John Cripton is one of Canada’s leading cultural brokers, impresarios and producers in the performing arts.  In 1973 he became the first General Manager of the Touring Office of the Canada Council for the Arts where he designed programs to assist the development of performing arts touring in Canada. Since 1977 he organized the first commercial performing arts tours from the People’s Republic of China and numerous international tours both to and from the Soviet Union.

John Cripton first visited China in 1976 as a representative of the Canadian government, and was instrumental in the creation of the first cultural agreement since diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1970.  He orchestrated the first formal performing arts exchange, bringing the Shanghai Ballet’s production of The White Haired Girl to Canada, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to China.  Later tours from China included the Peking Opera from Beijing and Tianjin and the Guangdong Acrobats.

As President of Great World Artists, Mr. Cripton produced the performing arts component for the Canadian pavilions at world expositions in Japan, Australia, Spain, Korea and at EXPO 86 in Vancouver.  In 1984 he produced Toronto’s Sesquicentennial Festival.

From 1986 to 1996 he managed the international touring of the renowned Kirov Ballet from St. Petersburg, Russia, re-introducing this acclaimed 230 year-old company to the world following their 24 year forced touring hiatus.  In 1996 Mr. Cripton become Director and CEO of the National Arts Centre.  Upon returning to the private sector and the management of his company Great World Artists, he continues to consult, to produce performing arts events, and to seek-out performing arts talent on the national and international scenes. In 2002, with Brian Macdonald, he produced a unique operatic and choreographic production of Verdi’s Requiem entitled Requiem 911, featuring the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. The production received its premier at the National Arts Centre.

In 2003 John Cripton produced BENJAMIN BRITTEN: A CELEBRATION, a festival celebrating Britten’s music in five cities in Southwestern Ontario.  In June 2005, in collaboration with the Kitchener Waterloo Philharmonic Choir, he produced three performances of Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings Symphony in Kitchener and Toronto. 

In June 2004, John Cripton received an Honourary Doctorate from the University of Guelph for his outstanding contribution to the life of the arts in Canada. In September 2004, he was invited by China’s Ministry of Culture to speak to a gathering of artists and arts organizations in Beijing on the subject of North American touring and arts management