Glenn Gould Foundation, April 1, 2011

Leonard Cohen Awarded the Ninth Glenn Gould Prize

Glenn Gould Foundation - April 1, 2011

An iconic and innovative force in songwriting, performance and poetry

Toronto, ON (April 1, 2011) - Singer, songwriter, poet and novelist Leonard Cohen has been awarded The Ninth Glenn Gould Prize. The international award is presented biennially to a living luminary who has made a unique lifetime contribution that has enriched the human condition through the arts and manifests the values of innovation, inspiration and transformation. A tribute to Glenn Gould's artistry and his multifaceted contributions to culture, the prize promotes the vital connection between artistic excellence and the transformation of lives.

"I want to thank The Glenn Gould Foundation for their kindness. It is a great honour, sweetened by my love of the work of Glenn Gould, and our collective appreciation of his invigorating and enduring presence in the world of Music and Imagination," stated Leonard Cohen.

Leonard Cohen was chosen from a distinguished list of international candidates nominated by the general public and will receive a cash prize of $50,000 (CDN) and the opportunity to choose an outstanding young artist to receive The City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize of $15,000 (CDN). Mr. Cohen and his protégé will receive their awards at a gala ceremony in Toronto and their work will be honoured through a series of public events later this year.

Jury Chair Paul Hoffert said, "The jury was unanimous in selecting Leonard Cohen as the Ninth Glenn Gould Prize laureate. His poetry and music transcend national boundaries and cultures by touching our common humanity. His unique voice is nonetheless the common voice of people around the globe telling our stories, expressing our emotions, reaching deeply into our psyches. Like Glenn Gould, his work touches audiences far outside his main genre. Hallelujah!"

The illustrious jury for the Ninth Glenn Gould Prize included singer/songwriter, indie producer and UN Goodwill Ambassador Dadawa (China); screenwriter, film and opera director Atom Egoyan (Canada); actor, screenwriter, author and director Stephen Fry (UK); celebrated pianist, teacher, author and music administrator Gary Graffman (United States); film producer, founder and director of DHC/ART Foundation for Contemporary Art and PHI Group Phoebe Greenberg (Canada); singer, educator and vocal producer Elaine Overholt (Canada); and recording industry executive Costa Pilavachi (Canada/UK/Greece).

For four decades, Leonard Cohen has been one of the most important and influential songwriters of our time, relentlessly examining the central issues in human experience, and reporting with passion, insight and wisdom. His body of work is a reflection of the zeitgeist of the late 20th century and beyond. His songs are works of great poetic depth and profound emotional force, and set new standards for quality, range and seriousness in pop music. Artists and music-lovers alike are drawn to the dignity, ambition and sheer power of his songs.

An accomplished literary figure before he began recording music in the late 1960s, his collections of poetry, including Let Us Compare Mythologies (1956) and Flowers for Hitler, and his novels including The Favourite Game (1963) and Beautiful Losers (1966), had already brought him considerable recognition. His dual careers in music and literature have continued feeding each other over the decades - his songs revealing a literary richness rare in the world of popular music, and his poetry and prose informed by an intense musicality. Collectively, Cohen has published 12 books including Book of Longing (2006), a collection of prose, poetry and drawings which was the first book of poetry to reach the top of Canada's bestsellers' lists, and which formed the basis of a memorable musical and theatre collaboration with composer Philip Glass which premiered at Toronto's Luminato festival.

Leonard Cohen is one of the most covered artists alive today, influencing generations of songwriters, and his music has earned the accolades of other artists in tribute albums in France, Norway, Canada, Spain, the Czech Republic, South Africa, and the United States. "Hallelujah", one of Cohen's best-known and best-loved songs has been covered by over 150 artists including Willie Nelson and Bono. Numerous documentaries, awards, and tribute albums acknowledge the far-reaching contribution Cohen has made to music. He continues to refine and deepen his art, and as a musician he is constantly exploring new territory.

