Prepare to be dazzled at the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Awards
Recipients’ defining moments explored at this year’s gala celebration
Schedule and parking update:
Wow! What a week! To accommodate for the start of the Winnipeg Jets / Nashville Predators game, we are moving the Distinguished Alumni Awards reception start time by 30 minutes to begin at 6 p.m. The formal awards ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. Also, considering we’ll have one of the biggest screens in town, we will be transforming our Gala After Party into one of the best Jets viewing parties in the city!
We anticipate parking will be limited, and suggest parking in the Radisson Hotel Winnipeg Downtown (288 Portage Avenue) or Millennium Library (251 Donald Street) parking lots.
Each year, the University of Manitoba is thrilled to honour several outstanding alumni at the Distinguished Alumni Awards Celebration of Excellence gala.
On Thursday, May 10, we are proud to acknowledge this year’s outstanding recipients for their remarkable achievements: Paul Soubry, Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum, Tina Jones, Jan Lederman and Dr. Shayne Reitmeier. They join the esteemed list of past recipients such as Olympian Desiree Scott, Nobel prize winner, Scott Cairns, and Indigenous advocate Marion Meadmore.
Held in the opulent Metropolitan Entertainment Centre, the evening begins with a gourmet pre-event reception, featuring locally inspired tapas and food stations, along with a selection of wines curated by Winnipeg’s own Banville & Jones Wine Co.
This year, the ceremony will be hosted by Bison and NFL alumnus, Israel Idonije. The recipient of a 2014 honorary degree, Idonije is a humanitarian, entrepreneur, philanthropist and community leader.
The event will feature an eclectic mix of exciting performances by our talented U of M students, including Elena Howard-Scott, a regular performer at Rainbow Stage, recent winner of a Lawrence Genser Scholarship and fourth-year voice major in the Desautels Faculty of Music. A regular performer at Rainbow Stage, Elena is cast in their upcoming August musical, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast.
Also gracing the stage will be students from the University of Manitoba Opera Theatre Ensemble, performing an excerpt from their current touring production, Life in the Key of Genius: The story of Mozart and his operas, along with several other award-winning Desautels students.
Post presentations and performances the celebration will continue with a gala after party, featuring a live DJ spinning great music along with surprising pop-up performances. Guests can mingle and munch on delicious food, while also having an opportunity to congratulate the award recipients.