Gala Dynastie’s Soirée Culture was presented live from a packed Théâtre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts, on April 27, 2024. The evening allowed the Fondation Dynastie to honour the 14 winners of the 2024 edition of this annual celebration of the achievements in arts and culture of people from Québec’s Black communities.
Among the evening’s highlights, international jazz legend Oliver Jones was awarded the prestigious Grand Prix Dynastie (Prix Doudou-Boicel), presented by TD, which recognizes the commitment, impact, and exceptional contribution to the promotion of culture by an artist from the Black community. The world-renowned pianist, whose career spans nearly eight decades, is one of Canada’s most decorated musical figures, and is considered a foremost cultural ambassador.
Honoured with the Prix Icône Dynastie, presented by SODEC, Corneille received a big dose of love from the audience. The singer-songwriter recently released album L’écho des perles, where he re-visits lesser-known songs from his repertoire. The award celebrates 20 years “of a brilliant international career, by a multi-disciplinary artist, who’s in unity with his generation, and constantly re-inventing himself.”
The sudden death of singer Michael Benjamin, aka Mikaben, in 2022, has left a huge void in the international artistic community, and especially the Haitian people. A true ambassador for his homeland, Benjamin was instrumental in the promotion of Haiti’s rich cultural heritage and the restoration of Haitian kompa music to its former glory. Singer-songwriter Marco Volcy paid a touching homage to the posthumous recipient of the Prix Héritage Dynastie, presented by Héma-Québec, with a medley of several Mikaben hits.
Hosted by comedian Garihanna Jean-Louis, Gala Dynastie’s Soirée Culture featured upbeat performances by Joseph Sarenhes and Hawa B, while several artists from the Québec urban scene took turns performing R&B, soul, and rap classics from the past 50 years. Among the performers were Marième, Ya Cetidon, Naïma Frank, Nicole Musoni, Maky Lavender, Skandal, Barnev, KidCrayola, and DJ Crowd (Sans Pression).
SOCAN was proud to co-present the Dynastie Unplugged event during the Semaine Dynastie, as well as hosting an information booth during the Industry Day on April 25.
Among the award winners, several SOCAN members were recognized in the music categories:
Music Video of the Year
Lost—Malsain et Sauf
World Music Artist or Group of the Year
Pierre Kwenders
Anglophone Artist or Group of the Year
Planet Giza
Francophone Artist or Group of the Year
Lost
Artist or Group Having Achieved Outstanding Success Internationally
Kaytranada
Musical Breakthrough of the Year
Täbi Yösha
Visit the Gala Dynastie website for the complete list of nominations.