The Glenn Gould Foundation honours Glenn Gould's spirit and legacy by celebrating brilliance, promoting creativity and transforming lives through the power of music and the arts with the Foundation's signature activities, including The Glenn Gould Prize. Past laureates include Dr. José Antonio Abreu (2008), founder of El Sistema, Venezuela's free music education program for children and youth, Pierre Boulez (2002), Oscar Peterson (1993) and Yo-Yo Ma (1999). For more information on the foundation, prize and jurors visit www.glenngould.ca.

Leonard Cohen wins Glenn Gould Prize

National Post - April 1, 2011 by Melissa Leong

A prestigious jury of artists, including Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan and British actor Stephen Fry, met at Massey College Thursday to decide who out of more than 60 international candidates should receive the so-called "Nobel Prize of the arts."

The jury unanimously chose Canadian poet, novelist and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen to be the ninth Glenn Gould Prize laureate.

"It is a great honour, sweetened by my love of the work of Glenn Gould, and our collective appreciation of his invigorating and enduring presence in the world of music and imagination," Cohen, 76, said in a written statement.

The award is handed out every other year to a living artist who has made a unique lifetime contribution that has "enriched the human condition through the arts and manifests the values of innovation, inspiration and transformation," a press release says.

The Montreal-born Cohen did not attend the Friday announcement but all of the jury members were present at the Royal Conservatory of Music, including Chinese singer and UN Goodwill Ambassador Dadawa and recording industry executive Costa Pilavachi.

"I'm quite bewildered. I thought we had agreed that Justin Bieber was getting it," Fry quipped. "Seriously, I was 10 years old when Songs of Leonard Cohen came out ... We all agreed that one of the most remarkable things about his extraordinary art is how it has become richer and deeper and more extraordinary every decade."

Cohen is one of the most covered artists alive; Hallelujah has been covered by more than 150 artists including Willie Nelson and Bono. Cohen was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, the year that brought him back to the stage for the first time in 15 years. Before he began recording music in the late 1960s, he was recognized for his collections of poetry and his novels.

"We all felt very passionate about it," Egoyan said of the jury's decision. "He's had a huge influence on my work." Egoyan used one of Cohen's best-known songs, Everybody Knows, as the centerpiece of his 1994 film, Exotica. "When I was making that film, we didn't have the budget. I remember contacting Universal and realizing that we couldn't afford it. Thanks to the personal intervention of Mr. Cohen, we were able to use that song. It was really generous of him."

Gary Graffman, celebrated pianist and author, told the 200 people assembled at the press conference that he is the only jury member who knew Gould. They spent some time together in Berlin in the 1950s. "I know he would've been delighted by this choice," the 82-year-old said. "[Cohen] was uncompromising as Glenn Gould was."

Cohen will receive $50,000 and will designate a young artist to receive the City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protege Prize of $15,000. Past laureates include cellist Yo-Yo Ma, jazz musician Oscar Peterson and Dr. Jose Antonio Abreu, founder of El Sistema, Venezuela's free music education program for at-risk youth. A pilot project based on El Sistema is launching in Toronto this fall.

Star-studded roster honours Leonard Cohen at Glenn Gould Prize Gala on May 14th

Glenn Gould Foundation - April 10, 2012

Cowboy Junkies, John Prine, Adam Cohen among musicians performing
Leonard Cohen will appear to accept his award

Toronto, ON (April 10, 2012) - An eclectic group of musicians and artists will perform in honour of iconic singer, songwriter, poet and novelist Leonard Cohen, the Ninth Laureate of The Glenn Gould Prize, on Monday, May 14, 2012 at 8:30 p.m. at Toronto's Massey Hall (178 Victoria Street). Mr. Cohen will be present to receive his award at this ceremony.

Tickets to The Glenn Gould Prize Gala Concert in Honour of Leonard Cohen go on sale to the general public on April 12 at 11:00 a.m.

