Fondation SPACQ announces 17 winners of 2023 edition

For its 18^th edition, the SPACQ Foundation (Société professionnelle des auteurs et des compositeurs du Québec) unveiled the winners of its annual awards ceremony on Oct. 2, 2023, at Théâtre Impérial in Montréal. In total, 17 cash prizes of $10,000 each were awarded to Québec’s songwriters, composers, and performers in recognition of the excellence of their work. Geneviève Borne hosted the event for a second consecutive year.

SOCAN, represented by CEO Jennifer Brown; Marc Ouellette, Chairman of the Board; Chief Membership Officer Jean-Christian Céré; General Counsel Andrea Kokonis; and Executive Director of Québec Affairs Alexandre Alonso, presented the Stéphane Venne Award for a non-performing songwriter to Jean Robitaille for his body of work.

Over the course of a career spanning four decades, Robitaille has composed music that has lodged itself in the hearts and minds of audiences throughout Québec. He notably wrote the theme song for the long-running cultural TV program Les Beaux Dimanches, the Téléjournal, and the Montréal Canadiens’ theme song (“Bleu Blanc Rouge”), as well as the closing theme of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montréal. That’s not even counting his imposing catalogue of more than 400 songs that have left their mark on Québec, sung by performers such as Ginette Reno (SOCAN Classic “Des croissants de soleil”), Nicole Martin, Émmanuelle, Véronique Béliveau, Céline Lomez, Shirley Théroux, and Renée Claude, to name but a few.

SOCAN warmly congratulates the 2023 winners:

PRIX ANDRÉ-DÉDÉ-FORTIN – Presented by Stingray
CHOSES SAUVAGES