The Stratford Arts and Culture Collective is pleased to announce the following appointments to our Honorary Advisory Committee.
Annette av Paul, ballet dancer, director and teacher is well-known in the Canadian dance community as a ballerina and later as a director and teacher. Ms. av Paul has made important contributions to dance performance and training in Canada through her artistry and experience as a guest artist with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Harkness Ballet, Norwegian Ballet, and especially at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens as principal dancer. She has worked as a guest teacher and coach throughout Canada, with the associated school of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, at the National Ballet School, and at the Royal Swedish Ballet School, among others.
Peter Mansbridge OC was chief correspondent for CBC News and anchor of The National, CBC Television's flagship nightly newscast and was host of CBC News Network's Mansbridge One on One. He has received many awards and accolades for his journalistic work including an honorary doctorate from Mount Allison University where he served as chancellor until the end of 2017. Mr. Mansbridge stepped down as chief correspondent and anchor on July 1, 2017, following coverage of Canada's 150th anniversary celebrations
Loreena McKennitt is well known as a composer and singer. In a recording career spanning more than three decades, Ms. McKennitt’s ‘eclectic Celtic’ music has received critical acclaim world-wide, and gold, platinum and multi-platinum sales awards in 15 countries across four continents. To date, she has sold over 14 million albums with a catalogue that includes seven studio recordings, three seasonal recordings, a live in-concert DVD and two DVD documentaries. She’s won two Junos, Canada’s premiere music award, and has performed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She is is a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba. From 2006 to 2013, Ms. McKennitt held the position of Honorary Colonel of the 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron in the Royal Canadian Air Force, and upon completion of the appointment, was awarded the RCAF Commander’s Commendation.
Scott McKowen is an illustrator, art director, and graphic designer. He designs posters for theaters and other performing arts companies across North America, and he creates illustration for books and magazines. He is known for his drawings on scratchboard, a process in which he uses a knife blade to carve white lines onto a black board, a process somewhat similar to engraving or woodcutting, in the sense that images are formed by carving white lines. In the last stages, color is often added to the illustrations. He has designed theatre posters for the Shaw Festival, New York’s Roundabout Theatre, Pearl Theatre (New York City), The National Ballet of Canada, National Arts Centre, The Canadian Stage Company, The Goodman Theatre (Chicago), and regional theatres in major North American cities.
Leslie Watts is a contemporary realist working in Stratford, Ontario. She exhibits regularly in Canada and the UK. Her portraits in egg tempera have been selected for the Kingston Prize in Canada and the BP Portrait Award and the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in London, UK. Her paintings are in collections in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the EU, and the USA.