Billed as The Glenn Gould Prize Gala Concert in Honour of Leonard Cohen, the star-studded evening is hosted by Colm Feore and includes musical performances by Cowboy Junkies, Adam Cohen, Serena Ryder, folk singer Basia Bulat, award-winning country singer/songwriters John Prine, James McMurtry, Jimmie Dale Gilmore; and poetry readings by Gordon Pinsent with Greg Keelor (Blue Rodeo) and Travis Good (the Sadies). Former Governor General and long-time friend, The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson will also deliver a spoken tribute.

The Glenn Gould Prize, valued at $50,000 (CDN), has been referred to as "The Nobel Prize of the Arts" and is awarded biennially to a living individual for a unique lifetime contribution that has enriched the human condition through the arts. After accepting his Prize, Mr. Cohen will present The City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize of $15,000 (CDN) to an outstanding young artist of his choice.

A master songwriter, musician, poet, novelist and visual artist, Leonard Cohen's stunning body of original work has touched the lives of millions with a career spanning six decades. His dual careers in music and literature have continued fueling each other over the decades - his songs revealing a literary richness rare in the world of popular music, and his poetry and prose informed by an intense musicality. Cohen's Book of Longing (2006), a collection of prose, poetry and drawings, was the first book of poetry to reach the top of Canada's bestsellers' lists, and formed the basis of a memorable musical and theatre collaboration with composer Philip Glass.

Leonard Cohen is one of the most covered artists alive today, influencing generations of songwriters, and his music has earned the accolades of other artists in tribute albums in France, Norway, Canada, Spain, the Czech Republic, South Africa, and the United States. "Hallelujah", one of Cohen's best-known and best-loved songs has been covered by over 150 artists including Willie Nelson and Bono. His music has been extensively featured in films and on television. Numerous documentaries, awards, and tribute albums acknowledge the far-reaching contribution Cohen has made to music. He continues to refine and deepen his art, and as a musician he is constantly exploring new territory.

Regarding his Glenn Gould Prize, Mr. Cohen stated, "I want to thank The Glenn Gould Foundation for their kindness. It is a great honour, sweetened by my love of the work of Glenn Gould, and our collective appreciation of his invigorating and enduring presence in the world of Music and Imagination."

Tickets to The Glenn Gould Prize Gala Concert in Honour of Leonard Cohen go on sale to the general public on April 12 at 11:00 a.m. and are available by calling 416- 872-4255 or online at masseyhall.com or roythomson.com. Proceeds from the gala concert support the ongoing work of The Glenn Gould Foundation.

Prior to the Gala Concert, a celebratory dinner will be hosted at the newly renovated Arcadian Court. Tickets are available online at vipgouldprize.eventbrite.ca or by calling 416-962-6200.

The Glenn Gould Prize Gala Concert and Dinner preface the 80th anniversary of Glenn Gould's birth on September 25, 2012, which will be marked by major commemorative events across Canada and around the world honouring this Canadian icon's enduring contribution to music and global culture.

The Glenn Gould Foundation honours Glenn Gould's spirit and legacy by celebrating brilliance, promoting creativity and transforming lives through the power of music and the arts with the Foundation's signature activities, including The Glenn Gould Prize. The international award is presented biennially to a living luminary who has made a unique lifetime contribution through the arts. The Foundation seeks to use the prize to stimulate projects of social impact and significance, as is reflected in its motto: From Celebration to Inspiration to Transformation. Nominations for the prize are made by the general public and a laureate is subsequently chosen by an international panel of judges who convene in Toronto for deliberations. A tribute to Glenn Gould's artistry and his multifaceted contributions to culture, the prize promotes the vital connection between artistic excellence and the transformation of lives. Past laureates include Dr. José Antonio Abreu (2008), founder of El Sistema, Venezuela's free music education program for children and youth, Pierre Boulez (2002), Oscar Peterson (1993) and Yo-Yo Ma (1999). For more information on the foundation, prize and laureates visit www.glenngould.ca.

