The Royal Occasion
The Royal Occasion
Published on May 10, 2022
Peter Oundjian, Bill & Janet L’Heureux, and Chantal Kreviazuk named Honorary Fellows of The Royal Conservatory of Music
After a two-year hiatus, The Royal Conservatory is thrilled to announce the return of its signature fundraising event, The Royal Occasion, which brings our cultural community together to celebrate and honour those who are shaping and supporting our music landscape.
Internationally acclaimed violinist and conductor Peter Oundjian, philanthropists Bill & Janet L’Heureux, and singer, songwriter, composer, and humanitarian Chantal Kreviazuk have been named Honorary Fellows of The Royal Conservatory of Music.
“The Honorary Fellow is The Royal Conservatory’s highest designation and is awarded to those who have had a profound impact on society through their contributions to the arts,” said Dr. Peter Simon, Michael and Sonja Koerner President & CEO.
The 2022 honourees will receive their designation on May 31 at the signature gala event held at the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning.
Recognized as a masterful and dynamic presence in the conducting world, Peter Oundjian has developed a multi-faceted career as a conductor, violinist, professor, and artistic advisor. He has been celebrated for his musicality, collaboration, innovative programming, leadership, training with students, and engaging personality. Strengthening his ties to Colorado, Oundjian is now Principal Conductor of the Colorado Symphony in addition to Music Director of the Colorado Music Festival, which successfully pivoted to a virtual format during the pandemic summers of 2020 and 2021. Now carrying the title Conductor Emeritus, Oundjian’s 14-year tenure as Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra served as a major creative force for the city of Toronto and was marked by a reimagining of the TSO’s programming, international stature, audience development, touring, and a number of outstanding recordings, garnering a Grammy Award nomination in 2018 and a JUNO Award for Vaughan Williams’s Orchestral Works in 2019.
Philanthropists Bill and Janet L’Heureux have been ardent supporters of arts and culture in Canada. As an investor in early-stage companies and previously a partner at Torys LLP in Toronto, Bill has always been a community supporter. Well known as a longtime director and Chairman of Special Olympics Canada and Ontario he was won numerous awards for volunteerism, including The Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals. He has also served as a Governor of the University of Toronto. As Vice Chair and Director of the RCM and Chair of the Glenn Gould School Scholarship Committee, Bill has been invaluable in helping the organization achieve its strategic business and fundraising objectives.
Janet L’Heureux worked several years for the Ontario Association on Development Disabilities and for the Government of Ontario as a consultant in Children’s Services. She is the co-creator of two Literary Lecture series in Calgary and Toronto and is presently involved as a senior volunteer with the Toronto Friends of the Visual Arts and with the Art Gallery of Ontario. Together, Janet and Bill operate The L’Heureux Family Foundation, which supports Education and the Arts plus Local community initiatives.
Bill and Janet have made significant contributions to the RCM and to The Glenn Gould School, having recently made a commitment to create an endowment that will support two full-tuition scholarships in perpetuity. The couple exemplifies what it means to be a patron of the arts.
Grammy and Juno Award-winning singer, songwriter, composer and humanitarian, Chantal Kreviazuk laid the foundation for her illustrious music career through The Royal Conservatory's Certificate Program while growing up in Manitoba. Over the course of her decades-long career, Chantal’s many worldwide-selling albums have received platinum status and her songs have been streamed millions of times. Her highly praised recent release, Moon vs Sun, is a collaboration with her husband, Raine Maida, of the Canadian rock band Our Lady Peace. Chantal has also collaborated with musicians Shakira, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Joe Cocker, Josh Groban, Drake, Christina Aguilera, Carrie Underwood, Kendrick Lamar and Pink.
A passionate advocate for healthy models of family and partnership, as well as for mental health and people affected by war, Chantal is also a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism. In 2014, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for her achievements in music and for her extensive charitable and humanitarian work.
Oundjian, the L’Heureuxs, and Kreviazuk join a distinguished group of Honorary Fellows of The Royal Conservatory of Music that includes Oscar Peterson, k.d. lang, Ben Heppner, David Foster, Leon Fleisher, Denise Donlon, The Tragically Hip, Measha Brueggergosman, and Lang Lang.
The Royal Conservatory thanks Rayla and George Myhal for their invaluable support of The Royal Occasion in their role as event co-chairs.
Learn more about the Royal Occasion
For sponsorship opportunities and gala tickets, please contact Victor Bastidas at [email protected] or 416.408.2824 x446