TORONTO, ON – March 8, 2023 – Women In Music Canada have announced the recipients of the inaugural WIMC Honours. Designed to celebrate and support Canadian innovators and creators who have had outstanding success in their field this past year, the Honours were presented to 18 remarkable individuals tonight during a reception at Toronto’s Opera House.

2023 Honours Recipients (Annual Based Categories: December ‘21 – December ‘22):
Artist of the Year (presented by Amazon Music) – Charlotte Cardin
Distinguished Leader (presented by TuneCore) – Keziah Myers, ADVANCE: Canada’s Black Music Business Collective
Entrepreneur of the Year (presented by Bandzoogle) – Elise Roller, Misfit Music MGMT
Excellence in Live Music – Heather Gibson, The National Arts Centre
International Leader of the Year – Faryal Khan-Thompson, TuneCore (USA)
Organization of the Year – Ishkōdé Records / Indigenous Music Alliance
Trailblazer Award – Ryhna Thompson, Envision Management & Production
Trailblazer Award – Sandy Pandya, ArtHaus Music

2023 Honour Roll (presented by Spotify):
Ashley Bieniarz, Songsmiths
Domanique Grant
Janna Sailor, Allegra Chamber Orchestra
Mary Beth Waldram, Laughing Heart Music
Nicole Alosinac, Nicole Alosinac Luthiery
Nicole Auger, Indigenous Music Alliance
Shumaila Hemani
STORRY
Sunny Chen, Sad China
Yolanda Sargeant, Sargeant X Comrade

Read more about each of the honourees here.

The WIMC Honour Roll recognizes up to 10 women and gender diverse industry members or artists who are in the early stages of their career and showing success and growth in their work. Intended to highlight new voices in the Canadian music industry, these are the folks to watch for in the coming years.

“With so many incredible women who have broken down glass ceilings and paved the way for a more equitable music industry, I am incredibly honoured to launch this year as the start to celebrating their accomplishments,” says WIMC Executive Director, Robyn Stewart.  "I am also excited to elevate the projects of newer women in music who are making great strides in unique equity serving projects. This is just the beginning.”

The recipients of this year’s Honours were selected by a finalist jury, from a long list of nominees, which was revealed last month (the 2023 long list can be found here). After careful deliberation, the finalist jury determined that two Trailblazer Awards should be presented in this inaugural year, as a start to increasing the work WIMC will carry out in giving due celebration to long-standing industry leaders who have committed their careers to making change for a safer, more equitable future in music. While not previously included on the long list, Sandy Pandya of ArtHaus Music was recognized with a 2023 Trailblazer Award, alongside Ryhna Thompson, Envision Management & Production.

“I have learned so much through this process from vision to getting here today,” adds Stewart. “I, and our board, have learned about so many incredible people and initiatives that we are thrilled to highlight. We are going to start with this group of honourees, and I take it as my mission to serve this community by committing to continue highlighting the work that has been done for decades through to the projects being created now.”  

Hosted by CBC’s Saroja Coelho, the Honours reception dinner also featured performances (supported by SiriusXM) by an incredible group of artists performing throughout the evening, including rising country star, Sacha, producer, DJ and performer, Liliane Chlela; JUNO-nominated recording artist, songwriter and producer, Desiree Dawson; Cree and Salish singer and TikTok creator, Tia Wood; breakthrough singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Sofia Camara; and decorated, multi-platinum recording artist, Fefe Dobson. 

A special induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame was presented to multi-award winning, GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Loreena McKennitt, during the event.

Thank you to the generous support of FACTOR, the Government of Canada and Canada’s private radio broadcasters, Ontario Creates, and the City of Toronto for their support of all WIM Canada International Women’s Day events. We also want to recognize our incredible Honours partners – Amazon Music, TuneCore, Bandzoogle, Spotify, Universal Music Canada, CIMA, CMRRA, ACTRA:RACS Tiber River Naturals, Paris Jewellers, Blush Silks, Fielding Winery, Collective Arts Brewing and Bacardi – all of whom are making it possible for us to launch this inaugural program recognizing and celebrate artists and innovators across Canada. You are leaders in developing talent in Canada and we thank you for your important role in the pathway to an equitable industry that we are committed to building.

About Women in Music Canada

Women in Music Canada (WIMC) is a registered non-profit organization and one of the largest music industry associations in Canada. The organization is dedicated to fostering gender equality in the music industry through the support and advancement of professionals and creatives at every stage of their career. The goal is to strengthen the social-economic balance of the music industry by providing professional development, support and resources for our community. Women in Music Canada hosts educational, career development and networking events alongside broader programming initiatives, industry engagement, research and advocacy to serve the needs of our diverse community. Our panels, seminars, webinars, workshops and performance serve to educate, empower, and celebrate women contributions to the music world, and strengthen community ties.

Women in Music Canada acknowledges that we are on the traditional territory of many nations throughout Canada, specifically our headquarters in the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands. We respect the Treaties that were made on these territories, we acknowledge the harms and mistakes of the past, and we dedicate ourselves to move forward in partnership with Indigenous communities in a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration. www.womeninmusic.ca

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