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In 1991, owner John Rochetta started The Beat Goes On with one store at Stanley Park Mall, selling only new music. Since then The Beat Goes On has expanded to 11 locations operating in Ontario, all linked through a very effective web site. The Beat Goes On provides the residents of Waterloo Region with a comfortable and convenient place to not only exchange or sell the CDs, DVDs and video games they no longer use, but to also buy these items at a fraction of the price of new ones. Providing Canada's largest selection of quality used CDs, DVDs and video games, this corporation is devoted to guaranteeing the quality of its products. Yet, John has done more than just run a business; The Beat Goes On prides itself on maintaining an integral role in the Waterloo Region’s arts community. For over four years it has been the main source of support for the Music and Movie Night in Waterloo Park by providing promotion, administration, organization and funding. This corporation has also hosted the GO! Music Festival for its third successful year, proving that Kitchener-Waterloo deserves to be recognized as a rich and diverse music region. By allowing independent musicians to sell and showcase their music through its very busy website based store, The Beat Goes On has become a champion in helping to reignite the indie music scene in the Kitchener-Waterloo region.
Born in 1934 in Niagara Falls Ontario, Tony Urquhart was recognized as one of Canada’s pioneering abstract artists in the late 1950s and early 1960s, having been one of the painters associated with The Isaacs Gallery in Toronto and later with The Heart of London group (which included Jack Chambers, Greg Curnoe, and Murry Favro). Upon graduating from the Albright Art School in Buffalo in 1958, Tony embarked on the first of many annual trips to Europe, where he was attracted to what he called the ‘otherness’ of the visual experiences he encountered there. He was particularly drawn to the landscape, architecture and pilgrimage sites. By 1960, he became the first artist-in-residence at the University of Western Ontario where he subsequently began his teaching career. This led him to the University of Waterloo, where he has been Full-time professor of Fine Arts for three decades. Tony has been involved in the illustration of works by his wife, the writer Jane Urquhart, as well as those of Michael Ondaatje, Matt Cohen, Louis Dudek, and Rohinton Mistry. His work is featured in many important private and public collections such as New York's Museum of Modern Art; the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris; and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.
Maggie Roth, 14, keeps busy singing, acting, dancing and playing guitar. She has performed with The Community Players in five productions, the Stratford Community Players in three productions, The Singers Theatre, and most recently played Annie with Kitchener Waterloo Musical Productions
Sharon Ding won top honours for her piano grade, representing KW at the OMFA competitions for three consecutive years. She also won the RCM Silver Medal for Ontario’s highest grade nine piano examinations, and was piano concerto soloist with the KW Symphony.
A Wilfrid Laurier Business graduate with a minor in music, Paul Maxwell successfully launched Maxwell’s Music House in Waterloo, offering music lessons, rehearsal space and weekly concerts. Paul has both performed and taught locally since moving to Waterloo in 2003.
Colin White A student of Doon Public School in Kitchener where he was born and raised, Colin White is a seasoned musician who has entertained audiences all over Southwest Ontario. He is proud to represent Kitchener and its music community.
Playwright and performer, Gary Kirkham is also a member of Lost&Found Theatre, collaborator with the MT Space and the Blyth Festival’s Playwright in Residence. He is the author of Queen Milli of Galt and Falling: A Wake, which has been optioned for Off Broadway.
Noriko Maeda believes that sharing her learning of Japanese culture – especially traditional Japanese calligraphy – with contemporary Canadians is her mission. Not only is she reconciling these two cultures in the present, but she strives to link them for future generations
Educator and director, Alan K. Sapp has often been cast in famous historical roles, including Moustapha Akkad in the upcoming MT Space production of The Last Fifteen Seconds, King Henry II, C.S. Lewis, Albert Einstein, Molière, and George Frederick Handel.
Arpilleras are pieces of burlap covered in colourful fabric scraps arranged to tell a story. The Arpillera Project helps Arpillera artists share the stories of their communities, reshape their lives, and celebrate the diverse new communities they are creating in Kitchener-Waterloo.
An award-winning performer, Kevin Ramessar inspires young learners, working regularly with students. His performances have earned accolades from Pat Metheny and Ron Sexsmith, and recent appearances include the Juno Songwriters’ Circle, Canada AM, and opening for Tony Bennett, Maceo Parker and Chris Botti.
Jennifer Rodrigues has been an educator in our community for 25 years. Actively involved in the promotion of the arts both locally and provincially, Jennifer’s students have graduated into careers in Music, Professional Theatre, and Teaching.
In 2006, after 17 years as The Record arts editor, Philip Bast retired…well, sort of. That is when he picked up a video camera to continue celebrating the Waterloo Region’s arts community on the web and on television.
 Special Jury AwardChristopher Sharpe Completing his 30th season in the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Christopher Sharpe has served as Personnel Manager and Acting General Manager, and, in addition to performing as Associate Principal Cello, is currently the KWS’ Director of Education and Community Programs.
Special Jury Award MT Space The MT Space is a professional theatre company devoted to cultural diversity. The company creates, produces and presents theatrical productions that talk to, draw upon, and help to constitute Canadian contemporary community. It also presents a biennial international theatre festival: IMPACT.
Founded in 1998, the biennial Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound is a celebration of listening. Collaborations are a key element, allowing both the Festival and local performing arts organizations attain a higher profile both locally and nationally.
St. Jacobs Country Inns Festival or Event – Community Achievement Award The Waterloo Regional High School Choral Festival, established in 2004, supports choral music in local Secondary Schools and encourages individuals through music scholarships. Annually, over 700 students and teachers have participated in the mass auditioned chamber choirs.
Participants in Unsilent Night – an outdoor ambient music walk – used portable music players to fill downtown Cambridge with music, along with light installations which illuminated the route. The event, started in New York City, brings together architecture, the arts, culture and new technology.
Mel Brown will be remembered as one of our generation’s most talented blues musicians; his influence on the local music scene and on the blues itself cannot be overestimated. In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s Mel recorded several albums on the World Pacific jazz label, and was the only guitarist ever signed to the A.B.C. records Impulse jazz label. During the 1980’s Mel was a member of the house band at Antone’s night club, in Austin, Texas, and toured with The Silent Partners. He released several albums with the Homewreckers and well as Snooky Pryor, but it was his album “Neck Bones & Caviar” – a collaboration between himself and the Homewreckers – which was nominated for a Juno award in 2001 for “Best Blues Album of the Year” in Canada. Mel Brown has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Buddy Guy, Doris Day and B.B. King, as has also worked on television, performing on The Steve Allen Show, The Bill Cosby Show and The Jerry Lewis Telethon. In January of 2004, he was awarded the Maple Blues “Blues with a Feeling” (Toronto Blues Society Lifetime Achievement) Award. Mel’s great contribution was not only his accomplished talent as an authentic exponent of the blues, but also the eminent example and inspiration he was for young, local, emerging musicians, all of whom pay tribute to his quiet, gracious and magnanimous encouragement. Some say that, with a doubt, they owe their career to Mel.
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Corporate Arts Supporter Award 
Lifetime Achievement Award 
Sharon Ding
Paul Maxwell
Gowlings Literary Award
MFX Partners Visual Arts Award
Hemmerich Flanagan Performing Arts Award
Amy Hallman Snyder Fund Award
Music Award
Wagner Livock Mentor Award
Open Award
Christie Digital Festival Award
Scotiabank New Festival or Event Award
Commemorative Awardlogin