vish khanna @vishkhanna At the #LeonardCohen Glenn Gould Prize Gala where he donated the $50,000 prize to the Canada Council of the Arts.
Laura Serra @lauraserra there he is. leonard cohen. gave his $50k glenn gould prize winnings to the canadian council for the arts. g http://instagr.am/p/KoLr4ECTkT/
jian ghomeshi @jianghomeshi Leonard Cohen has chosen to donate the $50,000 award that comes with his #GlennGouldPrize honour to Canada Council for the Arts. #class
Patricia Tadros @PTadros_RC I love him even more! @jianghomeshi Leonard Cohen chose to donate $50,000 that comes with #GlennGouldPrize to Canada Council for the Arts.
Polaris Music Prize @PolarisPrize RT @jeffreyremedios Leonard Cohen gifts his $50k Glenn Gould prize to the Canada Council for the arts. So classy.
City Lights Bookshop @CityLightsLondn @karyn_ellis @jianghomeshi As if we needed more reasons to luv and admire Leonard Cohen.
Bruce MacCormack @BMacCormack “: Leonard Cohen has chosen to donate the $50,000 award that comes with his #GlennGouldPrize honour to Canada Council for the Arts.” Nice!
penny collenette @penottawa Hallelujah!@jianghomeshi: Leonard Cohen donates $50,000 award that comes w/ his #GlennGouldPrize honour 2 Canada Council for the Arts #class
Gary Hill @garyhillmusic @jianghomeshi Leonard Cohen has always been a class act, this is a perfect example.
Last edited by sturgess66 on Tue May 15, 2012 4:28 am, edited 2 times in total.
Thanks to Arlene and Linda for the updates – I'm feelin' the excitement!
Linda, I loved Jian Ghomeshi's tweet about the coolesthumaninexistence. And thanks. Mirka for introducing me to Basia Bulat – great voice and energy, I would love to see her perform live.
Cate, I hope you're in the audience!
XO
Wonderful that Leonard donated his $50K to (our beleaguered) Canada Council for The Arts!
Laura Serra @lauraserra Gordon Pinsent just recited Leonard Cohen's "This is for you" and I swear I trembled.
Hannah Norris @HannahNorr @jianghomeshi one reason why I love leonard cohen. He's a legend.
vish khanna @vishkhanna About to see John Prine do a Leonard Cohen song at Massey Hall. #crazy
Stevie P. @steviepeters Leonard Cohen is always amazing.
Plato @platodog beautiful person #notadragon @jianghomeshi: Leonard Cohen donates $50,000 that comes with his #GlennGouldPrize 2 Canada Council for the Arts
PressRelease Online @SiaranPers Leonard Cohen donates Glenn Gould Prize of $50,000 to Canada Council http://prn.to/JD8THb #PressRelease
Persian Rugs @persianrugsband Leonard Cohen donated his $50000 #GlennGouldPrize money to Canada Council for the Arts. Not just paying his own rent in the tower of song
MusicNews_CNW @MusicNews_CNW Leonard Cohen donates Glenn Gould Prize of $50,000 to Canada Council: TORONTO, May 14, 2012 /CNW/ - At a star-st... http://bit.ly/KIdOra
Jane Stevenson @JaneCStevenson Adrienne Clarkson remembered sharing Cheese whiz with leonard cohen from his fridge and greg keelor forgot line of famous blue raincoat.
Shannon WebbCampbell @shannonwc Standing ovation before Leonard Cohen spoke a word, who graciously donated the $50,000 Glenn Gould Prize to Canada Council for the Arts.
Jane Stevenson @JaneCStevenson first 1/2 of leonard cohen/glenn gould prize gala concert over. Highlght so far? Coen giving his 50,000 prize to can council for the arts
Andrea Zanin @sexgeekAZ The Leonard Cohen tribute concert is amazing. Hearing the poet himself speak for five minutes alone was worth the ticket price. So resonant.
Heidy M. @HeidyMo @AislinnTO @ConvoAboutLove thoroughly enjoying the Leonard Cohen celebration at Massey Hall...Oh that voice!!!
Sarah Loves Sunshine @getsunnysarah Leonard Cohen is sitting right in front of me! Not a great shot- but you can see him! #amazing! http://yfrog.com/h0ucypgmj
Justin Stayshyn @UnionSt Incredible performance by @basiabulat at Gould prize Gala celebrating Leonard Cohen (yes he' @ Massey Hall http://instagr.am/p/KoSln-hs96/
Jacques Nadeau @jacquescnadeau Grande classe: Leonard Cohen remet sa bourse hommage de 50 000$ au Conseil des arts du Canada qui lui a donné... 25$ à ses débuts #Cohen
ArtNews_CNW @ArtNews_CNW Leonard Cohen donates Glenn Gould Prize of $50,000 to Canada Council: TORONTO, May 14, 2012 /CNW/ - At a star-st... http://bit.ly/KIdOra
Jane Stevenson @JaneCStevenson Second 1/2 of leonard cohen concert to begin soon and includes cowboy junkies, alan rickman, and cohen's son adam who is closing w/ 2 songs.
