Canada Day

Acclaimed multi-platinum pop-rock group the Barenaked Ladies have recently released their 11^th studio album, All in Good Time. Led by the lead single, "You Run Away," vocalist Ed Robertson explains that through this album, "we're redefining who we are, and how we communicate as a band. The album has an emotional rawness to it that we may have shied away from in the past." 

Over the past 21 years, the Barenaked Ladies have racked up eight Juno Awards and multiple Grammy nominations, sold more than 14 million albums worldwide, and have written a plethora of hit singles (including "One Week," "Pinch Me," and
"If I Had $1,000,000).

Isabelle Boulay was born in 1972 in the small Gaspé town of Sainte-Félicité. At the age of 18, she won the award for best performer at the Festival en chanson de Petite-Vallée. In 1991, the young singer won the regional finals at the Cégeps en spectacle competition in Rimouski and first prize at the Festival international de la chanson de Granby for best singer.
In 1999, Isabelle was nominated in several categories at the ADISQ Gala, where she won best female performer of the year, a title she successfully defended for four years in a row (1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002). 

In 2000, her European career was launched with the release of Mieux qu'ici-bas. The album topped the charts in France for nearly two years and achieved the symbolic milestone of selling one million copies. The following year, Isabelle was named new artist of the year and won new album of the year at the 16th Victoires de la musique in France. Since then, she has had an active career both in Quebec and in Europe.

In 2008, she released her album, Nos lendemains, which was certified gold both here and in France. She won two more Félix awards with this album at the ADISQ Gala: one for female performer of the year, and the other for performance of the year (singer).

Over the past few years, Reid's 2007 sophomore effort, Kickin' Stones, has been doing extremely well. Certified Platinum in Canada, it has garnered the Scottish-born, Nashville-based Canadian singer/songwriter the Canadian Country Music Assocation's Top-Selling Canadian Recording and Top Male Artist in 2008, as well as a Juno nomination for Country Recording of the Year. It has also gone a long way to establishing Reid as an undeniably bright star in the Canadian country music firmament, yielding two top 10 radio singles in "Love Sweet Love" and "Kickin' Stones," and the runaway hit "Darlin'," which sailed into both the top five at radio and the number one spot on Country Music Television last year.

His 2009 follow-up album Dance With Me was an even bigger success. It made a strong impression with its lead single, "A Woman Like You," which went straight into heavy rotation at Country Music Television and was the most added track on country radio in January 2009. Johnny was nominated for four Junos this year, including Fan Choice Award, Album of the Year, and Artist of the Year, no small feat for a country artist, and deservedly scooped up the award for Best Country Album of the Year.

Andrea Lindsay was born in Guelph, Ontario. Though she grew up Anglophone, she fell in love with French music and culture during a trip to France when she was 18. Her debut album Bell Etoile, was released in 2006 and earned her a nomination for the Félix Leclerc Award at the FrancoFolies in Montreal.

Following much promotion in 2008, Andrea's latest album Les sentinelles dorment (2009) resulted in an impressive seven nominations at the 2009 Gala Trille Or, and was awarded the Francophone Album of the Year prize at the 2010 Juno Awards.

Blueprint Cru hails from Montréal, Quebec. The first-ever foreign dance troupe to compete on the hit U.S. MTV show America's Best Dance Crew, Blueprint Cru finished in 2^nd place.

With a motto of "precision, precision, precision," every hip-hop move performed is carried out in perfect unison.

The troupe includes Kim Gingras, Vincent Desjardins, and Nicolas Begin from the famed So You Think You Can Dance Canada, which makes them a versatile dance group able to perform in a variety of music style.

The Campbell Brothers began playing the bagpipes at an early age. After playing 13 years in pipe bands including the 78th Fraser Highlanders (former world champions), the Brothers began performing with the Irish Rovers and John McDermott.

After the Mirvish production of Needfire, the Campbell Brothers signed a record deal with EMI records and created another identity, Mudmen. As Mudmen, they have had six music videos on Much Music; they were Number 19 on the Edge radio; and opened for the Guess Who, Nazareth, ZZ Top, Bif Naked, Treble Charger, The Mahones, and many more. They have shared the stage with the Irish Rovers, The Chieftains, Mary Jane Lamond, The Irish Descendants, and the Barra McNeils, among others.

