Robert Lepage Awarded the Tenth Glenn Gould Prize

Robert Lepage Awarded the Tenth Glenn Gould Prize

TORONTO, February 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --



Innovative director, playwright and actor



Innovative playwright, actor and director of theatre, opera, circus and film, Robert
Lepage is the Tenth Glenn Gould Prize Laureate. Mr. Lepage has won international critical
acclaim and audience applause for his groundbreaking and influential works that fuse
diverse media into cohesive stories that surprise, challenge and delight.



"I would like to congratulate our jury on an inspired selection," said Brian Levine,
Executive Director of The Glenn Gould Foundation. "Robert Lepage is an artist whose dreams
have expanded the realm of possibility and whose work transcends all boundaries. His work
illuminates the human condition in that same sprit of innovation and idealism that
motivated Glenn Gould. We feel his selection as Laureate marks a new milestone in the
history of The Glenn Gould Prize and The Glenn Gould Foundation."



"It is a good thing to celebrate excellence but I do think it is important to define
what "excellence" is. For me, the excellence of an artist should not be measured only by
his successes and achievements but also by his courage and capacity to constantly put
himself in danger," stated Robert Lepage. "Trial, error and at times even public
humiliation are as much part of the process of defining one's uniqueness. It means
surviving both the highs of being ahead of the curve and the defeated feeling of trailing
behind."



"I am deeply honoured by this prestigious and generous accolade. As I know Glenn Gould
did, I believe there is such a thing as a culture of the North and as I was walking to
work this morning trying to fight my way through the heavy blizzard that had invaded my
fair city, I could somewhat sense his presence in the howling wind and the vanishing
footsteps I was clumsily following in the snow," said Robert Lepage.



In reaching their decision, the jurors took special note of Mr. Lepage's increasing
influence in the theatre world, which has reinforced his willingness to take risks on
stage to achieve results often thought to be unobtainable.



Mr. Lepage has directed productions at the Metropolitan Opera as well as for opera
houses in Japan, France, England, Spain and Canada. His productions are mostly staged by
his Quebec company Ex-Machina, and seen throughout the world, including Peter Gabriel's
Secret World Tour and Cirque du Soleil productions including TOTEM and Kà, which has
played to more than six million people. Equally at home in an intimate setting, his
one-person plays are always initiated and initially performed by Lepage himself, including
The Andersen Project, which Lepage performed in more than ten countries.



Glenn Gould Prize Chair, Paul Hoffert notes, "Lepage is a rare contemporary artist who
has continued to innovate and take risks while retaining his audiences. His influence in
film, theatre and music is immense and global. Like Glenn Gould, he has transformed his
field, drawn new audiences to classical music, and embraced technology in the service of
his art."



Robert Lepage was chosen from a distinguished list of international candidates
nominated by the general public and will receive $50,000 (CAD) and the Glenn Gould Prize
statue by Canadian artist Ruth Abernethy. Mr. Lepage will choose an outstanding young
artist to receive The City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize of $15,000 (CAD), an
individual who embodies the qualities of creative promise, innovation and career potential
demonstrated by Gould in his youth. Mr. Lepage and his protégé will receive their awards
at a gala ceremony in Toronto and their work will be honoured through a series of public
events presented later in the year.



The Tenth Glenn Gould Prize Jury included legendary music and entertainment producer
Bob Ezrin (Canada/USA), screenwriter and director Deepa Mehta (Canada); award-winning
author and essayist John Ralston Saul (Canada) singer-songwriter, poet and artist Patti
Smith (United States); entrepreneur, arts philanthropist and longtime advisor to the
London Symphony Orchestra Sir David Tang (Hong Kong); and one of opera's leading tenors
Rolando Villazón (Mexico/France).



About Robert Lepage
Robert Lepage is renowned for his creative and original approach to theatre and opera,
using new technologies to shake classical stage direction to its foundations. The
Quebec-born artist began his career as an actor, author and director gaining international
recognition early on with The Dragons' Trilogy in 1985, quickly followed by
Vinci,Polygraph and Tectonic Plates. In 1994 he founded Ex Machina, his multidisciplinary
production company, and under his artistic direction, this new team produced a steady
output of plays including The Seven Streams of the River Ota, Geometry of Miracles, The
Far Side of The Moon, The Andersen Project and Lipsynch.



His operatic achievements include thrilling productions of the double-bill of
Bluebeard's Castle and Erwartung, The Damnation of Faust, 1984, The Rake's Progress,
Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Metropolitan Opera, The Nightingale and Other
Short Fables with the Canadian Opera Company, and The Tempest. He has worked with leading
opera producers in France, Spain and Japan.



About The Glenn Gould Prize
An international symbol of creative excellence, The Glenn Gould Prize - which has been
referred to as "The Nobel Prize of the Arts" - is awarded biennially to a living
individual for a unique lifetime contribution that has enriched the human condition
through the arts. A tribute to Glenn Gould's artistry and his multifaceted contributions
to culture, the prize promotes the vital connection between artistic excellence and the
transformation of lives.



The Glenn Gould Foundation honours Glenn Gould's spirit and legacy by celebrating
brilliance, promoting creativity and transforming lives through the power of music and the
arts with the Foundation's signature activities, including The Glenn Gould Prize. Past
laureates include Leonard Cohen (2011), Dr. José Antonio Abreu (2008) founder of El
Sistema, Pierre Boulez (2002), Yo-Yo Ma (1999), Oscar Peterson (1993) and Lord Yehudi
Menuhin (1990). For more information on the foundation, prize and jurors visit
http://www.glenngould.ca.



SOURCE: Glenn Gould Foundation




For further information:
Media Contact:
Karen Lorenowicz, KL Strategic Communications
+1-416-245-2475, karen.lorenowicz@gmail.com


Glenn Gould Foundation


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