Leesa Butler @theFList Packed house for Leonard. I love the lady w/a saucer size I Heart Leonard Cohen button. @haldenberry
That is so beautiful that Leonard Cohen donated his prize to the Canada Council for the Arts. He is a gentleman in every imaginable way.
And, regarding the person who tweeted, "I love the lady w/a saucer size I Heart Leonard Cohen button," I wonder to whom she may have been referring? (Hi Arlene! Hope you're having a blast!)
Leesa Butler @theFList Packed house for Leonard. I love the lady w/a saucer size I Heart Leonard Cohen button. @haldenberry
That's our ARLENE!!! with her saucer size Heart...so cool...
I got goosebumps too when I read that Leonard donated the $50,000 to the Canada Council of the Arts. That is something
that has been very close to my heart over the years and it has had so many cutbacks that this is absolutely brilliant and touching.
Leslie
1988 Vancouver
2009 Victoria/Seattle/Almost Red Rocks/Las Vegas/San Jose.
2010 Sligo x 2/Victoria/Vancouver/Portland/Las Vegas x 2.
2012 Austin x 2/Seattle/Vancouver/Montreal x 2.
2013 Oakland x 2/New York City x 2/Winnipeg...
The Art Counsel @theartcounsel Alan Rickman reading Leonard Cohen poetry. Wow.
Christine Innes @christine_innes Inspired finish by Adam Cohen as national treasure Leonard Cohen honoured with 9th Glenn Gould laureate-the "Nobel prize of the arts"
Elise @Elise140orless Absolutely lovely time with @miss_olive at #LeonardCohen tribute for Glenn Gould prize. Merci encore, madame.
Sarah Loves Sunshine @getsunnysarah At Leonard Cohen's Glenn Gould award gala, Adrienne Clarkson is right in front of me! #Celebs #LeonardCohen #Awesomeness
Lara Brady @LaraHanaBrady Wow! Just attended Leonard Cohen's induction as Glenn Gould prize recipient and saw fabulous musicians perform!
Shelley Carroll @shelleycarroll Spent the night swaying and weeping @ Massey Hall. #leonardlcohen @jianghomeshi Add this night to Toronto's Musical History.
JCMR @OffTheTwuff @shelleycarroll Agreed - Leonard Cohen was truly amazing tonight.
vish khanna @vishkhanna Leonard Cohen watching Lighthouse perform "Tower of Song" at Fran's. http://pic.twitter.com/urI9ksg6
Laura Serra @lauraserra cuteness overload! my man leonard cohen dancing to lighthouse singing tower of song. one foot away. I feel crazy. http://yfrog.us/n7bohbz
Jeevan Brar @JeevanBrar Was just at an after party with Leonard Cohen. Yeah, so that just happened.
Jane Stevenson @JaneCStevenson 2nd 1/2 of Leonard Cohen Glenn Gould prize gala highlighted by incomparable Alan Rickman, fiery Serena Ryder and Cohen's funny son Adam.
Jacek @Jacek_R_ Went to see an amazing tribute to Leonard Cohen tonight with @Mooi_Amy
Matt Shore @matttnificent Lololol Alan Rickman and Leonard Cohen at Fran's right now. I just want some fries yo
andres mendoza @cuto Second 1/2 highlights: Michael Ondaatje, Alan Rickman, Serena Ryder and of course @ThisIsAdamCohen playing "So Long Marianne" #leonardcohen
Roger Cullman @rogercullman Just back from Leonard Cohen's honouring at the Glenn Gould Prize Gala at Massey Hall. His son's got a great voice and sense of humour, too.
shinan govani @shinangovani Post-Glenn Gould Prize tribute, the party moved to, of all places, Fran's, on Victoria. Leonard Cohen, Alan Rickman, sweet potato fries, GO.
DTN Entertainment @DTNEntertain DTN Entertainment: Leonard Cohen accepts Glenn Gould Prize, donates $50,000 in award money: TORONTO - Leonard Co... http://yhoo.it/JDzjIN
phoenikia @phoenikia What a memorable concert at Massey Hall. Leonard Cohen, Colm Feore, Cowboy Junkies, Serena Ryder, Alan Rickman, Greg Keelor, James McMurtry.
Here's the video from Fran's - right side up
http://twitvid.com/JJJKO - cuteness overload! leonard cohen doing a little bop to lighthouse singing tower of song. one foot away. crazy.
