GHISLAINE CORMIER Is the Recipient of the 2023 CFMA Unsung Hero Award
Award to be presented in Vancouver, BC, at the Canadian Folk Music Awards Concert, on Saturday April 1
GHISLAINE CORMIER, dedicated supporter of the arts, to be honoured at this year’s awards ceremony
Ghislaine Cormier is 2023’s recipient of the CFMAs annual Unsung Hero Award, recognizing the contributions of people working behind the scenes, often without recognition or adequate recompense, to foster, promote, and encourage Canada’s music and cultural scenes.
In selecting Ghislaine for this prestigious award, numerous recommendations from her colleagues were considered, attesting to her dedication to the arts, and to the personal qualities she brings to her work. This includes her capacity for building – certainly to build budgets and partnerships, but even more so to building teams, and building the consensus and excitement needed to make things happen. She is masterful at empowering those around her, finding the resources to bring ideas to life and stepping back to allow light to shine where it must. She has an amazing resume of experience and accomplishments and we can’t think of a better recipient of this year’s award than Ghislaine Cormier.
About this year’s CFMA Unsung Hero Award Recipient – Ghislaine Cormier
Ghislaine Cormier has been a consultant, then later, director of organizations and companies totalling more than 15 years of experience in development of the Francophone and Acadian communities of Prince Edward Island. She has a unique perspective of the cultural industry having worked in the private and public sectors of development.
On the community side, Ghislaine has been the Executive Director of the Culturel Federation of PEI (Fédération culturelle de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard ) since 2009. She has created and managed several large-scale cultural and tourism projects, such as Carnaval en Promenade, ArtSmarts / GéniArt, Rendez-vous de la francophonie, Faiseux de tounes – Tunesmiths in 2014, production of ManiFest Jeunesse in 2015, Éloizes 2008 (French-speaking component of the 2006, 2012 and 2014 conferences) and showcases of the East Coast Music Association (ECMA/ECMW), festivals like the Atlantic Jamboree of fiddler, Francofolies de Charlottetown and Art in the Open/Art à ciel Ouvert. Ghislaine started her career journey as a community development officer at the Carrefour de l’Isle-Saint- John for several years.
Ghislaine has an entrepreneurial side inherited from her parents; she is co-owner of Kaneshii Vinyl Press, the only vinyl record manufacturer east of Toronto and the new crowdfunding platform RecordFUND/DiskFUNCTIONAL. Her work was highlighted by the Business Personality award at the Gala des entrepreneurs of the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI and she is named winner of the 2017 Dragon Contest.
Her expertise is specific to the development of the cultural and entrepreneurial sector. Her training includes a certificate in project management from the École des Hautes Etudes Commerciales of the University of Montreal (HEC) Montreal). She has represented the Francophone community for more than 15 years on several boards
such as Folk Music Canada, Music PEI, Home Routes / Chemin chez nous, the Réseau Atlantic Broadcasting of the Performing Arts RADARTS, the National Council of the Cultural Federation French-Canadian FCCF and, since June 2019, within the RDÉE IPÉ.
ABOUT THE UNSUNG HERO AWARD
This is an annual award recognizing the exceptional contribution of an individual, group, or organization active in any aspect of the Canadian folk music scene (performance, promotion, presentation, etc). It is meant to recognize those not generally recognized as a high profile individual, group, or organization, but who work tirelessly behind the scenes for the love of the music and who have not been recognized for their contributions by national or international music entities. It includes volunteers in all their diversity who, year after year, lend support to folk clubs, festivals, house concerts, etc. Posthumous nominations for individuals are not accepted. All submissions are adjudicated by members of the CFMA Board of Directors, who will select a recipient from the eligible submitted candidates. There is no fee for this nomination.
