The Governor General's Performing Arts Award laureates, seated with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, each received a standing ovation during the tribute show held in the National Arts Centre's Southam Hall. Robert Patterson Photography
Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show: honouring excellence in Canadian arts
Ask GGPAA laureate Jeremy Dutcher what it was like to perform on the national stage with Canadian music icon Susan Aglukark this past Saturday night, and you won’t get a tidy little soundbite.
“How much time do you have?” the acclaimed Indigenous singer replied with a smile during the after-party at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show, presented by RBC and held at the National Arts Centre.
Dutcher was one of seven Canadian artists celebrated that night. The show featured live performances, including a rock-and-roll grand finale starring singer-songwriter Serena Ryder alongside local youth — complete with high-flying trampoline excitement.
The laureates had gathered the night before at Rideau Hall with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon for the formal presentation ceremony of their medallions, created by the Royal Canadian Mint.
Canadian singer-songwriter Serena Ryder on stage with music students from Nepean High School and trampolinists during the musical tribute to Canadian music producer Bob Ezrin at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show at the National Arts Centre. Robert Patterson Photography
A Red Sky Performance tribute to GGPAA laureate Sandra Laronde during the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show. Photo by Dhalia Katz
Canadian singer-songwriter Serena Ryder performing at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show at the National Arts Centre during a musical tribute to producer Bob Ezrin. Photo by Dahlia Katz
On Saturday, the governor general took to the NAC Southam Hall stage to express what a “great privilege” it had been to host the artists and to learn about their achievements, as well as their struggles. “I was brought to tears a couple of times,” she added.
“From the stages of our largest cities to the community halls of our smallest towns, artists and performers inspire, challenge and unite us.”
Dutcher, who’s from the Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick, received the 2025 National Arts Centre Award, which recognizes outstanding work over the past performance year. He’s a JUNO Award and two-time Polaris Prize winner.
This year’s lifetime achievement laureates were: Quebec composer Denis Gougeon; Quebec comedian, actor, host and producer Patrick Huard; dance choreographer and Red Sky Performance artistic director Sandra Laronde, from the Teme-Augama Anishnabai; Oscar-nominated Indigenous actor Graham Greene; and Toronto-based music producer Bob Ezrin, best known for his work with Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel and KISS, to name a few.
The Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts went to Halifax-based performing artist, arts administrator and disability advocate April Hubbard.
A tribute video was made by the NFB for each laureate and played during the show. Serving as bilingual emcee was TV and radio host Isabelle Racicot. It was heartwarming to witness each laureate’s reaction after being honoured — from tears of joy to big smiles — as the audience rose in a standing ovation.
The GGPAA celebration was represented on stage by RBC’s regional president, Devinder Gill. She announced that the 2025 RBC Emerging Artist Award, which includes a $25,000 prize, had been awarded to Indigenous soprano Emma Pennell.
From left, Quebec regional president Marjolaine Hudon, Roger Howard, executive vice president (commercial banking) at RBC, RBC regional president (Ontario North & East) Devinder Gill and Justin Schurman, regional vice president (business financial services) at RBC, at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show. Photo by Caroline Phillips
GGPAA laureate Jeremy Dutcher (2025 National Arts Centre Award) on stage with Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show held Saturday, June 14, 2025. Photo by Dahlia Katz
Award-winning Canadian actor Lorne Cardinal kept his tribute to Greene light-hearted yet full of admiration, reminding the audience that Greene — born on the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford — came from humble beginnings. Before stepping onto the stage or in front of a camera, he worked as a welder, steel worker, carpenter, sound technician, and roadie. He would go on to earn acclaim in films like Dances with Wolves and The Green Mile.
“He has shown Canada and the world that we are more than the trauma inflicted upon our people. We are so much more than just ‘handsome on horseback’,” said Cardinal.
The audience learned that Ezrin had been nominated by music students of Jeannie Hunter, an award-winning teacher at Nepean High School who regularly inspires her students to research and nominate deserving artists for a GGPAA (nominations can be submitted by any member of the public). The school’s marching band/music students took to the stage for the finale, rocking out to Ryder’s rendition of Peter Gabriel’s Solsbury Hill, followed by a medley of Alice Cooper’s School’s Out and Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall involving the band Crown Lands, complete with concert LED screens and trampoline acrobatics.
Ryder was hanging out at the after-party with Ottawa business leader John Sicard, who’s also a life-long drummer and avid supporter of the music scene. She revealed that she had managed to keep her performance a secret from everyone – including from Ezrin, with whom she collaborates. “I was told not to tell anybody.”
Canadian singer-songwriter Serena Ryder and Ottawa business leader John Sicard, a champion of the live music scene, at the after-party for the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Acclaimed music producer Bob Ezrin with music students from Nepean High School at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show. Photo by Dahlia Katz
In the audience that night was federal public service leader Mark Schaan, who called the evening “a beautiful reminder” of how fortunate we are to live in a country like Canada. “Tonight felt like — and maybe it’s the moment we’re in — that sovereignty matters more than ever,” he told CiTC at the after-party.
For Schaan, the highlight of the show was watching Dutcher perform on stage with Aglukark — a moment made all the more touching because he knew the story behind their collaboration.
Dutcher first saw the Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter perform when he was about eight years old, during a visit she made to his hometown of Fredericton. “Susan changed my life — she opened a big door for me,” Dutcher told CiTC of that formative experience.
“She was singing in our languages about being so proud about who we are,” said Dutcher. “She’s always shown the beauty of our ways with what she does.
“When I got this opportunity, they said, ‘We’ll ask anyone — who do you want to sing with?'” he recalled, his voice dropping to a reverent hush. “Susan. Absolutely. We had never met before, and I had always looked up to her since I was a kid.”
