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NLIS 4
February 14, 2006
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)
 

Cultural Tourism Award

This year�s Cultural Tourism Award has been awarded to performing artist Jim Payne, one of Newfoundland and Labrador�s foremost cultural ambassadors.

�Mr. Payne celebrates and promotes the culture, heritage and lifestyle of Newfoundland and Labrador through his music, storytelling and traditional dancing,� said Tom Hedderson, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

�For close to 30 years, he has passionately embraced the pursuit of cultural expression by enriching the experience of the people who live here, those who come to visit and those he encounters through international performances. In all his artistic endeavors, he is faithful to the authentic and complex culture of his beloved province.�

A native of Notre Dame Bay, Mr. Payne is a leading performer, collector and producer of traditional Newfoundland music. He is one of the province�s most prolific songwriters, as well as a storyteller, singer, writer, actor, step dancer and instructor, and caller of traditional Newfoundland set and square dances. He has performed extensively on radio and television both in Canada and abroad, and has toured throughout the world. He also teaches a course in traditional Newfoundland accordion music at Memorial University�s School of Music.

Mr. Payne owns and operates his own record label, SingSong Inc. in St. John's, which has released 18 titles featuring traditional and contemporary music that reflects the Newfoundland experience. They include recordings by legendary Newfoundland traditional musicians as well as those by contemporary folk and traditional artists. SingSong has just released Kenneth Peacock�s Songs of the Newfoundland Outports, the most comprehensive collection of traditional music ever compiled.

�I am very pleased and quite overwhelmed by this honour,� said Mr. Payne. �When I am performing in the province or for international audiences, people seem to be captivated by the fact that the songs and stories spring out of a place that they can point to on a map. I think that when we talk about cultural tourism, it is about celebrating our lifestyle. It is about people eking out a living in this spectacular environment, which inspires and motivates cultural expression. �

The Cultural Tourism Award, sponsored by the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation in partnership with the Department of Canadian Heritage and Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador (HNL), acknowledges and celebrates the innovative pursuit of cultural expression within the tourism industry. It recognizes the efforts that result in an authentic cultural tourism experience that, in turn, fosters economic benefit to the province.

�The cultural experience that visitors have in our province makes Newfoundland and Labrador a unique tourism destination," said Nick McGrath, president of HNL. �Mr. Payne's performances and stories of Newfoundland and Labrador certainly go a long way in promoting the province and enhancing our visitors stay.�

Media contact: Susanne Hiller, Communications, (709) 729-0928, 728-7762

2006 02 14                                     2:05 p.m.


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