March 18, 2014
Provincial Government Honours Manitoba Juno Nominees
– – –Flourishing Manitoba Music Industry Supports Thousands of Jobs: Premier Selinger, Minister Lemieux
With only days to go until Winnipeg hosts the annual Juno Awards week, the provincial government honoured Manitoba nominees with a reception and lunch at the Legislative Building today hosted by Premier Greg Selinger and Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Sport and Consumer Protection Minister Ron Lemieux.
“Manitoba is the cultural heartbeat of Canada and the Year of Music is a great way to showcase our many talented artists,” said Premier Selinger. “The impressive number of Manitoba Juno nominees and winners is a testament to the booming music scene which contributes so much to our communities, our quality of life and our economy.”
The Juno Awards festivities are a major event during Manitoba’s Year of Music and will take place in Winnipeg from March 24 to 30. The unprecedented number of Manitoba nominees include:
- Royal Canoe for alternative album of the year;
- Marie-Claude McDonald for children’s album of the year;
- Desiree Dorion for Aboriginal album of the year;
- Erin Propp and Larry Roy for vocal jazz album of the year;
- KEN mode for metal/hard music album of the year;
- Little Miss Higgins and the Winnipeg Five for roots and traditional album of the year;
- the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra (with Isabel Bayrakdarian) for classical album of the year: vocal or choral performance;
- Mahogany Frog for instrumental album of the year; and
- Matt Epp, co-nomination with Serena Ryder for songwriter of the year.
Manitoba expats who have been nominated this year include Earl MacDonald for contemporary jazz album of the year and James Ehnes for classical album of the year in two categories: solo or chamber ensemble, and large ensemble or soloist with large ensemble accompaniment.
“All Manitobans can take pride in seeing these musicians nominated for their work,” said Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Sport and Consumer Protection Minister Ron Lemieux. “Juno week will present many exciting opportunities for music lovers to experience the amazing creativity of our artists.”
The Winnipeg Juno events include a gala awards dinner, industry networking events, the nationally televised awards show, the Juno Cup celebrity hockey game, music education initiatives and the Junofest music festival featuring national and local recording artists at venues throughout the region.
Provincial support for the 2014 Juno Awards, plus support from the City of Winnipeg and the private sector, is expected to generate economic impacts of up to $10 million including direct expenditures, employment and tax revenues.
Minister Lemieux noted the Manitoba art and culture sector creates economic activity of more than $1.5 billion a year and in the music industry alone that means 4,000 music entrepreneurs, 400 music companies and over 4,300 jobs.
The Year of Music is a year-long celebration that will shine a spotlight on Juno week, the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards in September and the BreakOut West music festival and Western Canadian Music Awards in October. In addition to the more than 30 festivals and large events taking place throughout 2014, Manitoba is advancing new opportunities to the hospitality industry to host live music during the Junos and throughout the year as a result of changes to Manitoba’s liquor laws, which will take effect officially April 1.
Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries is the presenting sponsor of the Year of Music and has partnered with Manitoba Music to develop a new mobile phone and tablet app called Manitoba Live. The Manitoba Live app is a free iOS app that helps music fans find concerts in venues and clubs in Winnipeg and throughout Manitoba. The app features the most up-to-date concert and festival listings.
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