Few performers embody the spirit of reside leisure fairly like Katherine Bissonnette. Named Entertainer of the 12 months on the 2025 Canadian Occasion Awards, the Montreal-based founding father of L’Espionne Russe Productions is a shapeshifter, a storyteller, and a artistic drive reshaping the boundaries of efficiency artwork within the occasion business.
With practically twenty years {of professional} expertise—and over 90 appearances at main occasions throughout Quebec, Ontario, and internationally previously 12 months alone—Katherine’s journey outcomes from unrelenting curiosity, theatrical aptitude, and entrepreneurial grit. Her nickname, L’Espionne Russe (The Russian Spy), says all of it: she’s a lady of many faces, roles, and abilities.
From jazz vocalist to costumed roaming character, from body-painted android to retro cabaret icon, Katherine’s performances are at all times immersive, personalised, and unforgettable. This 12 months, she lit up among the business’s highest-profile levels, together with Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios purple carpet premiere, the Montreal Grand Prix’s Legend Corridor of Fame on the Ritz-Carlton, and the Diane Dufresne retrospective, the place she even helped assemble the famed singer’s iconic symphonic robe.
However her success isn’t constructed on solo stardom. Katherine is a passionate collaborator and mentor who recurrently works with over a dozen artists and performers. She’s additionally a fancy dress designer, make-up artist, artistic director, and enterprise developer—a uncommon hybrid who thrives onstage and behind the scenes.
Her evolution right into a sought-after host and emcee for galas and festivals in 2024 marked one other milestone, including polish and poise to an already dynamic ability set. And as company and public occasions shift towards immersive, emotionally partaking experiences, Katherine continues to ship tailored performances that join on a deeper stage.
A few of her most notable creations this 12 months embrace the “Or du temps” characters for Kurios, designed to evoke a steampunk Victorian practice station by silent, poetic motion; the evolving Android for Printemps Numérique, embodying the transformation from machine to human over three days; and Adelia, the cherished character at Competition des Couleurs de Rigaud who remembers company 12 months after 12 months—particularly the youngsters who’ve grown up alongside her.
Katherine’s means to translate model identification into reside efficiency has made her a favorite amongst companies like FK13 and shoppers together with Casinos du Québec, AMG Mercedes, and Champagne Occasions. Whether or not she’s reimagining galas with cellular blackjack tables and futuristic couture or belting out rockabilly medleys on the Mercedes/Louboutin stage, her creative intuition and enterprise acumen go hand in hand.
In 2024, she rebranded her firm as L’Espionne Russe Productions, increasing her portfolio with unique ideas and turnkey efficiency packages. Her work stays deeply impressed by longtime collaborator Lorie Hamel, whose costume and character artistry are central to lots of Katherine’s creations.
In an business more and more hungry for depth, versatility, and authenticity, Katherine Bissonnette stands aside—not by chasing developments, however by setting them.
For planners seeking to go away an enduring impression, her title has develop into synonymous with immersive brilliance. And as Entertainer of the 12 months, it’s clear her finest work continues to be forward.
To study extra about Katherine Bissonnette & L’Espionne Russe Productions, go to their web site and social media pages.
