Awards
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD
Every year the Festival acknowledges musicians that have made a significant contribution to Saskatchewan’s music culture through the Special Recognition Award. This award has been received by many great artists who have and continue to shape the jazz community in Saskatchewan and beyond.
JIM HILL FESTIVAL BUILDERS AWARD
The Jim Hill Festival Builders Award has been presented annually by the Festival since 2006. The purpose of the annual Jim Hill Festival Builders Award is to recognize people who have made major contributions to the success of the Festival.
2025 Award Recipients
Special Recognition Award Winner 2025: Kim Salkeld
Kim began his life as a professional musician in Saskatoon in 1975. Since that time, he was able to balance a fulltime 25-year career in the Canadian Forces Music Branch with an active freelance schedule. For his first 16 years in the CF, he was primarily the keyboardist and arranger for the Air Command Band in Winnipeg, taking part in hundreds of official government, military and public functions throughout North America and Europe. For his last 9 years in Ottawa and Borden, Ontario, he was the CF Director of Music Studies. Duties in this capacity included teaching arranging, orchestration and theory courses to senior levels of CF musicians as well as overseeing the branch curriculum development and audition process.
Apart from his CF career, Kim has been able to freelance both as a performer and a writer while living in Saskatoon, Toronto, Winnipeg, Miami, Ottawa, and Barrie, Ontario. Professional activities along the way have included numerous public concerts, theatre, jazz festivals, cruise ships, clubs, and various media broadcasts.
Kim holds a Bachelor of Music (Music Education) degree from the University of Saskatchewan, an Honours Diploma in Arranging from Humber College in Toronto, and a Master of Music (Studio/Jazz Writing) degree from the University of Miami. He is very happy being back in Saskatoon with friends and family since retiring from the CF in 2012 and has had the pleasure of being involved with a wide variety of performers including the Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra, the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, Persephone Theatre, Kids of Note, several of the city’s vocalists, and a healthy number of jazz, rock, pop, and country ensembles. He plans to continue until hauling gear dictates otherwise!
Jim Hill Festival Builders Award Winner 2025: Lyle Bolen
Lyle was a volunteer for the Festival for over 30 years including over 20 years in a senior leadership role.
From 1990 onward, Lyle was a familiar presence at the Festival’s main stage in the Bessborough Gardens. His first major role with the Festival was coordinating the Bess Gardens main stage shows, often acting as an Emcee as well. This is a role he continued in for the next 34 years. About 15 years ago Lyle was joined by Mitch Riabko and Tara Martin as fellow stage management coordinators to lead a team of volunteers who managed all the Festival stages.
After stepping off the Festival Board of Directors around 1999, Lyle was invited to rejoin the Board to co-chair the Programming Committee. After initially turning the invitation down, Lyle agreed but it soon became clear that his role needed to be expanded and, although he had a full-time job outside the Festival, Lyle became the volunteer Artistic Director and booked all the performers for the Festivals in 2002 and 2003. This time around, Lyle stayed on the Board for a total of 10 years, including the role of vice-chair and then a 4-year stint as Board Chair.
Just for good measure, Lyle served another 3-year term on the Board in the mid-2010s. Even then, Lyle wasn’t done. In 2022, at the request of the Festival Board, Lyle volunteered to participate on the recruitment committee for a new Executive Director.
Past Award Recipients
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD
1989 – Paul Perry
1990 – Gordie Brandt
1991 – Chris Gage
1992 – Bridge City Dixieland Band
1993 – Herbie Spanier
1994 – Jon Ballantyne
1995 – Bob Moyer
1996 – Solstice
1997 – Jim Moffat
1998 – Barney Kutz
1999 – Bob Klassen
2000 – Don Watson
2001 – Don Keller
2002 – Dr. Ed Lewis
2003 – Ray Dahlen Sound
2004 – Peter Dyksman
2005 – “Broadway” Bill Watson
2006 – Maurice Drouin
2007 – Pat Steel
2008 – Fred Ballantyne
2009 – Ted Warren
2010 – Jack Semple
2011 – Dean McNeill
2012 – Sheldon Corbett
2013 – Don Griffith
2014 – Kelly Jefferson
2015 – Al Muirhead
2016 – Barrie Redford
2017 – Skip Kutz
2018 – Ross Ulmer
2019 – Susie Vinnick
2022 – Nick Fanner
2023 – Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra
2024 – Donny Kennedy
JIM HILL FESTIVAL BUILDER AWARD
2006 – Jim Hill
2007 – Ian Wilson
2008 – Mona Chappell
2009 – Les Coleman
2010 – Elwood Flynn
2011 – The Caldwell Family
2012 – Lynne McLellan
2013 – Paulette Traynor
2014 – Spencer Early
2015 – Della Beal
2016 – Kathryn Ellis
2017 – Brian Storey
2018 – Bob Eaton
2019 – SaskTel
2022 – Irene Sieferling
2023 – Jeff Lee
2024 – Bruce Wilkinson