AND THE honour goes to ...
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AND THE honour goes to ...
Dianne Winmill Named MusiCounts Teacher of the Year
On Feb . 1 st , MusiCounts announced Dianne Winmill of North Hastings High School in Bancroft , ON as the recipient of the 2017 MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award , which recognizes teachers with outstanding dedication to inspiring and nurturing the musical growth of Canadian youth . Blue Rodeo sponsored this year ’ s award , and band members Jim Cuddy , Bazil Donovan , and Colin Cripps surprised Winmill with the award during a tour of their Toronto recording studio with several of her students .
Winmill will receive $ 10,000 plus a $ 10,000 contribution to her school ’ s music program . In addition , she will experience VIP treatment throughout JUNO Week 2017 .
For more information on Winmill and the award , go to www . musicounts . ca .
… The city of London , ON ’ s music office has completed a first-of-its-kind music census . The London Music Census sought a deeper understanding of the city ’ s music sector by identifying areas of possible future growth and potential barriers . Findings include an indication that London ’ s live music sector is growing , with 4,620 events hosted in 2015 , that there are 52 live music venues with a total capacity of 57,000 , and 1,203 music writers and publishers in London earned a combined $ 7 million in royalties in 2015 .
THE WEEKND PERFORMING AT THE 2015 JUNO AWARDS
Drake , Shawn Mendes & The Weeknd Lead JUNO Nominees
CARAS announced the nominees for the 46 th JUNO Awards on Feb . 7 th . JUNO Week 2017 will be in Ottawa from March 27-April 2 and a live broadcast of The 2017 JUNO Awards will air on Sunday , April 2 .
Drake , Shawn Mendes , and The Weeknd each garnered five nominations , with all three earning nods for JUNO Fan Choice , Single of the Year , and Album of the Year . Close behind were Alessia Cara and the late Leonard Cohen with four nominations each and A Tribe Called Red with three . In other JUNOs news , CARAS has renamed the Aboriginal Album of the Year category as Indigenous Music Album of the Year to acknowledge all First Nations , Inuit , and Métis communities in Canada .
For a full list of nominees , go to www . junoawards . ca .
Quebec Artists Dominate 20 th Maple Blues Awards
The Toronto Blues Society held the 20 th annual Maple Blues Awards in Toronto on Jan . 23 rd and it proved to be a good night for Quebec artists . The three members of the Paul DesLauriers Band picked up a combined four awards and Angel Forrest was the other multi-award winner , taking home three trophies herself .
The Blues with a Feeling Award for lifetime achievement was awarded to Quebec blues pioneer Stephen Barry , and the love for Quebec continued with Frankie Thiffault of Ben Racine Band winning Horn Player of the Year . As well , the third annual Cobalt Prize Contemporary Blues Composition Award was given to Ann Vriend for her song “ All That I Can .”
For more information , go to www . mapleblues . ca .
PHOTO : CARAS / IPHOTO
PHOTO : KEVIN KELLY
BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE WINNING THE 2015 POLARIS PRIZE
Buffy Sainte-Marie to Receive Allan Waters Humanitarian Award
Iconic singer-songwriter , multi-instrumentalist , social activist , educator , philanthropist , and visual artist Buffy Sainte-Marie will be the recipient of the 2017 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award . CARAS says Sainte-Marie exemplifies the essence of humanitarianism through her dedication to protecting indigenous communities and indigenous intellectual property , which have been at the centre of her lifelong activism .
Given out annually at the JUNO Awards , the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award celebrates and recognizes the philanthropic efforts made by Canadian musicians that have created a positive impact on the social welfare of society as whole . This year ’ s award will be presented at the JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards presented by SOCAN on Saturday , April 1 , 2017 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa .
For more information , go to www . junoawards . ca .
Bruce Cockburn Honoured for Lifetime of Socially-Conscious Songs
Folk Alliance International has honoured Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn with the inaugural People ’ s Voice Award in recognition of his 40-year career that has consistently highlighted environmental , social , and indigenous issues globally .
Cockburn has travelled the world to protest refugee camps , landmines ,
BRUCE COCKBURN and third world debt . He has been vocal in his support of native rights , the environment , the promotion of peace , and has highlighted the work of Oxfam , the UN Summit for Climate Control , Amnesty International , Doctors Without Borders , and Friends of the Earth .
For more information , contact Folk Alliance International : 816-221-3655 , fai @ folk . org , www . folk . org .
PHOTO : DUSTIN RABIN
16 • CANADIAN MUSICIAN