Media Contact:
Karen Lorenowicz, KL Strategic Communications, 416-347-9661, karen.l@sympatico.ca

"Leonard Cohen chooses Sistema Toronto as protégé"

CBC News, May 7, 2012

Leonard Cohen has chosen Sistema Toronto, a program that offers free, intensive music education to children from culturally diverse neighbourhoods, to share in his Glenn Gould Prize.

The Montreal singer, artist, poet and writer will receive the $50,000 Glenn Gould Prize for lifetime achievement next week.

He will also present representatives from Sistema Toronto the corresponding $15,000 Protégé Prize, which is funded by the city of Toronto.

Sistema Toronto began its work in the Toronto school system in 2011, after a group of Canadian music educators were inspired by the El Sistema system created by Venezuelan economist, politician, educator and musician Jose Antonio Abreu.

In 2009, the Glenn Gould Foundation presented Abreu with the Glenn Gould Prize in Toronto, where he spoke about how the system helps poor Venezuelan children escape poverty and violence. One of the system's most prominent graduates is superstar conductor Gustavo Dudamel, now music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.

In Toronto, the music students work with professional artists and teachers for two hours at the end of every school day. Sistema Toronto artistic director David Visentin calls the program a powerful tool to shape young lives.

"There is no telling how powerful this impact will be in future years," he said in a statement.

"By awarding the children of Sistema Toronto the collective honour of being named the City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégés, Leonard Cohen is giving much more than a prize. He is instilling hope, awakening dreams and he is challenging talent to reveal itself in the years to come."

Music-filled gala

On May 14, Cohen's accomplishments will be celebrated with a gala at Massey Hall in Toronto. The event will feature performances by musicians such as Basia Bulat, the Cowboy Junkies, James McMurtry, Serena Ryder, Anjani Thomas and Cohen's son Adam. Free events, including an exhibit of Leonard Cohen's artwork, are also taking place this week.

Cohen was named winner of the Glenn Gould Prize in 2011. Dubbed the "Nobel Prize of the Arts" by some, the Gould Prize is awarded biennially to "an individual for a unique lifetime contribution that has enriched the human condition through the arts."

"One of the most remarkable things about his extraordinary career is how it has become richer and deeper as each decade passed," said British writer and filmmaker Stephen Fry, who sat on the international jury that chose Cohen as winner.

Cohen had a bestseller with his 2006 poetry collection Book of Longing and topped music charts throughout Europe earlier this year with his most recent album, Old Ideas.

"Cohen celebrates Cohen"

Toronto Sun by Jane Stevenson, May 10, 2012

Son Adam thrilled to be honouring dad Leonard at Massey Hall gala

TORONTO - Adam Cohen is thrilled to be among those artists honouring his father, Montreal singer-songwriter-poet-novelist Leonard Cohen, at the Glenn Gould Prize Gala Concert at Massey Hall on Monday night.

It wasn't always the case.

After trying to forge his own musical path, including as a pop rocker in the band Low Millions, the junior Cohen more recently embraced his folk-poet lineage on his latest solo album, 2011's Like a Man.

"I'm very happy to have been invited in what is becoming a very pleasing trend to me and that is this deepening recognition for my father's career and contribution to music and song," said Adam down the line from his L.A. home.

"And generally I've been known to decline offers to participate in tributes like this, but recently my professional life has been characterized by embracing these kinds of tributes and wanting to celebrate my father, inwardly and publicly, professionally and privately, and so this was a great opportunity."

The junior Cohen, 39, wanted to keep the song he's going to perform a secret but allowed that among his favourites written by his father are Take This Waltz, So Long, Marianne, Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye, Field Commander Cohen, and Love Itself.

Cohen, 77, who is receiving the $50,000 Glenn Gould Prize, will be feted by an impressive lineup including Jimmie Dale Gilmore, folk singer Basia Bulat, Adrienne Clarkson, Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor with Gordon Pinsent and Travis Good, Anjani Thomas, John Prine, Michael Ondaatje, James McMurtry, Melissa Auf der Maur, Cowboy Junkies, Alan Rickman, Serena Ryder, and the evening's host, Colm Feore.

"I'm always worried about how long these events are but I'm most worried about it from the standpoint of my father in the audience. Poor guy, he has to sit through that whole thing," joked Adam. "I might put a sleeping pill in his water bottle and have his handlers just wake him up for my segment. That's too long. As a sign of rebellion I might drop out of this thing to make it a couple of minutes shorter! We'll have to time the pill very carefully."

Both Cohens are actually touring Canada separately this year -- Leonard's new album Old Ideas just came out earlier this year -- but Adam said not to ever rule out them going on the road together one day.

"It's not out of the question," he said. "My interest is in protecting his interest and his show is already three and a half hours long, on average. It's an incredibly generous show and I'm not certain that me either opening for him or appearing on stage would be any more generous. I actually bugger off to a tour of Korea (after the Massey Hall concert) so I'm happy I'll be seeing him the day before I leave."

"James McMurtry: Leonard Cohen as an inspiration and a romantic aid"

Toronto Star by Garnet Fraser, May 11, 2012

A quarter-century ago, "First We Take Manhattan" became a minor pop hit and spurred a resurgence in the career of Canadian songwriting legend Leonard Cohen. Down in Texas, it did fellow songsmith James McMurtry a favour or two as well.

"I was dating a lady that liked to have sex with it on," the veteran roots musician recalls drily on the phone from Austin, before flying to Toronto to perform at Monday's gala tribute to Cohen.

"It did rather lodge in my memory: the lyrics and the delivery as well, the way he phrased, and the production. It was right for what he was doing, it turned into this sort of whisper from God."

One suspects that the frankly, tastefully libidinous Cohen would approve of the manner of his breakthrough with McMurtry, though it was a while in coming. "The first of Leonard's stuff that I heard was 'Suzanne,' because my father had a 45 record of it which he played incessantly, so I didn't care much for the guy."

It's natural to see why Larry McMurtry, respected novelist and Pulitzer Prize winner for Lonesome Dove, would be drawn to Cohen's lyric, often wry, naughty and profound in the same verse. Eventually, his son, now a gifted 50-year-old songwriter with eight studio albums under his belt, came to understand. He likens the 77-year-old Cohen to another of his idols, Kris Kristofferson: "Either of their lyrics, you can sing 'em or you can talk 'em, with equal effect."

(A sample of those lyrics: They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom/ For trying to change the system from within/ I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them/ First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin . . .)

Many will get their crack at Cohen songs at Monday's gala at Massey Hall. His son Adam Cohen, Canadian musicians Cowboy Junkies, Serena Ryder, and Basia Bulat, as well as John Prine and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. There will be a speech by Adrienne Clarkson, poetry readings by Alan Rickman and Michael Ondaatje, as well as Gordon Pinsent creating songs out of Cohen's poetry with Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor and Travis Good of the Sadies.

It's not the first tribute to Cohen on McMurtry's part; the final track on his 2008 album Just Us Kids is entitled "You'd A' Thought (Leonard Cohen Must Die)" -- a tribute, he says, to the distracting power of Cohen's music to wreak havoc on McMurtry's productivity.

Now the Texan will fly to Toronto for the sole purpose of performing one Cohen song, "Closing Time" -- among his favourites, with "First We Take Manhattan" and "The Future" -- at the gala. If that seems like a long trip for a small task, he doesn't mind.

"I'm mostly looking forward to being in Toronto in May. The first time I was ever there was in May and it was like party. It was the first warm day of the year, everybody hit the streets and everybody was in a good mood."

Thanks to Arlene of Arlene's Leonard Cohen Scrapbook for supplying this article.

"Adam Cohen honoured 'to give proper due' to dad Leonard"

CBC, May 14, 2012

Canadian music legend Leonard Cohen is being feted in Toronto Monday night with a star-studded tribute featuring a host of musicians, including his singer-songwriter son, Adam. Held at Toronto's historic Massey Hall, the gala will celebrate the venerable Montreal poet, singer and author as the latest recipient of the Glenn Gould Prize.

