The Hypos Trio, Quinn Bonnell, Les Chanterelles and the Jenn Russell Big Band open performances at the Fredericton Playhouse as part of the 2021 Harvest Music Festival.
Matt Carter
Harvest Music Festival has always done a great job providing local and regional musicians with opportunities to grow their audiences and share stages with some of the festival’s best known performers. This could mean opening a show before a rowdy crowd at the Blues Tent, entertaining a listening audience at the Fredericton Playhouse or anywhere in between.
This year, after a particularly challenging year or more, Harvest has doubled down on its support of local musicians by pairing up some of the city’s best emerging and established artists with a full series of performances happening at the Fredericton Playhouse.
“Coming out of COVID and the impact the pandemic had on our local live music scene, it was vitally important for us to feature as much of our local talent as possible in this year’s event,” said Brent Staeben, the festival’s director of music programming. “So I set out to pair up the right local acts with those special headliners in the Playhouse. It’s worked out perfectly.”
The Hypos Trio
This year’s festival gets underway at the Fredericton Playhouse on Friday September 10 with a performance by The Hypos Trio, who will open the show for Lilly Hiatt, a Nashville-based musician, and the daughter of singer-songwriter, John Hiatt. The Hypos Trio is a pared down version of the Fredericton roots/rockabilly group, The Hypochondriacs. Led by charismatic musician and consummate performer Josh Bravener, The Hypochondriacs are one of the city’s most versatile and universally appealing ensembles known throughout the Maritimes for their highly entertaining and energetic live performances. In trio form, the group’s songs are afforded an entirely new interpretation with rich harmonies and masterful dynamics leading the way.
The Hypos Trio with Lilly Hiatt | September 10 | Fredericton Playhouse | BUY TICKETS
Quinn Bonnell
Quinn Bonnell will take the stage on Tuesday September 14 opening the night for three-time Grammy nominee Ruthie Foster. Originally from Burnt Church, New Brunswick, Bonnell has called Fredericton home for the past several years. A skilled guitarist and songwriter, he has been a fixture on local stages since he began performing his own music in 2015. Audiences will be floored by his voice, his lyrics and his ability to craft dynamic arrangements that elevate each of his songs to fantastic heights. Bonnell is an incredibly talented performer and one of so many who call Fredericton home.
Quinn Bonnell with Ruthie Foster | September 14 | Fredericton Playhouse | BUY TICKETS
Les Chanterelles
Les Chanterelles made their introduction to hometown audiences back in November 2020 with a sold out performance at the Tipsy Muse Café. Juanita Bourque, Sylvia Reentovich and Justine Everett are three singer songwriters, each with a history steeped heavily in roots and folk tradition. After years spent performing with different groups throughout the city, Bourque, Reentovich and Everett came together to create Les Chanterelles, one of the most beautiful Fredericton-based vocal ensembles in recent memory. Not long after making their introduction, they caught the ear of CBC’s East Coast Music Hour and were invited to contribute a song to the program’s Story and the Song series that ran earlier this year featuring 21 original songs by East Coast artists. Les Chanterelles will join Juno Award winning Canadian artist Serena Ryder for a performance at the Playhouse on Friday September 17.
Les Chanterelles with Serena Ryder | September 17 | Fredericton Playhouse | BUY TICKETS
Jenn Russell Big Band
This year’s run of festival performances at the Playhouse concludes on Saturday September 18 when the Jenn Russell Big Band takes the stage to warm up the audience for Toronto’s Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar. While most New Brunswickers will recognize Russell from countless livestream appearances over the past nearly two years in her role as the province’s Chief Medical Officer, most may be surprised to learn Russell is also an accomplished band leader, singer and sax player. With several recordings to their credit, Russell and her band will bring a touch of jazz and swing to this year’s festival lineup.
Jenn Russell Big Band with Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar | September 18 | Fredericton Playhouse | BUY TICKETS
“Overall, I’m really excited by the number of local acts playing during Harvest week. Between our ticketed venues, the free stages at Officers Square and Fredericton’s Own Stage, busking, the Tannery, and the pub, clubs and restaurants downtown, it feels like the largest contingent of local talent ever and that’s exactly the kind of opportunities we were hoping to see created coming out of the pandemic.”
Follow Harvest on Facebook and Instagram for ongoing announcements, artists updates and festival details. And visit harvestmusicfest.ca for schedules, tickets and more.
