Feature

Canadian Folk Music Award winners


November 17, 2012, Saint John, NB

It was a night to remember in Saint John, NB Saturday, when 17 of the best folk musicians, recordings and producers in the country were honoured with Canadian Folk Music Awards. The Awards Gala the Imperial Theatre marked the high point of a weekend of celebration that included two nominee showcases as well as a festival full of events hosted by the local organizing committee.

And the awards went to:

Henri Godon, Children’s Album of the Year, for Chansons pour toutes sortes d’enfants

The Fretless, Instrumental Group of the Year, for Waterbound

The Once, Vocal Group of the Year, for Row Upon Row of The People They Know

Rob Szabo, Producer of the Year, for A Natural Fact by Steve Strongman

Trent Freeman, Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year, for Rock Paper Scissors

Michael Jerome Browne, Solo Artist of the Year, for The Road Is Dark

The Fretless
, Ensemble of the Year, for Waterbound

Rose Cousins, Contemporary Singer of the Year, for We Have Made A Spark

Sagapool, Pushing the Boundaries, for Sagapool

Mes Aïeux
, French Songwriter of the Year, for À l’aube du printemps

Catherine MacLellan, English Songwriter of the Year, for Silhouette

Lucas Chaisson, Young Performer of the Year, for Growing Pains

Lenka Lichtenberg, Traditional Singer of the Year, (the Sue Goldberg Award), for Songs for the Breathing Walls

Pharis & Jason Romero, New/Emerging Artist of the Year, for A Passing Glimpse

Sultans of String, World Group of the Year, for MOVE

Metis Fiddler Quartet, Traditional Album of the Year, for Northwest Voyage Nord Ouest

The Deep Dark Woods
, Contemporary Album of the Year, for The Place I Left Behind

Two other special presentations were made at the ceremony. Harmonica genius and ArtsCan Circle founder Mike Stevens was named Innovator of the Year for 2012; and Saint John, New Brunswick’s Gerry Taylor was recognized as Atlantic Canada’s Unsung Hero of folk music in the region, for his contribution for over half a century as a newspaper columnist, talent scout and judge.

A roster of talent rounded out the Gala, with performances from New Brunswick’s own Matt Andersen, Nova Scotians Cindy Church and Susan Crowe, the Spinney Brothers (also from Nova Scotia), Quebec’s Genticorum, Calgary’s Cara Luft and famed bluegrass harmonica player Mike Stevens. Stevens teamed up with Matt Andersen for a tune and was also on stage to accompany the Atlantic Ballet in a unique blend of music and dance.

“We are indebted to these wonderful performers for helping us celebrate a really special evening,” said Grit Laskin, founder and director of the CFMAs, at the ceremony. “We’d also like to tip our hats to the 85 jurors for their dedicated hard work selecting this year’s award recipients. With over 450 submissions and then some 86 finalists, it’s no mean task to pare it down to 17 award recipients, especially when every year the depth and breadth of talent on the Canadian folk music scene grows and expands.”

The 2013 Canadian Folk Music Awards are slated to take place in Calgary, Alberta.

Complete list of nominees for the 2012 CFMA

If you are enjoying this content, please take a second to support Roots Music Canada on Patreon!

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *