Vancouver, B.C. – The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) announces the 2026 recipients of its 5th Annual Gold Baton Awards, honouring Canadians who have made extraordinary and transformative contributions to our community. “This year, the VSO is thrilled to recognize three luminaries who have built lasting legacies in service to our community. Steven Page will receive the Gold Baton Award for Music for his inspiring contributions to the Canadian music scene. The Gold Baton in Corporate Leadership will be awarded to Darren Entwistle for his visionary leadership at TELUS, and George Stroumboulopoulos will receive a Gold Baton Award for his Cultural Leadership,” announced Angela Elster, CEO & President of the VSO and VSO School of Music. “Steven Page, Darren Entwistle and George Stroumboulopoulos join a distinguished group of past recipients including Paul Shaffer, Oscar Peterson, Measha Brueggergosman-Lee, The Tenors, and corporate leaders including Martin Thibodeau and Brandt Louie.” This year’s winners will be celebrated at the upcoming Power of Music Gala on Mar. 12, 2026 at the Orpheum, with proceeds benefiting the VSO and VSO School of Music.
Gold Baton Award – Music: Steven Page
Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Steven Page has established himself as one of the most recognizable and enduring voices in entertainment. 2025 has seen Steven touring almost non-stop across Canada and the US and with new music releases on the horizon, Steven has no plans to slow down anytime soon.
As a co-founder, vocalist and songwriter for Barenaked Ladies, Steven sang and wrote classics like “Brian Wilson,” “If I Had a Million Dollars”, “What a Good Boy,” “It’s All Been Done” and many more. With the band, he sold over 15 Million albums and scored multiple Junos, Billboard Music Awards, SOCAN awards, Gemini Awards and two Grammy nominations. After leaving the band in 2009, Steven embarked on a solo career that has produced five solo albums.
2022’s Excelsior saw Steven tour worldwide, from folk festivals to cabarets and theatres, all the way to packed arenas on his string of dates opening for rock legends The Who as well as a run of shows with Billy Bragg. A new album of holiday music is slated for release in fall 2026 and the first single, “Christmas In Toronto” is now streaming on all music platforms.
Steven performs in many configuration but has been playing most often with his pals in The Steven Page Trio, Craig Northey of Vancouver legends Odds on guitar, and Kevin Fox on cello. The trio configuration provides the right amount of portability, intimacy and power to fill just about any venue imaginable.
Steven and his Trio have performed arrangements of some of his best-loved songs with orchestras including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Symphony New Brunswick, the Calgary Philharmonic, and the West Texas Symphony. Next up will be a performance in St. John’s with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra in Feb. 2026.
A passionate mental health advocate, Steven has been in demand as a public speaker since 2011, sharing his own story with audiences across North America.
The Governor-General’s Performing Arts Awards approached Steven in 2021 about writing a song as a surprise tribute to his friend, Ryan Reynolds. The result was “Canada Loves You Back,” a song as poignant, humourous and Canadian as the actor it honours.
Steven has been a frequent collaborator with Toronto’s Art of Time Ensemble, made up of some of Canada’s best classical, jazz and pop musicians. With AOTE, he released an album of covers, A Singer Must Die, in 2009, and also appears on their Sgt. Pepper and Songs of Leonard Cohen albums.
Along with Chris Murphy (Sloan), Moe Berg (The Pursuit of Happiness), and Craig Northey (Odds), Steven makes up a quarter of The Trans-Canada Highwaymen, four lead singers of classic Canadian bands, whose first album of Canadian covers, Explosive Hits Vol. 1, was released in 2023.
Steven’s Live From Home livestreams, began during the pandemic and continue to this day. More information can be found here : https://linktr.ee/stevenpage
Gold Baton Award – Corporate Leadership: Darren Entwistle
Darren joined TELUS in 2000 as President and CEO, and is the longest-serving CEO in the global telecommunications industry. Under Darren’s leadership, B.C.-based TELUS has evolved from a regional telephone company serving Western Canada into a global communications and information technology leader. Throughout the past 25 years, the TELUS brand has increased in value from a few hundred million dollars to $12.1 billion today, ranked as the most valuable telco brand in Canada by Brand Finance.
Darren believes passionately that TELUS’ greatest asset is the more than 130,000 team members and retirees around the globe who comprise the TELUS family, including the 20,000 in B.C. TELUS is consistently recognized for its global leadership in respect of team engagement and has been ranked number one in the world for a company of its size and composition according to third-party surveyor Mercer. This incredible level of engagement led to TELUS earning the distinction of being the sixth company ever inducted into Waterstone Human Capital’s Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures Hall of Fame. Moreover, TELUS has been recognized by Forbes as one of the World’s Best Employers four times.
At the heart of TELUS’ culture is a deeply rooted belief in the symbiotic relationship between business success and the welfare of our communities. In 2023, Darren and the TELUS team launched the TELUS Student Bursary, which strives to ensure that every young person in Canada who wants a postsecondary education will get one. Thus far, the TELUS Student Bursary program has distributed $6 million in bursaries to 2,000 students and counting. Since 2000, TELUS and its team members have generously devoted $1.8 billion in value, including 2.5 million days of volunteerism in local communities. This includes $380,000 and 9.1 million volunteer hours in B.C. alone. In 2010, TELUS became the first Canadian company to be named the Most Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation globally by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Reflecting TELUS’ leadership in responsible corporate citizenship, TELUS has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index for 24 consecutive years – a feat unequalled by any of its North American peers – and has also been named to the World Index 14 times. In addition, TELUS was recognized in TIME Magazine’s World’s Most Sustainable Companies for two consecutive years, ranking #21 of 500 companies globally, #2 Canadian company and #1 Canadian telecommunications company.
