MUHC invites Montreal to the inauguration of its new Glen site
After the largest and most complex move in the history of Canadian hospitals, the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) announced today a Montreal-style festival weekend to celebrate this accomplishment. Local artists Sam Roberts Band and Stéphanie Lapointe will perform on the evenko stage at the Glen site's inauguration celebrations on Saturday, June 20. On Sunday, June 21, the hospital will host a Community Festival with plenty of activities and concerts by such world-renowned home-grown talents as Oliver Jones, the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir and Nikki Yanofsky.
Saturday, June 20 – Inauguration and ribbon-cutting
The celebrations kick off with the Walk for Montreal!, during which Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre will lead Montrealers from Dawson College to the new hospital grounds located at 1001 Décarie Blvd., just across the tracks from the Vendôme metro station.
There they will attend the official ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring dignitaries from all levels of government, including Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard and Canada’s Governor General David Johnston, along with performances by Sam Roberts Band and Stéphanie Lapointe. Registered Walk participants will be able to attend the festivities. Online registration is at WALKFORMTL.CA.
“To date more than 150 groups have registered for the Walk and are joining us to celebrate this historic milestone event for our great city,” says Alex Paterson, honorary chair of the New Hospital Inauguration Committee.
One team features Olympic athletes Dominick Gauthier, Jennifer Heil, Erik Guay, Jean-Luc Brassard and Marcel Aubut, president of the Canadian Olympic Committee. Other teams represent educational institutions, companies, community groups and sites, foundations and departments of the MUHC. All are listed on the website.
JD Miller, co-chair of the New Hospital Inauguration Committee, adds, “The inaugural events taking place June 20 and 21 have been created to reflect the wonderful community spirit behind the hospital. It is yet another powerful demonstration of what this world-class city, Montreal, is all about.”
Sam Roberts Band features Juno Award-winning singer/songwriter Sam Roberts. Roberts was born in Montreal and he and several members of the band are alumni of Loyola High School, John Abbott College and McGill University.
Roberts' 2003 debut album, We Were Born in a Flame, earned him popular and critical acclaim. His second single, Bridge to Nowhere, won the Juno Award for Video of the Year in 2007. Roberts continues to call this city home, currently living in NDG with his wife and three children.
Stéphanie Lapointe is a singer, songwriter and television and movie actress, but is perhaps best known as winner of the second season of the TV show Star Académie. After her province-wide tour in 2004, Lapointe immediately started recording her first album, Sur le fil, followed in 2009 by the release of her second album, Donne-moi quelque chose qui ne finit pas.
Lapointe was nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2006 at the ADISQ music gala and was a Juno nominee for Francophone Album of the Year. Her most recent album, Les amours parallèles, features many talented songwriters like Leif Vollebekk, Jimmy Hunt and Philippe B, and was warmly received by Quebec critics upon its release last November.
Montreal DJs Psychology and George Donoso will keep the crowd entertained in between performances.
Sunday, June 21 – Community Festival features world-class home-grown talent
The celebrations continue the following day with a free Community Festival. The event features activities for all ages, like inflatable games, small train rides, face painting, a climbing wall, arts and crafts, a meet-and-greet with Montreal Canadiens alumni (Chris Nilan, Guy Carbonneau and Mathieu Darche), health-related kiosks and a ball hockey tournament that will raise funds for the Montreal General Hospital's Trauma Centre.
Montreal talent takes centre stage again with children’s entertainers Shilvi and Grammy Award-winner Jennifer Gasoi, plus jazz legend Oliver Jones who will team up with the inspirational Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir that was founded and directed by Dr. Trevor W. Payne. Capping off the weekend will be Montreal’s own jazz-pop singer-songwriter extraordinaire, Nikki Yanofsky.
Nikki Yanofsky is a multi-platinum Canadian recording artist. Her latest album “Little Secret”, produced by the legendary Quincy Jones, was recently certified gold in Canada and received a nomination for pop album of the year at this year’s Juno Awards.
Nikki was the voice of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, performing the Canadian national anthem and CTV’s Olympic anthem “I Believe” in front of 3.2 billion people. “I Believe” had the highest first-week sales of any Canadian artist in SoundScan history, and was certified five times platinum.
Pianist Oliver Jones is one of Canada’s finest musicians. Oliver was born and raised in Saint-Henri, just several blocks away from the late Oscar Peterson, his lifelong friend and one of his influences. Oliver’s seven-decade musical career has been rich and varied. He recorded his first album in 1983 and since then has recorded 22 more.
Oliver has received several awards and nominations, including being named to the Order of Canada, the Order of Quebec, and multiple Félix and Juno nominations and awards. In 2013 Canada Post issued two postage stamps in his honour.
The Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir came together under the direction of Dr. Trevor W. Payne in 1982. This award-winning choir has gained an international reputation, travelling across Canada, the United States and Europe and performing before Canadian prime ministers and world leaders alike.
They have released a dozen albums on the Justin Time label including two retrospectives and their most recent release, the seasonal “A Celebration In Time.” Dr. Payne is the proud recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and the Order of Canada. In January 2010 he received the Gala Soba Image Award for his contribution and devotion to one of the most prestigious gospel choirs in North America: the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir.
“When we started planning this celebration almost two years ago we wanted to create a truly Montreal event to welcome everyone to the new hospital. With this lineup of talent we have all the ingredients for a very special weekend. We hope everyone accepts our invitation to be part of it,” said Cynthia Price, co-chair of the New Hospital Inauguration Committee.
For details on the New Hospital Inauguration go to MUHCLOVESMTL.CA
These events are made possible thanks to more than 40 sponsors, including the following platinum- and gold-level sponsors:
PLATINUM: Bell, BMO, Cinémas Guzzo, CJAD 800, CTV, evenko, Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, Innisfree, La Presse+, Montréal en santé, Montreal Gazette, Pattison, Power Corporation of Canada, Québecor, Rio Tinto Alcan, Rouge 197,3 fm, SNC-Lavalin, Sodexo, Solotech, Sports Experts, Trévi. GOLD: Aimia, Claridge, Dynamite-Garage, McGill, Pomerleau-Verreault, Redbourne, TC Transcontinental
For the full list visit MUHCLOVESMTL.CA/SPONSORS
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For more information:
Sandra Sciangula
Cell: 514 293-2575
[email protected]
About the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) One of the world’s foremost academic health centres, the MUHC offers exceptional and integrated patient-centric care, research, teaching and technology assessment. Affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, it is highly committed to the continuum of care in its community. The partner hospitals of the MUHC—the Lachine Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute, the Montreal General Hospital, the Montreal Neurological Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Montreal Children's Hospital— value multidisciplinary service throughout the lifespan, innovative technologies and practices, strategic partnerships and leadership in knowledge transfer. The MUHC is currently carrying out a $2.35-billion Redevelopment Project on three sites—the Glen, and the Montreal General and Lachine hospitals—designed to provide healthcare professionals with an effective environment in which to ensure patients and their families benefit from The Best Care for Life. The sites are also anchored in best sustainable-development practices, including LEED® and BOMA BESt guidelines www.muhc.ca