The Glenn Gould Prize
On May 14, 2012, Leonard Cohen was awarded the Glenn Gould Prize at a gala held in his honor1 at Massey Hall in Toronto.
As the official press release explained,
The Glenn Gould Prize, valued at $50,000 (CDN), has been referred to as “The Nobel Prize of the Arts” and is awarded biennially to a living individual for a unique lifetime contribution that has enriched the human condition through the arts.
Cohen not only accepted the Glenn Gould Prize but also presented the associated City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize of $15,000 (CDN) to Sistema Toronto, a program that offers free, intensive music education to children from culturally diverse neighbourhoods.
The Quintessential Photo Of 2012 Glenn Gould Prize Laureate Leonard Cohen
This photo of Leonard Cohen with head bowed and hat in hand is, I contend, the iconic shot of the May 14, 2012 Glen Gould Prize ceremony, the one that most completely captures the spirit of that event and the significance imbued into it by Leonard Cohen’s embodiment of the notion, The Artist As Steward.2 For a discussion of this notion, go to Why This Is The Quintessential Photo Of 2012 Glenn Gould Prize Laureate Leonard Cohen.
Slideshow: 2012 Glenn Gould Prize
The $50,000 Donation
Leonard Cohen did 0accepted the Glenn Gould Prize, but donated the $50,000 that accompanied it to the Canada Council for the Arts.
The Speech
The speech was recorded live & uploaded by Arlene Dick of Arlene’s Leonard Cohen Scrapbook, For a description and discussion of the speech, see Leonard Cohen Wins Hearts As Well As Glenn Gould Prize With Gracious Donation & Speech
Key Posts:
Leonard Cohen Wins 2012 Glenn Gould Prize
- Leonard Cohen Wins Hearts As Well As Glenn Gould Prize With Gracious Donation & Speech
- Video – Leonard Cohen’s Glenn Gould Acceptance Speech
- Leonard Cohen Glenn Gould Award Ceremony – Another Prize, Another Gala
- Leonard Cohen Receives Glenn Gould Prize Tonight
- Leonard Cohen Wins Glenn Gould Prize
Videos: Performances At Glenn Gould Prize Gala
All videos by Arlene Dick of Arlene’s Leonard Cohen Scrapbook
- Anjani – Crazy To Love You
- Videos From Leonard Cohen-Glenn Gould Prize Gala Online: Adam Cohen: So Long, Marianne, James McMurtry – Closing Time, Cowboy Junkies, John Prine – One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong, Adam Cohen & Serena Ryder – Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye, immie Dale Gilmore – Tower Of Song (audio only)
Credit Due Department: The photo atop this post is by Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star.
- The tribute was hosted by Colm Feore and featured Anjani Thomas, Basia Bulat, Adam Cohen, Cowboy Junkies, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, James McMurtry, Gordon Pinsent with Travis Good & Greg Keelor (Blue Rodeo), John Prine, and Serena Ryder. Guest speakers and readers included The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Melissa Auf der Maur, Michael Ondaatje and Alan Rickman. The Musical Director was Neil Larsen. [↩]
- The photo is by Nancy Paiva and was published in For Leonard Cohen, What Goes Around Comes Around by Todd Aalgaard (Torontoist May, 15, 2012) [↩]