Aidyna Crier @AidynaCrier Adam Cohen honoured 'to give proper due' to dad Leonard
Liona Boyd @lionaboyd just back from Glenn Gould Prize concert honouring my friend Leonard Cohen who took photos with me and chatted backstage, a true treasure
Unforgettable evening for all of us - Cohenians last night! On our way back home (around midnight!) more than half of the subway car passengers were discussing the event, performances, who-said-what, etc. And confirming that everybody has already tickets for the December 4th "Old Ideas" Toronto show.
For me Anjani and Adam's acts were the best tonight. Cowboy Junkies - I'm a big fan of them - had disappointed.
Anjani was singing "Crazy To Love You" so beautifully as never before I think, Neil Larsen's electric piano accompaniment was minimalistic so it was mostly her amazing voice filling up the packed Massey Hall. It was so clear and so emotionally strong - that when she finished few seconds of silence passed before crazy applause erupted.
Adam introduced himself this way (more or less): "maybe not all of you know I'm a son of a legendary Montreal singer, composer and poet.... Celine Dion." Turning to the balcony where Leonard was sited Adam said: "Mr Cohen, Ms Dion sends regrets but she cannot attend..."
Video was not allowed - I was warned once, but after I already shot LC' s talk.
and then I managed a few short ones after that. I will process them asap.
LC's talk is uploading now but the connection is very slow.
A few quikkies:
Anjani looked gorgeous and she sang brilliantly. The crowd loved her.
Neil Larsen was superb when he backed a couple of the performers. He seems so adept with any style of music. Loved watching him on the piano.
Adam was in fine form and the audience responded warmly to the singalong of So Long Marianne which closed the concert.
During the concert, LC sat upstairs in the left side balcony.
Extra special credit was given to Robert Kory, Elliot Lefko and Leonard himself for making the evening happen.
It is after 1 am and I have to be up at 5am for my return flight to Los Angeles.
More reports to come after I am home.
Arlene
2009-San Diego|Los Ang|Nashville|St Louis|Kansas City|LVegas|San Jose 2010-Gothenburg|Berlin|Ghentx2|Oaklandx2|Portland|LVegasx2 2012-Austinx2|Denver|Los Ang|Seattle|Portland Arlene's Leonard Cohen Scrapbookhttp://onboogiestreet.blogspot.com
It really was a special event tonight--fabulous and very stimulating. Let me share a few observations from amongst the many interesting things that happened over the course of the evening (the ceremony was nearly 3 hours long).
Leonard Cohen was presented with his prize near the start of the evening (and then took a seat in the balcony overlooking the stage). The audience was on their feet as soon as he appeared on stage. His acceptance speech was "mercifully" short (his words, though I am certain the audience would have happily listened to him all evening), and included two amusing anecdotes about his encounters with Glenn Gould. He also offered some comments (in his distinctive style, which I could not possibly replicate here) to the effect that the performers should not be nervous about performing his songs in front of him because he responds with something like a child's ecstasy whenever he hears any of his songs being played by someone else.
A real highlight of the evening was Adrienne Clarkson's tribute to LC. To put it simply, it was lovely. (Interestingly, it seems that the former Governor General could easily find a place in the forum, for Ms. Clarkson admitted to having seen 9 concerts in 4 countries during the last tour, with plans to top that number in the upcoming tour.) After her speech, she took her seat beside LC in the balcony.
Melissa Auf der Maur offered a very interesting speech of her own, focusing on how Montreal, itself, had a significant influence on the development of Leonard Cohen's character.
Alan Rickman delivered a wonderful interpretation of LC's poetry (and started off by reading a 16th-century love poem as a counterpoint to LC's work!).
The music was great (and I am usually not so keen on covered songs). I thought John Prine (Bird on the Wire) and Jimmie Dale Gilmore (Tower of Song) offered particularly great interpretations of their chosen songs. John Prine started with one of his own songs (Souvenirs, the only non-LC song of the night), saying that it was easy for him to get all the words right on that one. He was hoping he would not mess up his cover of Leonard Cohen's song and had been practicing it so often that his children had taken to fleeing to their bedrooms whenever he started up on it. Anjani delivered a beautiful, intense version of Crazy to Love You. Adam Cohen and Serena Ryder did a rousing rendition of Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye. Serena was just glowing with a huge smile to be on stage singing to LC (she waved to him, and he waved back). Margo Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies also claimed that this was a big highlight (in their long career) to be singing on stage to LC, and in particular alongside John Prine, another one of her songwriting heroes (they did a duet together of One of Us Cannot Be Wrong). Adam Cohen closed out the show with So Long, Marianne, getting the audience (including his Dad and Ms. Clarkson) to sing along with him.
At the end of it all, the audience rose one last time to cheer for Leonard Cohen. He stood up to acknowledge our affection, and then began to make his way out of the balcony, at which point, the host of the evening, Colm Feore, brought the ceremony to a close by declaring, "Leonard Cohen has left the building."
Last edited by Ronaldson on Wed May 16, 2012 3:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
(Hi Arlene! Hope you're having a blast!)