Described by some as the "Nobel Prize of the Arts," the award is presented biennially to "an individual for a unique lifetime contribution that has enriched the human condition through the arts."

"Telling somebody [during their] lifetime what you actually think of them, instead of waiting for the obituary and saying 'Oh, he was a swell guy,' -- you know, that in itself is an honour. That's an honour for you to be able to give proper due to somebody," the younger Cohen said of his father's latest accolade.

"Although I've always had a healthy, large and deep admiration for my father, I haven't demonstrated his influence on me and celebrated him outwardly until late in my life," he told CBC News on Monday.

"It's a very rewarding activity to give praise where praise is due, to give praise where praise is welcome. And when it's not too late."

The event will also honour music education program Sistema Toronto, which Cohen chose to share in his Gould Prize win as recipient of the corresponding Protégé Prize.

The younger Cohen, whose recent albumLike a Man was somewhat of an homage to his father's style, will perform some of Leonard's songs at Monday's event.

Other performers will include by Basia Bulat, the Cowboy Junkies, James McMurtry, Serena Ryder and Anjani Thomas.

"These are people who have been touched by his work," the younger Cohen said. "These are people who want to celebrate my father's influence on them, and there's nothing more beautiful and honest and simple than that."

Cohen is set to embark on a North American tour to support his latest album, Old Ideas, this fall.

"Leonard Cohen's career to be honoured with Glenn Gould Prize"

CTV by CTVNews.ca Staff, May 14, 2012

After six decades of making music and poetry on his own terms, 77-year-old icon Leonard Cohen will be honoured in Toronto on Monday, where he will receive the Glenn Gould Prize for his contribution to the arts.

"For years he would decline anything like this," the elder Cohen's son, singer Adam Cohen told CTV's Canada AM.

"He's not much for participating in celebrations of his own works or his own life," Cohen said in an interview Monday.

Known for the distinctive, moody lyricism in songs such as "Suzanne," "So Long, Marianne," and "Dance Me to the End of Love," Cohen will become the ninth recipient of the Glenn Gould Prize.

The international award and the $50,000 prize that accompanies it are bestowed by the Glenn Gould Foundation in memory of Canadian pianist, Glenn Gould.

Monday's gala at Toronto's Massey Hall will include tributes from some of the biggest names in the arts, such as English actor Alan Rickman, novelist Michael Ondaatje, Juno-winning singer-songwriter Serena Ryder, as well as Blue Rodeo's singer-songwriter Greg Keelor, actor Gordon Pinsent and singer Travis Good.

The celebration for one of the most covered recording artists alive will also be hosted by actor Colm Feore, star of the Bravo miniseries, "The Borgias."

Feore and Cowboy Junkies singer Maro Timmins joined Adam Cohen to share their thoughts about the legendary singer's appeal on Monday's edition of Canada AM.

The veteran singer's latest album, "Old Ideas," was released in January of 2012 to good reviews.

Tonight's tribute, "Is about us getting the chance to say thanks for his music, his attitude and for his graciousness. He's taught us a lot," said Timmins.

"To be a good singer you have to have good songs. Leonard Cohen has always offered good songs," the 51-year-old singer said. One of the best of Cohen's career, said Timmins, is the 1971 tune "Joan of Arc."

The song is built around a dialogue between Joan and the fire that consumers her, and lasts almost six-and-a-half minutes. "For years I've been trying to figure out what it means," said Timmins.

"That's what a great song does. It intrigues you. It asks you to dig," she said.

"Hallelujah," another Cohen favourite, is frequently cited by singers and fans.

Originally released on Cohen's 1984 studio album "Various Positions," "Hallelujah" has been covered by some 200 artists in various languages.

It's been the subject of a BBC Radio documentary and has been featured in the soundtracks of numerous films and TV programs. The song's success amused Cohen, as he once said in a radio interview in 2009 with the CBC. Ironically, Cohen's record company refused to publish the tune when he wrote it.

