On Friday, December 30th, Governor General David Johnston announced 100 new appointments to the Order of Canada, including three people from The Kawarthas. Campbellford’s Donna Bennett and Brian Finley, founders of Westben Arts Festival Theatre, and Peterborough’s Katherine Carleton, executive director of Orchestras Canada, have been appointed as Members of the Order of Canada.
The Order of Canada has three levels: “Companion” recognizes national pre-eminence or international service or achievement, “Officer” recognizes national service or achievement, and “Member” recognizes outstanding contributions at the local or regional level or in a special field of activity.
The 100 new appointments are the first for 2017, which is the 50th anniversary of the Order of Canada. Recipients will be invited to accept their insignia at a ceremony to be held at a later date. For a list of all of the 100 recipients, visit oc50.gg.ca.
Donna Bennett and Brian Finley, Campbellford
Donna Bennett and Brian Finley of Campbellford were appointed as Members of the Order of Canada for “their dedication to fostering the performing arts, musical education and community building in rural Ontario” through their work with Westben Theatre.
Bennett, a soprano, and Finley, a pianist and composer, were pursing their musical careers in Europe when, in 1990, they decided to return to Bennett’s hometown of Campbellford to start a family. The couple performed and hosted musical events at local venues and also began teaching advanced music students and leading the music program at St. John’s United Church in Campbellford.
After they staged a successful performance of Jesus Christ Superstar in the community, they decided to form the Westben Arts Festival Theatre in 1999 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating, enriching, and integrating professionals and amateurs in musical projects and educational activities. Run by a Board of Directors and supported by many volunteers, Westben received its charitable status in 2000.
Westben presents a wide variety of music from Bach to Broadway favourites, symphonies, opera, jazz, fiddle, folk, and world music. One of the most unique features of Westben is “The Barn”, a purpose-built 400-seat concert facility designed to provide optimal acoustics while allowing patrons to enjoy the natural atmosphere.
VIDEO: Westben Arts Festival Theatre
The marketing and advancement director of Westben Theatre, Donna Bennett is also a soprano has sung with the Canadian Opera Company, the Royal Opera, Opera Atelier, Toronto Operetta Theatre, Tafelmusik, Toronto Symphonietta, Orchestra London, Victoria Symphony, and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. Having performed in England, Germany, Italy and in the US, she has also toured extensively across Canada with pianist and husband Brian Finley.
As well as being Westben’s artistic and managing director, Brian Finley continues his career as a pianist, composer, director, and impresario. As a pianist, Finley has performed with numerous orchestras including the Dallas Symphony and Calgary Philharmonic as well as at the Olympic Music Festival in Washington, Wigmore Hall in London, England and the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. He has appeared in over 10 international piano competitions including the 8th International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, and he won the third prize in the AMSA International Competition in Cincinnati as well as the Gina Bachauer Award in Dallas.
For more information about Bennett, Finley, and Westben, visit www.westben.ca.
Katherine Carleton, Peterborough
Katherine Carleton of Peterborough was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada “for her efforts to promote a thriving arts and culture sector in Canada as an advocate and voice for Canadian orchestras” through her work with Orchestras Canada.
Since 2005, Carleton has been executive director of Orchestras Canada, the national association for Canadian orchestras that’s based in Peterborough. As an arts advocate and a leader in collaborative initiatives among arts service organizations, for for years she also served as volunteer co-chair of the Canadian Arts Coalition (a collaborative national arts lobbying movement) and leader of the Arts Service Organization Learning Network, a professional development initiative for leaders in arts service organizations.
Her key accomplishments at Orchestras Canada included a renewed commitment to research, expansion of the membership, a strengthening of the organization’s service delivery in both English and French, and enhanced partnerships with a range of colleague organizations. During her 30-year career in the not-for-profit performing arts, Carleton has worked as a clarinetist, teacher, program manager, granting officer, and orchestra manager. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance from the University of Toronto, a Master’s in Management from McGill University through the McGill-McConnell Program for National Voluntary Sector Leaders, and a certificate from the inaugural Schulich-Maytree Executive Directors’ Institute at the Schulich School of Business at York University.
For more information about Orchestras Canada, visit orchestrascanada.org.
Created in 1967 as one of the country’s highest civilian honours, the Order of Canada recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. Close to 7,000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order.
Past recipients of the Order of Canada from The Kawarthas include:
- former Governor General of Canada Vincent Massey (Port Hope, Companion of the Order of Canada, 1967)
- former Prime Minister of Ontario Leslie M. Frost (Lindsay, Companion of the Order of Canada, 1969)
- Young People’s Theatre founder and producer Susan Rubes (Peterborough, Member of the Order of Canada, 1975)
- founding President of Trent University Thomas H.B. Symons (Peterborough, Officer of the Order of Canada, 1976, and Companion of the Order of Canada, 1997)
- author and naturalist Farley McGill Mowat (Port Hope, Officer of the Order of Canada, 1981)
- aviation pioneer Marion A. Powell Orr (Peterborough, Member of the Order of Canada, 1993)
- author, historian and educator Michael Barnes (Haliburton, Member of the Order of Canada, 1995)
- Dennis Sweeting, founder and long-time artistic director of the Kawartha Summer Theatre (Lindsay, Member of the Order of Canada, 1994)
- Canadian Canoe Museum founder Kirk A.W. Wipper (Peterborough, Member of the Order of Canada, 2001)
- fiddler Natalie MacMaster (Peterborough, Member of the Order of Canada, 2006).
