At the National Arts Centre, Canada is our stage.
And every spring we honour and say thank you to some of this country’s greatest artists at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala.
The National Arts Centre Foundation raises the funds for the gala, which is presented by Enbridge and supported by generous donors from across the country.
It’s a night of tributes, dazzling performances, emotional moments, major Canadian and international guest stars, exceptionally creative short films by innovative filmmakers from the National Film Board of Canada, a few excellent surprises, and a fabulous post-show party.
History
The Awards themselves were created in 1992 by the Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, then Governor General of Canada.
He felt strongly that Canada should acknowledge the lifetime contributions of its artists to the cultural life of the country, and celebrate their exceptional creativity which had given such meaning, beauty and joy to Canadians.
Over the years the awards have been proudly supported by Bell Canada (1992–2009), Enbridge (2010–present) and by corporate and individual donors from across Canada.
Partners and goals
Working with the founding partners, including the National Arts Centre, the Canada Council for the Arts, CBC/Radio-Canada, the Canadian Conference of the Arts and the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Awards were created to achieve three primary goals:
- To make Canadians more aware of the remarkable success the performing arts were having in Canada and around the world;
- To celebrate the outstanding achievements of our greatest performing artists; and
- To illustrate the magic of the country by showcasing artists from one region of the country to the rest of Canada; and by introducing artists from French-speaking Canada to audiences in English-speaking Canada, and artists from English-speaking Canada to audiences in Quebec.
A weekend celebration
Every year over the course of a weekend, the recipients are honoured in the House of Commons, at Rideau Hall by the Governor General and at the gala here at the NAC.
And every year, recipients tell us how deeply meaningful it was to be honoured in this way.
This year the celebration takes place from May 8-10, 2014.
Join us in congratulating this year’s Governor General Performing Arts Awards recipients.