Collaborating with Aglukark was a real bonding experience and meeting of “kindred” spirits, he said.
Also spotted at the after-party was acclaimed filmmaker and former GGPAA laureate Atom Egoyan, who will be mentoring Joshua Odjick, a rising star of Algonquin-Anishinabe/Cree heritage, through the GGPAA Mentorship Program.
Kate Eggins, communications manager with the National Arts Centre, later shared with CiTC that there was a marriage proposal during the red carpet arrivals to the show.
From left, Juno Award-winning Inuk singer and songwriter Susan Aglukark, Canadian Inuk actress Anna Lambe and Canadian Indigenous tenor Jeremy Dutcher at the after-party for the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Gwen Goodier and Christopher Deacon, president and CEO of the National Arts Centre, at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show, held at the NAC on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Canadian filmmaker and former GGPAA laureate Atom Egoyan, Claire Hopkinson (former director and CEO of Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Foundation) and National Arts Centre Foundation CEO Juniper Locilento at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala, held at the NAC on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips
GGPAA laureate Sandra Laronde mingling at the after-party at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show held at the National Arts Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Janice Charette (former clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the Cabinet), Ottawa-Vanier Liberal MP Mona Fortier, Compass Rose chief strategy officer and managing director Marci Surkes and Kelly Hutchinson (lead public affairs counsellor, digital practice lead) and Andrea Sarkic (lead public affairs counsellor) at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Paul Genest (senior vice-president at Power Corporation of Canada) and Barbara Jessup at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show held at the National Arts Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Roseann Runte, former president and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Gowling WLG partner Jacques Shore and Jayne Watson, retired CEO of the National Arts Centre Foundation, at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Acclaimed Canadian actor Graham Greene, one of the Canadian performing artists to receive a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, seen in conversation at the after-party. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Roger Howard, executive vice president (commercial banking) at RBC, 2025 RBC Emerging Artist Award recipient Emma Pennell and RBC regional president Devinder Gill. Photo by Dahlia Katz
Kathryn Tremblay, c0-founder of Altis Recruitment, and her partner, Dr. John Lamensa, at the Andy Warhol-inspired pre-show dinner for the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show. Photo by Caroline Phillips
E.J. Alon (previously with the Canadian Film Centre), CPAC president and CEO Christa Dickenson and Heather Bakken, partner at PR/communications firm Pendulum, at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Susan Glass, chair of the board of the National Arts Centre Foundation, and her husband, Arni Thorsteinson, at the after-party for the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show, held at the NAC. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Claridge Homes founder and CEO Bill Malhotra and his wife, Romina Malhotra, with Devinder Gill, regional president at RBC, and her husband, Manmohan Singh, at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show, held at the NAC on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Music producer and laureate Bill Ezran and Mark Motors Group president Michael Mrak at the after-party for the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show, held at the National Arts Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Adrian Burns, the former board chair of the National Arts Centre (NAC), Douglas Knight (chair and CEO of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation), and Shannon Day-Newman at the GGPAA Show held at the NAC on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Quebec regional president Marjolaine Hudon, formerly based in Ottawa, was seen catching up with Ottawa-Vanier Liberal MP Mona Fortier at the dinner held prior to the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Niall O’Dea (senior assistant deputy minister), TD Bank community engagement manager Lee Rose, and Mark Schaan (deputy secretary to the cabinet), at the after-party for the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala, held at the National Arts Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Irish Ambassador John Concannon and his wife, Mary Concannon, at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala, held at the National Arts Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Quebec comedian, actor, host and producer Patrick Huard, one of the laureates of a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, seen minging at the after-party in the Canada Room of the National Arts Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips
NAC Foundation board member Gregory Sanders, partner at KPMG Private Enterprise, and his wife, Tani, at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala, held at the National Arts Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Sanjay Shah, CEO of ExecHealth, and his wife, Dr. Bella Mehta, with Pina Sicard with her husband, Ottawa business/community leader John Sicard, at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show held at the National Arts Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Peter Nicholson, president of WEALTH (WCPD) and his wife Anabel Bane at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show, honouring excellence in the performing arts. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Kevin Chan (global policy campaign strategies director at Meta Platforms), Annabelle Cloutier
Karen Sparks, executive director of Wesley Clover Parks, and her husband, Andy Sparks, real estate broker with Royal LePage Team Realty,
From left, Altis Recruitment co-founder Kathryn Tremblay, LE Strategies business development and marketing consultant Liz Ellwood, Syntax Strategic CEO and founder Jennifer Stewart, Canadian International Trade Tribunal vice-chair Bree Jamieson-Holloway and Rachel Roesner, director of business development at Germain Hôtels, at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, German Ambassador Tjorven Bellmann and singer, songwriter and record label owner Tara Shannon, executive director of the Ottawa Festival Network, at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show, held at the National Arts Centre on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, GGPAA laureate and renowned actor Graham Greene in conversation with Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan at the after-party for the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Brandon Gorman, RBC vice president (senior commercial markets), and Stephanie Appotive, co-owner of Howard Fine Jewellers, at the pre-show dinner for the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Marie Lemay, president and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint, with GGPAA laureate, artistic director and choreographer Sandra Laronde and Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark, who performed at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Deborah Lehmann, president and CEO of The Ottawa Cancer Foundation, in conversation at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Show after-party with April Hubbard, the 2025 recipient of the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts. Photo by Caroline Phillips
This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, WCPD, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Infinity Convention Centre, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada, First Avenue Investment Counsel, RBC, Welch LLP, Brazeau Seller Law.
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