation. “We are thrilled that widely acclaimed singer–songwriter Susan Aglukark will be sharing her depth of knowledge with her protégée Angela Amarualik for the next year through the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Mentorship Program.”
The participants for 2024 are:
Susan Aglukark, O.C. (Mentor)
Inuk singer–songwriter Susan Aglukark (GGPAA 2016) combines lyrics in English, Inuktitut, and other Indigenous languages with modern pop music. She has released ten albums of her songs tell the stories of her fellow Inuit and other Indigenous groups.
Angela Amarualik – Protégée
A native of Igloolik, Nunavut, Angela began writing Inuktitut songs in her bedroom closet on the ukelele. Her musical style uses throat singing techniques and traditional Inuit stories in pop and folk arrangements.
“The National Arts Centre is proud to be a founding partner of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards,” said Christopher Deacon, NAC President and CEO. “We congratulate the 2024 laureates, whose extraordinary body of work has brought inspiration and joy to Canadians and to the world. We invite everyone to come celebrate the laureates with us at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala on June 8 in Southam Hall.”
Three events will mark the GGPAAs for 2024, all of them taking place in Ottawa. The GGPAAs culminate in the Gala at the National Arts Centre on June 8.
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