May 2, 2017– OTTAWA (Canada) – Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC) is delighted to announce that Michael Bublé will receive the prestigious National Arts Centre Award as part of the 25th Anniversary of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards celebration in Ottawa on June 28-29, 2017.

Michael Bublé will be honoured at a ceremony at Rideau Hall on June 28th by the Governor General of Canada, the Right Honourable David Johnston and then on June 29th at a gala performance at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The awards will be broadcast and livestreamed by the CBC-SRC as part of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards 25th Anniversary Special.

The National Arts Centre Award is presented annually as part of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards in recognition of recent exceptional work by a performing artist.

“We are delighted that Michael Bublé and his family are doing so well, and that they will all be joining us at the National Arts Centre when we will honour his extraordinary career. All of Canada wishes the Bublé family the very best, and we’re thrilled they will be here to enjoy the 25th anniversary of the awards,” said Peter A. Herrndorf, the President and CEO of the National Arts Centre. 

An internationally acclaimed Grammy and Juno Award-winning singer, Bublé’s beautiful voice, engaging humour and ability to command a stage have made him one of the most sought-after performers in the world. The charismatic singer, talented songwriter and brilliant entertainer from Burnaby, B.C. has won international acclaim.

“Michael Bublé is an exceptional singer and songwriter whose voice and stage presence have captured the hearts of audiences across Canada and around the world,” said NAC President and CEO Peter Herrndorf. “We are very happy to honour him with the National Arts Centre Award. We believe the award will be like a homecoming for him in 2017, as Canadians honour our most remarkable artists.”

Other winners of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards were announced in March and include: Film and television director Jean Beaudin, Actor, writer and producer Michael J. Fox, Theatre director and artistic director Brigitte Haentjens, Actor, writer and producer Martin Short, Actor, writer and producer Yves Sioui Durand, and philanthropist William H. Loewen who will receive the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts. Karen Kain, the Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada will mentor choreographer Robert Binet as part of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Mentorship Program.

The awards take place two days before of the grand opening of the “new” NAC on Canada Day. The National Arts Centre is currently undergoing a $110.5 M architectural rejuvenation of the building to re-orient it to face Confederation Square, and to embrace some of the most beautiful views of the capital. The NAC is delighted that Michael Bublé will receive Canada’s highest honour for the performing arts at this historic time in its history. 

Bublé’s career is simply extraordinary, his ninth studio album entitled Nobody But Me was released in October 2016, and the title song Nobody But Me and the single I Believe in You have received over 4.6 million and 6.5 million views respectively on YouTube.

Bublé has embarked on five world tours over the course of his career, with his most recent To Be Loved Tour in 2014, which ran for 173 shows, in 39 countries and was seen by over two million people. The tour included an unprecedented 12 sold-out shows at London’s 02 Arena. In 2010, Bublé headlined the Aviva Stadium in Dublin before an audience of 100,000 people.

Bublé won a Grammy Award in 2014 for his album To Be Loved (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album), and netted his third Juno Fan Choice Award, and was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame.

The award comes after Michael Bublé’s release of his 9th studio album entitled Nobody But Me on Warner Bros./Reprise Records. The album is the first he has co-produced, and includes reinventions of classics including My Baby Jesus Cares For Me, The Very Thought of You, and Brian Wilson’s God Only Knows.

With the release of his 2003 self-titled debut CD, Michael Bublé established himself not only as an interpreter of the American songbook, but also as an unparalleled showman. The album went to the Top 10 in Canada, the United Kingdom and South Africa, and reached the #1 slot in Australia. In the U.S. the album attained Gold status, and in Canada it would bring Bublé his first Juno Award for Best New Artist.

Bublé’s second album This Time (2005) contained his first breakthrough single, “Home.” The CD reached #1 in Canada, the US, Italy and Japan, and made the Top 10 in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Austria and Sweden. The album spent 104 weeks on Billboard’s Top Jazz chart, including a record 78 weeks in the #1 spot. In 2006 Bublé won 4 Juno awards and received two Grammy nominations.

For the next two years, Bublé circled the globe eight times, visiting and performing in 40 countries. His success continued in 2007 with the release of Call Me Irresponsible, which reached #1 in seven countries, brought Bublé his first Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, and sold over five million copies worldwide.

In 2009, Bublé released his fourth CD, Crazy Love. It would become his fastest-selling album until October 2011, when his studio album Christmas rose to the top of the charts in over 20 countries, selling over seven million copies and earning him a Juno for Album of the Year. His sixth album To Be Loved (2013) received a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and achieved #1 status in 11 countries.

Michael Bublé was won four Grammys, 11 Junos, a Gemini for Best Performance or Host in a Variety Program or Series, a Canadian Screen Award and seven Smooth Jazz Awards. He is a strong supporter of the BC’s Children’s Hospital and the co-owner of the Vancouver Giants, a minor league hockey team.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre collaborates with artists and arts organizations across Canada to help create a national stage for the performing arts, and acts as a catalyst for performance, creation and learning across the country. A home for Canada’s most creative artists, the NAC strives to be artistically adventurous in each of its programming streams: the NAC Orchestra, English Theatre, French Theatre and Dance, as well as the Scene festivals and NAC Presents, which showcase established and emerging Canadian artists. The organization is at the forefront of youth and educational activities, offering artist training, programs for children and youth, and resources for teachers in communities across Canada. The NAC is also a pioneer in new media, using technology to teach students and young artists around the globe by creating top-rated podcasts and providing a wide range of NAC Orchestra concerts on demand. The NAC is the only bilingual, multidisciplinary performing arts centre in Canada, and one of the largest in the world.

PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre is proud to produce the 2017 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala in partnership with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation. The Awards are presented with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts. The GGPAAF gratefully acknowledges BIRKS as Presenting Sponsor of the GGPAA Gala, Major Partner Rogers, Broadcast partner CBC/Radio-Canada and Associate Sponsors Boston Pizza, Labatt Breweries of Canada, Manulife and McDonalds. Grateful thanks also go to the GGPAA Gala’s National Committee of volunteers, led by Honorary Chair Suzanne Rogers and Co-Chairs Kate Alexander Daniels and Salah Bachir.