2023 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards

May 24, 2023

OTTAWA, Ontario—Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, will present the 2023 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) during a ceremony at Rideau Hall on May 26, 2023. She will then deliver remarks at the GGPAA Gala at the National Art Centre (NAC), in Ottawa, the following evening.

GGPAA Ceremony
Date: Friday, May 26, 2023
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Rideau Hall Ballroom

GGPAA Gala
Date: Saturday, May 27, 2023
Time: 8 p.m. (red carpet begins at 7 p.m.)
Location: NAC

Lifetime Artistic Achievement Recipients
Recipients of the Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award are selected from the fields of classical music, dance, popular music, broadcasting/film and theatre.
Recipients of these awards are nominated by the general public.

  • Michel Marc Bouchard, O.C. – Playwright, screenwriter, librettist and teacher
  • Molly Johnson, O.C. – Singer-songwriter and humanitarian
  • James Kudelka, O.C. – Choreographer
  • Rosemarie Landry, C.M. – Soprano and voice teacher
  • k.d. lang, O.C. – Singer-songwriter and activist

Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts Recipient
Recognizes outstanding contributions by an individual or group in voluntary service to the performing arts in Canada. Recipients of this award are also nominated by the general public.

  • John Kim Bell, O.C.

National Arts Centre Award Recipient
Recognizes work of an extraordinary nature by an individual artist or company in the past performance year. Recipients are selected by the NAC board of trustees from a list of candidates proposed by a nominating committee of NAC artistic programmers.

  • Paul Sun-Hyung Lee – Actor, writer, comedian and geek

GGPAA Mentorship Program
Each year, a past laureate of the Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award is invited to select a professional artist (or artists) to share, learn and grow from the experience and insight of their mentor.

This year’s mentor is dancer Margie Gillis, O.C., C.Q. (2011 GGPAA recipient) and her protégée is Anne Plamondon. 

Notes for Media:

  • To guarantee your access to the ceremony, we ask that you please confirm your attendance with the Rideau Hall Press Office at media@gg.ca.
  • Media are asked to arrive at the Princess Anne Entrance no later than 5:45 p.m. on the day of the ceremony.
  • Photos of the ceremony taken by the Governor General’s official photographer will be made available upon request.

About the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards
Created in 1992 by the late Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, then-Governor General, and his wife, Gerda, the awards are presented annually to Canadians whose extraordinary achievements have contributed significantly to the enrichment of Canada’s cultural life. For more information, visit www.ggpaa.ca.

Media information:

To cover the award presentation at Rideau Hall:
Rideau Hall Press Office
343-573-7563
media@gg.ca

For more information on the awards or to arrange interviews with the laureates:
Lucy van Oldenbarneveld
613-297-8024
lvanoldenbarneveld@compassrosegroup.org

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