The Campbell Brothers continue to perform traditional music as well as rock music and remain very versatile. Their greatest selling feature is their "wow" factor. You can hear them on the new Hockey Night in Canada theme song.

With a steady rhythm and swelling strings, "Two Hearts" opens Martin's sophomore album. Produced by Dale Murray (Cuff The Duke, The Guthries, Hayden), the album offers nine songs reflecting a hopeful longing that won her the 2009 East Coast Music Association Pop Recording of the Year and two 2008 Music Nova Scotia Awards: Female Artist Recording of the Year and Pop/Rock Artist/Group Recording of the Year. Christina is currently working on a new album in collaboration with Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo and Dale Murray of Cuff The Duke, slated for a summer 2010 release.

Dione Taylor first seduced ears and turned heads with her 2004 debut disc, Open Your Eyes. It earned her Juno, Canadian Urban Music, and National Jazz Award nominations, and it was named one of the Top Recordings of 2004 by Canada's premier jazz radio station, Jazz FM 91.
In 2009, Oliver Jones chose to mentor Dione Taylor, through the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Mentorship Program. Together, they were nominated for a Gemini Award for their performance at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala.

H'sao is a six-member family musical group from Chad whose music combines the rhythms of traditional Chadian music with Western styles like jazz, gospel, and R&B. Masterful a cappella singing also sets them apart on the vast soundscape of world music.

In October 2000, as part of their first, ten-show tour, H'sao was invited to the Fest'Africa festival in Lille, France. Soon after, the group recorded their first demo and bought instruments with the earnings. With the tools to put on an exciting live show, H'sao went on to play the 2002 Montréal International Jazz Festival, Festival Nuits d'Afrique, FrancoFolies de Montréal, and the Festival des Musiques du Monde.

In June 2003, the band launched its first album, H'sao, subsequently winning the 2004 Radio-Canada Étoiles Galaxie (Rising Stars) prize as part of the Vitrine de contact Ontarois, and receiving a 2008 Sounds of Blackness Award nomination. Recently, the group has started its own label: Production Ndjam Inc., from which the latest album Vol. 235 was released.

Hey Rosetta! is a St. John's-based indie group that incorporates piano, violin, and cello into traditional rock instrumentation. The group's latest disc, recorded with producer and singer-songwriter Hawksley Workman, Into Your Lungs (and around in your heart and on through your blood) has earned numerous awards and nominations including the Polaris Music Prize Short list, XM Verge Award for Best Album, Canadian Music Week Indies Awards for Favourite Album, three East Coast Music Association awards, and seven Music NL awards. The album's latest single, "Red Heart," received more than 72,000 YouTube views.

Having taken Canada by storm, Hey Rosetta! has begun the foray into the American musical landscape with a 2010 Grammy Awards Celebration concert in Los Angeles this past January. The group just ended a Canadian West Coast tour, with an appearance at the Vancouver Olympics.

Jan Milosz Lisiecki is a 15-year-old Calgary native who made his orchestral debut at nine years old. Having played esteemed venues like Carnegie Hall, the Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall, Kaufman Hall, and Salle Cortot alongside well-established musicians like Yo-Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman, James Ehnes, and Emanuel Ax, the young piano prodigy feels at home on a large stage in front of a large audience.

Jan is the youngest recipient of the 2009 OSM Standard Life Competition and the 2008 Canadian Music Festival and Canadian Music Competition grand prizes. He was also appointed a National Youth Representative for UNICEF in 2008.

Jan's debut CD, Chopin, Jan Lisiecki Piano Concertos 1&2, was released in August 2009 and his YouTube postings garner an average of 5,000 hits per video. With an impressive number of performances scheduled for 2010, Jan Lisiecki will be a household name by summertime.

