SOCAN members Clémence DesRochers, Édith Butler, George F. Walker and R. Murray Schafer are among the 2009 recipients of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. Another SOCAN member, Paul Gross, will receive the 2009 National Arts Centre Award.

Clémence DesRochers’s career as a comedian, singer, broadcaster and writer spans over half a century. Édith Butler, one of the first artists to promote Acadian culture in Canada and around the world, has been a singer-songwriter for 40 years. R. Murray Schafer, acclaimed as a gifted composer, visionary educator and mentor and committed environmentalist, has enjoyed a career spanning over 50 years. George F. Walker is widely known as a playwright, director and screenwriter, The actor Paul Gross is an award-winning writer, producer, director and singer, and a tireless promoter of Canadian culture.

The awards will be presented by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean on May 8 at a special ceremony and dinner held at Rideau Hall. On May 9, the National Arts Centre will host a gala saluting the 2009 recipients.

The other Governor General’s Performing Rights Awards recipients include the Quebec director, playwright, actor and filmmaker Robert Lepage and the internationally acclaimed dancer Peggy Baker. Each winner will be presented with a commemorative medallion struck by the Royal Canadian Mint and a cash award of $25,000.

The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards were created in 1992 to honour Canadian talents in the disciplines of dance, theatre and other forms of entertainment.