The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation has announces the recipients of the 2025 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. The Awards recognize artists who have made significant contributions to Canada’s cultural landscape, and whose efforts extend internationally.
“On behalf of the Canada Council for the Arts, my warmest congratulations to each of the laureates being recognized this year with a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award,” said Michelle Chawla, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts. “With their brilliance, creativity and dedication, these artists have shaped our cultural landscape and enriched our shared experience of the arts. Their work resonates deeply within Canada; it transcends boundaries and is an inspiration to current and future generations around the globe.”
The Laureates
“The performing arts help us make sense of the world around us. They move us to laughter and bring us to tears. They help us understand experiences that are different from our own, and connect us to others,” said Douglas Knight, Chair and CEO of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation (GGPAAF), and Anik Bissonnette, Co-Chair of the Foundation. “As we recognize the incredible, exceptional 2025 Awards laureates, we should also pause and be grateful to all Canadian artists, and their supporters, for creating the shared experiences that light up our lives and strengthen our sense of community.”
Bob Ezrin, O.C.
Music and entertainment producer, music education advocate and serial activist
Bob Ezrin is a legend in the music industry as a producer and entrepreneur. He’s worked on seminal recordings and with artists such as Pink Floyd, U2, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, Rod Stewart, Andrea Bocelli, Taylor Swift, Alice Cooper, Edward Burtynsky, Kiss, Lou Reed, The Canadian Tenors, Aerosmith, Hollywood Vampires, Berlin, and Nine Inch Nails, among many others in a storied career.
Denis Gougeon
Composer
Composer and music educator Denis Gougeon has a catalogue of more than 100 works in a variety of genres and styles, and his influence has been felt both across the country and beyond. His pieces include music for solo instruments, voice, chamber groups, orchestra, theatre, ballet and opera. He has received numerous awards, and multiple commissions, including works for the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.
Graham Greene, C.M.
Actor
Graham Greene’s five decade long acting career has taken him on stage and in film and TV projects across North America, the UK, and Argentina. His varied roles have seen him play everything from cops to doctors, and Shakespearean characters. He has become a role model for many young artists.
Patrick Huard
Comedian, film and television actor, host, screenwriter and producer
A recognizable star of film and TV across Canada, Huard has appeared in Les Boys, the bilingual comedy Bon Cop, Bad Cop series, and other high profile projects. Also a star on radio, Patrick has hosted several radio programs and events. He’s received multiple awards for acting and screenwriting.
Sandra Laronde
Multidisciplinary artist, artistic director, choreographer, producer and author
Founding artistic director of Red Sky Performance, Sandra Laronde has been recognized nationally and internationally for her work as a dancer and choreographer, and proponent of Indigenous arts. With Red Sky Performance, based in Toronto, she has created an innovative form that combines dance, theatre, music and multimedia. She has represented Canada on stages and at events around the world.
Other Awards
Awards given in specific categories round out the list of honourees.
The Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts
This Award goes to an outstanding contribution by an individual or group in voluntary service to the performing arts in Canada
April Hubbard
Halifax-based performance artist, arts administrator, and Mad Disability advocate April Hubbard is an arts supporter and advocate for inclusive and accessible spaces for disabled and underrepresented artists.
The National Arts Centre Award
This award recognizes work of an extraordinary nature by an individual artist or company in the past performance year.
Jeremy Dutcher
Composer, performer, language carrier, ethnomusicologist and activist Jeremy Dutcher is also a classically trained tenor. As a Wolastoqiyik member of the Tobique First NaZonn in northwest New Brunswick. His music incorporates his classical training, among other genres, and Wolastoqiyik culture and language. He looks to preserve his culture, and inspire younger generations of Indigenous people.
Mentorship Program
The unique Mentorship Program gives past GGPAA recipients the opportunity to help the next generation by way of providing guidance to mid-career Canadian artists.
Atom Egoyan, C.C.: Mentor
Atom Egoyan (GGPAA 2015) is a widely respected filmmaker whose resume also includes significant projects in the fields of theatre, visual arts, and opera. Born in Egypt to Armenian parents, and raised in Western Canada, he first caught the public’s attention back in the 1980s as part of a wave of Toronto filmmakers. He’s since become one of the most recognized names in the Canadian filmmaking landscape, and has produced, directed and/or written more than 40 films and TV projects. His 1997 film The Sweet Hereafter garnered the Cannes Grand Prix award, among many other awards and recognition he’s received over his career.
Joshua Odjick: Protégé
Joshua Odjick is a member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, and of the Deer clan, with strong roots in tradition. After six years of acting, he is turning to filmmaking, and will work with noted filmmaker Atom Eyogan to write, produce, and direct his first short film.
Celebrating 2025 Laureates
The 2025 laureates will be celebrated at two events in Ottawa. The final event, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show, takes place at the National Arts Centre on June 14.
“The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards allow us, as a country, to pay tribute to some of our greatest artists and arts volunteers, and to thank them for sharing their extraordinary gifts with us,” said Christopher Deacon, NAC President and CEO. “The National Arts Centre congratulates the 2025 laureates, and looks forward to celebrating their incredible achievements at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show on June 14 in Southam Hall.”
- Tickets for the GGPAA Show are on sale now [HERE].
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