Folk Canada Announces Host, Performers and Honourees at the 2025 Ontario Folk Music Awards

Al Rankin, John and Michele Law Named 2025 Estelle Klein Award Recipients, Steven Dagenais with Inaugural Climate Honour

JUNO Award Winning Host Angelique Francis will perform alongside Evan Rotella, Julian Taylor, Larry Folk, Sam Drysdale, and Savannah Shea 

The 31st annual Ontario Folk Music Awards will take place on October 15, 2025 at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre 

Ottawa, ON - September 23 2025 - Folk Canada is pleased to announce the 2025 Estelle Klein Award recipients, Ontario Folk Music Award host, and performing acts. Al Rankin and John and Michele Law will receive the 2025 Estelle Klein Award, with Steven Dagenais named as the recipient of the inaugural Culture in Climate Award. JUNO and Ontario Folk Music Award winner, Angelique Francis, will host the show and will later perform with her band, alongside additional performances by Evan Rotella, Julian Taylor, Larry Folk, Sam Drysdale, and Savannah Shea.

The Estelle Klein Award honours the work of an individual or group that has made significant contributions to Ontario’s folk music community, and is named after advocate and festival pioneer, Estelle Klein. The honours are divided into two areas of recognition, The Community Builder Award, and The Lifetime Achievement Award. Past recipients include Ian Tamblyn, Erin Benjamin, and Jackie Washington. The Culture in Climate Award, introduced this year, recognizes an individual, organization, or company in Canada's Folk music sector that demonstrates outstanding commitment to climate action and environmental responsibility.

Presented in partnership with the National Arts Centre, the 31st annual Ontario Folk Music Awards will take place on Wednesday, October 15, 2025 at the National Arts Centre and will formally launch the Folk Music Ontario Conference. Established in 1987 and now in its 38th year, the 2025 Folk Music Ontario Conference will take place October 15-19 in Ottawa, Ontario at the Delta Hotels Ottawa City Centre and welcomes attendees from across the country to the event. To learn more, Folk Canada invites interested parties to visit their website and sign up for their newsletter. You can also register for the 2025 Folk Music Ontario Conference here.

The Estelle Klein Award Recipients

Lifetime Achievement Award - Al Rankin

For over 40 years, Al Rankin has been a tireless presenter, promoter, and mentor, helping countless Canadian folk musicians find audiences and opportunities. From transforming his home into an intimate concert hall to producing landmark shows with legends like Pete Seeger and Judy Collins, he has created spaces where music and community thrive. A natural teacher, he continues to inspire young artists by bringing them into schools, sharing their stories, and nurturing the next generation of talent. His unwavering dedication, generosity, and vision embody the spirit of the Estelle Klein Lifetime Achievement Award.

Community Builder Award - John and Michele Law

For more than two decades, John and Michele Law have dedicated themselves to strengthening their local community through music. As founders of the Kingsville Folk Music Festival and the Sun Parlour Folk Music Society, the celebrated artists have created platforms that showcase world-class artistry while nurturing emerging youth talent through initiatives like the MAY Fund. Their generosity, vision, and commitment have brought people together, supported local families in times of need, and enriched cultural life across Southwestern Ontario. Using music as a bridge to inspire, connect, and uplift, the Laws embody the true spirit of community building.

Culture in Climate Award - Steven Dagenais

Steven Dagenais has distinguished himself as a leader at the intersection of culture, sustainability, and innovation, creating platforms that use music and the arts to inspire urgent climate action. Through his company Mydas Greenworks and its Hinter Live initiative, he has generated meaningful employment in the creative sector while integrating environmental responsibility, reforestation efforts, and sustainable event practices at the core of his work. His projects amplify underrepresented voices, center Indigenous and diaspora artists, and transform natural landscapes into living stages that connect audiences to pressing ecological realities. With vision, creativity, and global leadership, Steven exemplifies how cultural practice can drive both climate resilience and community transformation.

From Folk Canada Executive Director, Rosalyn Dennett:

“Each of these recipients represents the very best of what it means to lead with vision, generosity, and creativity. From Al Rankin’s lifelong dedication to fostering Canadian folk music, to John and Michele Law’s extraordinary work building community through festivals and youth programs, to Steven Dagenais Narvaez’s innovative leadership in uniting culture and climate action, they have each made a profound and lasting impact. Their passion, integrity, and commitment inspire us all, and it is a privilege to recognize them with these awards.”

The 2025 Ontario Folk Music Award Nominees are:

Song of the Year

“Weighing Down” by Julian Taylor (Julian Dean Taylor, Tyler James Ellis)

“There is a Power” by Larry Folk (Lawrence J Folk)

“Just A Little Bit” by Lynne Hanson (Lynne Hanson, Blair Michael Hogan)

“Only the Strong Survive” by Sam Drysdale (Sam Drysdale, Ally Sou, Tal Vaisman)

“Best Remembered” by Savannah Shea (Savannah Shea)

“Train Coming” by The Angelique Francis Band (Angelique Francis, Kiran Francis) 

Album of the Year

“Anniversary” by Abigail Lapell

“Precious Diamonds” by Adrian Sutherland

“Kanzafula” by Ahmed Moneka

“Ghoyoum” by Kazdoura

“Slice of Life” by Larnell Lewis

“Azadi” by Tamar Ilana 

Recording Artist of the Year

Abigail Lapell

Jessica Pearson and the East Wind

Julian Taylor

Steven Taetz

The Angelique Francis Band

Tragedy Ann 

Performing Artist of the Year

Bruno Capinan

Gal George Gjurin

Irish Millie

Jessica Pearson and the East Wind

Sultans of String

Tennyson King 

Music Video of the Year

“Precious” by Adrian Sutherland

“Khayal” by Kazdoura

“Only the Strong Survive” by Sam Drysdale

“Every Morning” by Tragedy Ann

“Waltz of the Birds and the Bees” by Willowbrook