Years later, however, "Hallelujah" and others iconic tunes from Cohen's career have cemented his place in music's pantheon. "He's massive. He's huge because he resonates simply, essentially with everyone," said Feore, who recently caught his own teenaged daughter humming Cohen's "Song of Bernadette."

"What the Glenn Gould Foundation is doing is establishing something like Nobel Prize for the arts," said Feore.

"There's a $50,000 prize and a $15,000 protégé prize. A lot of good can come from that," he said.

Honoree Cohen has chosen the music program Sistema-Toronto to receive the City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé $15,000 protégé prize.

Launched in 2011, Sistema-Toronto works in collaboration with the Toronto District School Board to offer free musical education to kids in the city's Parkdale neighbourhood.

The choice, as well as Cohen's reach across generations gives his 39-year-old son great satisfaction.

As a teen, Adam Cohen often wondered why the "old guy," as he called his father wasn't more popular. The passing years changed that perception.

"He's almost 78 and at the height of his artistic popularity," said son Cohen, who launched of his own music career in 1997.

"He's always been genuinely flattered to hear other people sing his songs," he said.

"Artists Take Leonard Cohen's Music to the Streets"

Torontoist by Brendan Ross, May 11, 2012. Photos by Dean Bradley

More than two dozen young Toronto musicians are playing the Lady's Man's songs on a downtown corner near you today and tomorrow.

From his books of poetry and fiction, to his role in the 1960s folk-music scene, to his decades of haunting and iconic songs, Leonard Cohen is undoubtedly one of Canada's most prolific and beloved artists. This weekend, to celebrate the singer/songwriter winning the Glenn Gould Prize, more than 30 musicians are taking Cohen's music to the streets of Toronto.

Amy Nostbakken performs at the corner of University and Queen.

The impromptu concerts coincide with a week of events that culminates on Monday with a gala concert celebrating Cohen. Cohen is the ninth laureate of the Glenn Gould Prize, an international award established in 1987 to recognize people who have made a lifelong contribution to the arts.

This is the first time the Glenn Gould Foundation, the organization that administers the prize, is putting on such a large-scale public performance. The foundation's executive director, Brian Levine, says the decision came out of the popularity of Cohen's music and the desire to put young Canadian artists in the spotlight. "Given that there's such a widespread love for Leonard and his work, this provided a forum to not only express that across the community...but also as a way of helping to bring to light some really wonderful young talent."

Many of the musicians taking to the street today and tomorrow cite Cohen as a major influence for most of their lives. Oliver Pigott, one half of the acoustic pop duo The Pigott Brothers, performs near the Four Seasons Centre at University and Queen. He says he got into Cohen's music when, as a child, he heard "First We Take Manhattan," the opening track from Cohen's 1987 album Famous Blue Raincoat. "That affected me in a way I can't really elaborate on," he says. "Except to say it was a huge influence in my deciding to become a songwriter myself."

For Anna Jarvis, cellist for The Benefit of the Free Man, who performs this weekend at the corner of Avenue and Bloor, the introduction to Cohen came from her father, who used to play his music while they cooked dinner. "I now associate songs like 'So Long, Marianne' with chopping carrots and mincing garlic," she says.

Levine says Cohen's songs remain so popular partly because his lyrics tap into shared experiences, and partly because of the feeling at the core of the music. "There's a quality in some of his most popular songs, a hymn-like quality just in the melodic structure itself. And that's the kind of thing that really roots itself in the mind."

Singer-songwriter Brooke Harris, who performs under the name Gray and can be found this weekend at the Yorkville Parkette, is excited but a little nervous about playing Cohen's music. "He's a scary one to touch, because there are so many people that don't do him justice," she says. However, she is excited to take part in such a large-scale event. "Canada has some really incredible up-and-coming artists, the majority of whom we have no idea about. I think it's a chance to open more eyes and to share with the unsuspecting public music they've maybe never heard."