Oct 26, 2005

The Alberta Recording Industries Association (ARIA) applauds the efforts of all the artists and music industry professionals who participated in this year¹s Western Canadian Music Week in Vancouver. ARIA also congratulates all the 2005 Western Canadian Music Award winners and nominees from Alberta.

The excellence of Alberta artists and music industry professionals was apparent this weekend in Vancouver. Alberta received seven (7) awards at the 2005 Western Canadian Music Awards (WCMA). Nominees were from all the western provinces including Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Yukon.

Amos Garret won for ³Outstanding Blues Recording² for Amos Garrett Acoustic Album. Ian Tyson won ³Outstanding Country Recording² for his latest release Songs From the Gravel Road.  Â³Outstanding Classical Recording² went to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra for Frenergy:  Music of John Estacio.

Up against exceptional entertainers such as Diana Krall and Ian Tyson, Corb Lund received an award for ³Entertainer of the Year.²  Considered a surprise by many, this was not a surprise to Alberta as Corb Lund has always been well respected as an exceptional entertainer in his home province. He has earned his spurs for this honour by writing great songs and touring non-stop over the last few years across Canada, Europe and Australia. His duo performance at the award show with Lisa Brokop (backed up by Zubot and Dawson) was one of the highlights of the night.

The music industry was recognized over brunch on October 22.  Peter North won for ³Radio, TV or Print Media Person of the Year,² Aimee Hill was awarded ³Independent Publicist/Radio Promoter of the Year.² Jeff Sylvester who designs albums for many local artists won for ³Best Album Design² for his work on Paul Bellows¹ album Tape Deck Classics.

The awards gala at the legendary Commodore Ballroom was the finale to an exceptional weekend of music by artists from all the western provinces at various showcases around Vancouver. Alberta was represented by many artists at showcases including Falconhawk, John Wort Hannam, Lorrie Matheson, Murder City Sparrow, Sandy Foster, the Simon Fisk Trio, Tanyss Nixi, Tariq, The Summerlad and Vailhalen. This is an incredible opportunity for emerging and established artists to be seen by delegates from around the world.

In addition to showcases, Western Canadian Music Week creates an atmosphere to help further the careers of artists and other music professionals through setting up meetings with key stakeholders, attending seminars and networking.

This was a great year for Alberta artists and music industry professionals.  Alberta is looking forward to next year in Manitoba as we celebrate Western Canadian artists and our music industry.