In recognition of Darren’s exemplary contributions to the community and to Canada as a whole, in 2018, he was appointed to the Order of Canada. Similarly, in 2003 he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and in 2012 he received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2022, Darren was inducted into the Business Laureates of British Columbia Hall of Fame; was named Canadian Business Leader of the Year by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce; and was awarded the International Horatio Alger Award by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, an honour bestowed upon North America’s most respected leaders in appreciation of their hard work and, perseverance and ability to overcome obstacles. Additionally, Darren earned recognition as CEO Achiever, Champion of the Year by CEO World Awards, was named the Most Admired CEO by Waterstone Human Capital in 2017, received the President’s Award from the Institute for Performance and Development in 2015, and was presented with the inaugural Innovator of the Year award from the Ontario Science Centre in 2012 in honour of his contributions to innovation in science. Darren is also the recipient of the 2011 Canadian Business Leader of the Year Award from the University of Alberta; the 2011 Champion of Public Education Award from The Learning Partnership; and the 2011 T. Patrick Boyle Founders Award by the Fraser Institute for outstanding leadership in business and philanthropy. On a worldwide basis, Darren was recognized with the CEO Leadership in Action Award from Diversity Journal in 2011 and the National Philanthropy Business Leader of the Year Award in 2010 from the David Foster Foundation.
Darren has a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) degree from Concordia University, an MBA in Finance from McGill University and a diploma in Network Engineering from the University of Toronto. He has received honorary Doctorates of Law from McGill University, Concordia University, the University of Alberta and the University of Victoria. Darren is an Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory in Toronto.
More information can be found on www.telus.com.
Gold Baton Award – Cultural Leadership: George Stroumboulopoulos
George Stroumboulopoulos is an award-winning Canadian broadcaster, producer, entrepreneur and cultural leader known as a conductor of meaningful conversations with artists, changemakers and world leaders - championing impactful voices and ideas.
George began his media career in radio, working in sports and music before moving to television with Much Music in the early 2000s. In 2005, he launched The Hour (later George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight) on CBC, a talk show that redefined Canadian television and engaged with newsmakers such as Maya Angelou, King Charles, Lady Gaga and Lebron James.
He later took his talents to the U.S., hosting Stroumboulopoulos on CNN in 2013, before pivoting into hockey as host of Hockey Night in Canada – the nations most watched program. His passion for music has remained constant, and today he hosts the Strombo Show on Apple Music Hits reaching 165 countries around the globe and continues to support new artists and deep cuts alike. For Apple Books, he curates Strombo’s Lit – highlighting and interviewing a diverse group of groundbreaking authors. George also holds an Honorary Doctor of Laws and is the CEO of a music label, No Dad Records.
Beyond broadcasting, he is an outspoken advocate for humanitarian causes, using his platform for issues around food security, education, climate change, and human rights. He is Canada’s first Goodwill Ambassador for the UN’s World Food Programme travelling to Syria, Pakistan, Sudan, and Haiti to see the work firsthand. George is also on the Canadian board of Artists for Peace and Justice and since 2019 has funded a yearly scholarship with the Canadian Music Therapy Fund. In 2023 he was appointed to the Order of Canada and most recently was given an Honorary Fellowship with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
With an over 30 years career spanning radio, television, and digital media, George continues to build his reputation as one of Canada’s most influential voices in music, current events, and social issues.
Vancouver Symphony Power of Music Gala
Presented by Connor, Clark & Lunn Private Capital
Following two sold-out galas, the VSO and VSO School of Music’s largest annual fundraiser will take place on Mar. 12, 2026 at the Orpheum, the orchestra’s home since 1977. This event promises a one-in-a-lifetime experience, transforming Vancouver’s architectural landmark into an intimate concert venue for 800 guests with unforgettable performances, fine food and wine, and irresistible auction items. Hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos, the evening will feature a special private concert by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra led my Music Director Maestro Otto Tausk with a special appearance by Steven Page. Tickets to this exclusive experience are available for purchase at vancouversymphony.ca/gala, with proceeds supporting the VSO and VSO School of Music’s work serving the Lower Mainland.
Media Availability
Interviews with the award recipients and Angela Elster are available upon request.
Cameron MacRae, Vice President, Marketing & Sales
Email: cameron.macrae@vancouversymphony.ca Phone : 604.696.4296
About Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Founded in 1919, the VSO is the third largest symphony orchestra in Canada, and the largest performing arts organization in Western Canada. The VSO creates, curates, and connects irresistible musical experiences—performing 150+ concerts annually in its home, the Orpheum, as well as numerous venues throughout Metro Vancouver, and online. The VSO is one of a handful of orchestras worldwide that has its own music school: the VSO School of Music. The organization delivers extensive education programs reaching more than 50,000 young people annually, and community engagement initiatives that reach a further 100,000+ people. Maestro Otto Tausk is the VSO’s Music Director and the Artistic Advisor of the VSO School of Music.
About VSO School of Music
VSO School of Music, founded in 2010, is a 25,000 square foot state of-the-art music school located adjacent to the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Vancouver. With a mission to enrich lives through the joy of learning, playing and performing the world’s great music, the VSO SoM develops experiences that are accessible to all, regardless of age, ability, playing level or economic circumstances; and by nurturing creative and engaged members of society through achievement in the musical arts. With a roster of over 1,900 students, the School is proud to offer individual or group instruction by members of the Vancouver Symphony and other high-quality music educators.