Jean-François Breau was born in Ontario and raised in Tracadie-Sheila, New Brunswick. In 1997 he was a finalist in the Festival de la Chanson de Petite-Vallée where he won Audience Favourite. Following subsequent festival successes, Breau was offered a role in the French musical Notre-Dame de Paris, where he first met Marie-Eve Janvier.

He released his first solo album in 2001 which won him album of the year at the 2002 Moncton Gala des Prix Éloizes and earned him nominations at both the ADISQ Gala and East Coast Music Awards. His role as Don Juan in the musical play of the same name from 2003 to 2005 spawned the hit single "Changer," his first hit single with Marie-Eve Janvier.

In 2009, he and Marie-Eve teamed up again, this time for Donner Pour Donner, a full-length album of love songs sung in duet. Composed of well-known standards ("I Got You Babe," "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," "How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You"), most of them sung in French, the album was a big hit in Quebec.

Maple syrup, honey, and jasmine flavour the magnificent, burning voice of Lynda Thalie. A genuine reflection of contemporary Quebecois diversity, the Algerian-born singer-songwriter has bewitched the planet with her exotic sound and Arabic rhythms. Bold and courageous, this woman of big ideas embodies the notion of the musical hybrid. Her captivating sound garnered four nominations at the prestigious ADISQ gala in 2006 and a 2004 Quebec Heritage award win for her artistic depth.

Lynda has also lent her talent to some of Quebec's foremost musical artists: Michel Rivard, Tony Levin, Luc de Larochellière, and Rachid Taha. With the launch of her newest album in 2009, La Rose des Sables, and subsequent tour, including the 2009 Montréal Jazz Festival, the Algerian-Canadian musical talent is becoming increasingly popular.

Marie-Josée Lord began her professional career in fall 2003, when she was chosen for the role of Liù in the Puccini opera Turandot at the Opéra de Québec. In February 2004, Montreal opera fans were enthralled with her performance as Mimi in Puccini's La Bohème, an Opéra de Montréal production. Marie-Josée Lord had previously performed a variety of roles, including Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte, the role she played in a Canadian tour of the Opéra de Montréal's Atelier lyrique.

In 2005, she was chosen to represent Canada at the prestigious Cardiff Singer of the World competition and won the Award of Excellence for Culture presented by the Fondation de l'Opéra de Québec. She won the people's choice award at the Canadian Lyric Fund competition (2001), as well as placing sixth at the renowned Concours international de chant de Verviers (2001) and winning the Raoul-Jobin Award (1998). More recently, she gave a brilliant performance as Nedda (I Paggliacci) with the Opéra de Montréal and has appeared as a guest on a number of CBC radio programs.

Marjo joined the rock band Corbeau in 1979. Her solo career began shortly after Corbeau disbanded, with the theme song for the film La Femme de L'Hôtel, earning the new solo artist a Genie Award for Best Original Song in 1985. In 1986, her debut album Celle qui va sold more than 250,000 copies.
In 1987, Marjo won Félix Awards for Female Singer of the Year, Rock Record of the Year, and Rock Show of the Year. Her subsequent five albums, 1990 Tant qu'il y aura des enfants, 1995 Bohémienne, 1998 Bootleg Blues, 2001 Sans retour, and2005 Turquoise, confirmed Marjo's success as one of the greatest Quebec stars of her generation. With such lauded hits like "Je sais, je sais" and "S'il fallait."

Marjo still delivers an explosive and wild rock performance, as proven by her big return to the stage at the Bell Centre this past March in support of her double album release, Marjo et ses hommes, Volumes 1 & 2, in which favourite Quebec male stars perform duets with her of her most famous hits.

The Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir under the direction of Prof. Trevor W. Payne, has in the past decade evolved into what is now considered to be one of the world's finest choirs. 

It was in 1982 that Prof. Trevor W. Payne, a native of Barbados, started with Daisy Peterson Sweeney (sister of Oscar Peterson) what is now the Choir. It was to be a one-time event: the choir was to perform as part of the 75th Anniversary of Union United Church in Montréal. The concert featured guests Oliver Jones, Ranee Lee, and Charlie Biddle. The concert was a smash, and the group, needless to say, hasn't stopped singing!

The Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir has performed for Head of States such as Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth II. They also performed with Celine Dion, Foreigner, New Kids on the Block, Michael Bolton, and Ray Charles.

Samian was born and raised in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue community of Pikogan. He is currently working on several projects with the National Film Board of Canada, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and the Aboriginal People's Television Network (APTN).

He released his first album in November 2007. That same year, he became a spokesperson for the Forum social québécois along with Paul Piché and Raoul Duguay.

As part of the Quebec National Holiday celebrations on June 24, 2008, Loco Locass joined Samian to perform La paix des Braves before tens of thousands of spectators at Maisonneuve Park and millions of television viewers. He is the first musician to sing in both French and Algonquin.

Usually, one links reggae with Jamaicans. But who said it couldn't be associated to Canada's Innu? Shauit Aster is such an artist from the Maliotenam reserve in Northern Quebec, composing his own reggae songs. He released his first album in 2004, entitled Shapatesh nuna, which was recorded at Florent Volant's studio in Maliotenam. After appearances on the popular Belle et Bum and in a documentary about Innu culture, Shauit has performed across Quebec's First Nations and in Sirius/Bande a Part tours for emerging artists.

His 2008 duet with Samian, "Les Facades," is an interesting collaboration sung in French and Innu.

Wayne Lavallee is from the Métis Nation, born in Vancouver, B.C. His album Green Dress was nominated for a 2005 Juno Award for Best Aboriginal Recording, and it won the 2004 Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for Album of the Year. He was the 2006 winner for Best Aboriginal Songwriter at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Wayne's most recent album Trail of Tears was completed in 2009 with generous support from the Canada Council for the Arts.

For more than 20 years, Pierre Boileau has been creating and directing various types of events, including circus performances, variety shows and musicals. He has built a solid reputation over the years, in theatres and on the small screen, right across Canada.

For over 12 years now, he has been directing the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Gala. He has also produced performances in honour of Royal visits to Canada on a number of occasions.

In 2008, as part of Québec's 400th anniversary celebrations, he produced a variety of performances, including Paris Québec, which was televised in Quebec and in France, and Rencontre, for which he received the Felix Award for best televised musical performance at the ADISQ Gala.

Over the years, Pierre has directed several performances presented as part of major events, such as the Francofolies de Montréal, the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, the Fête nationale in Québec, the Summit of La Francophonie in Moncton, and Saskatchewan's Centennial Gala.

He has also had a hand in the success of myriad performances at the Casino de Montréal and the Casino du Lac Leamy, including Rock à l'opéra I and II, Cinéma Show and Party Time.
His most recent television project was Ensemble pour Haïti, which was broadcast on all of Quebec's French-language networks.

Geneviève Borne began her career in 1989 as a researcher for TQS. From there, she became a reporter for Météomédia, and then a host on MusiquePlus for eight years. In 2000, she was recruited by TVA for the program Dans ma caméra for a five-year run. Geneviève has collaborated with Télé-Québec on the program Ça manque à ma culture, with Musimax on French Connexion, and on a series of special programs on Radio Énergie with the Porn Flakes.

She is currently the host of Belle et Bum on Télé-Québec and Ni Hao. Chine! on Évasion, fuelling her passion for travel as she takes us along on her adventures to Argentina, Vietnam, Tunisia and Polynesia.

Geneviève Borne, a breast cancer survivor since 2008, was chosen in 2009 by Clin d’œil magazine as its spokesperson.

Ron MacLean is one of Canada’s most beloved sportscasters and a true icon of our national pastime. As the authoritative, nimble host of CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada,” MacLean is one of the game’s most eloquent ambassadors and a welcome guest in millions of Canadian homes every Saturday night during the hockey season.

A seven-time Gemini winner, the Red Deer native knows about more than just hockey (though he knows more about hockey than just about anyone else). For instance, he has hosted CBC’s coverage of Olympic Summer and Winter Games, and on “Hockey Night in Canada,” he co-hosts Coach’s Corner with Don Cherry.

MacLean is a prominent supporter of minor league hockey in Canada and was a certified level 5 referee with Hockey Canada.