Atom Egoyan among 2015 Canada’s Governor General Performing Arts Award winners

Canadian Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan is among the 2015 winners of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, reports.

Five Canadians were named for the country’s highest honour for lifetime artistic achievement at an announcement Thursday morning in Montreal, Victoria, Vancouver and Toronto and via live stream.

  • Walter Boudreau, C.M., composer, conductor and artistic director
  • Atom Egoyan, film and stage director
  • Diana Leblanc. actress and director
  • Sarah McLachlan, singer, songwriter
  • R.H. Thomson, C.M., actor, director, producer and arts advocate

The award is accompanied with a $25,000 cash prize contributed by the Canada Council for the Arts and a commemorative medallion produced by the Royal Canadian Mint.

The awards will be handed out by Canada’s Governor General David Johnston at a special ceremony in Ottawa’s Rideau Hall on May 29. The recipients will be celebrated with a star-studded gala featuring special performances and tributes at the National Arts Centre on May 30.

Founded in 1992, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards are given to Canadians whose accomplishments are deemed to have inspired and enriched the country.