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Presented by Canada’s Glenn Gould Foundation, the $100,000 accolade is an international honour named after the beloved Canadian pianist. It’s awarded every two years and recognizes a musician or artist who has made lifetime artistic and humanitarian contributions.

Accepting his award, the 79-year-old musician, who was joined by his Canadian husband David Furnish on-stage, told the crowd that he felt part of Canada.

“It’s so nice to be in Canada and have a concert full of Canadian artists who I all know,” said John. “It’s also nice to be in a country that has common sense. I have a family here,” referencing Furnish and their two children.

He continued: “Canada is part of my life, and is embedded in my soul,” which received cheers from the crowd. “I am a Canadian and I can tell you, it’s not the 51st f—ing state!” making a cheeky reference to Donald Trump’s comments towards Canada.

With a career spanning over five decades, John has heavily impacted modern music. Selling over 300 million albums worldwide, and is among the few artists to attain EGOT (winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award) status. His heartfelt tribute to Princess Diana, “Candle in the Wind,” written with longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, remains the best-selling physical single of all time globally.

John has used his global success to inspire social change, too, namely through the Elton John AIDS Foundation, founded in 1992. Since its conception, John has helped raise over $650 million for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care worldwide. In addition, he’s an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, mental health, addiction awareness and the nurturing of emerging artists.

“Few artists have had such an impact on our culture and on our music itself,” said Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Marc Miller. “Fewer still have left their mark across several generations.”

Elton JohnShawn Goldberg

The music icon detailed his time studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London and his childhood home filled with a radio, 78 RPM records and a standup piano: “Music is my soul, my driving force. It is everything and has been everything to me for my whole life,” he said.

John shared that the honour was a “humbling experience,” before reflecting on his partying days of the past. “Years ago, I’d be doing cocaine off of that, I tell you,” he joked, holding the gold statue. “Shocking!”

Bryan Adams, Joni Mitchell and Michael Bublé provided video appearances for John. Bublé spoke about John’s kindness when Bublé’s three-year-old son, Noah, was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2016. He went into remission a year later. “I couldn’t have imagined when I heard about what he was going through so we reached out,” John confirmed, noting that he was touched by Bublé’s video.

He later shared that he has a new album in the works, which he wrote differently compared to previous works. “Music is about learning and learning all the time.” John said. “I’ve had eye trouble recently and I’ve always made my music by looking at lyrics, and so I’m about f—ed. What my eye has given is a challenge, completely reversing how I write. Writing melodies first, the lyrics come second. I’ve never done that and I’ve just done that.”

Throughout the ceremony, John was honoured by the crème de la crème of homegrown talent.

The Beaches got the crowd up on their feet to perform John’s hit “The B—h is Back.” It was full circle for the Toronto rock act, after John was a surprise video presenter for the quartet at Billboard Canada Women in Music 2025.

Among the slew of performers, Diana Krall did a jazzy version of “Your Song,” while Sarah McLachlan donned a shimmering gold suit for her rendition of “Tiny Dancer.” Newcomer Saya Gray brought the 1970s funk to “Honky Cat” and Indigenous singer-songwriter Jeremy Dutcher’s version of “I’m Still Standing” was poignant and profound.

After his speech, John joined the Canadian artists, performing a group sing-along of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” to wrap up the nearly three-hour ceremony. It marked one of the artist’s first performances since he finished his farewell tour in 2023.

Shawn Goldberg

As this year’s Glenn Gould Prize recipient, John personally selected a young artist to receive the $25,000 Glenn Gould Protégé Prize, celebrating the vital role of mentorship. He bestowed the honour on mezzo-soprano singer Emily D’Angelo.

“I know a star when I see one,” John said to D’Angelo with Furnish by his side. “You’re an immaculate performer, an immaculate singer and I’m so proud to be giving you this award.”

D’Angelo later returned to the stage to perform The Lion King’s “Can You Feel The Love Tonight?” alongside her alma mater, Toronto Children’s Chorus.

Elton John & Emily D’Angelo Shawn Goldberg

John joins a distinguished list of previous prize winners, including Leonard Cohen, Oscar Peterson, Alanis Obomsawin, Yo Yo Ma, Andre Previn and more.