Provincial music industry association aims to create awareness though song.
Music/Musique NB (MNB) are hitting the road this week with a new initiative aimed at showcasing New Brunswick talent on stages throughout the province. The Music NB Song Tour / Tournée de la chanson de Musique NB will bring together a select group of performing artists for concerts in Saint John, Fredericton and Edmundston.
“The idea came from the fact we have large segments of the NB population who have no clue what’s going on in other parts of the province,” said MNB executive director Jean Surette. “There is also the language difference which makes it that there are some artists who are almost household names on one side and unknown on the other. This initiative is to help bridge that gap.”
This touring project will feature four performing artists from four different areas of the province. The musicians involved in this inaugural tour are Cedric Vieno, Mike Biggar, Caroline Savoie and Peter Hicks.
“It was Mike Biggar who had the idea,” said Surette. “We had already done some song writers sessions in Saint John, Fredericton, Moncton and Miramichi, but never a tour.”
Each performance will also feature a local special guest performer. This tour will feature guest performances by Michael Sullivan in Edmundston, Juanita Bourque in Fredericton and Clinton Charlton in Saint John.
One of the tour’s major objectives is to establish a provincial touring network that will allow artists the opportunity to develop their audiences in other parts of the province and encourage further development and appreciation for New Brunswick talent.
“We hope to be able to create a network of partners in communities all over NB that will help us put on these shows. We want to make this as sustainable as possible and not rely on public funding. We wish to also engage with the schools and provide some workshops and performances by the touring artists when they visit the community.”
A MNB plans to create a selection process to help curate future tours that will continue to foster the growth and celebration of New Brunswick’s performing artists.
Catch a show:
The MNB Song Tour (with guest Michael Sullivan) | May 28, 2015 | Centre des arts d’Edmundston | 8:00pm | More Info
The MNB Song Tour (with guest Juanita Bourque) | May 29, 2015 | Charlotte Street Arts Centre | 8:00pm | More Info
The MNB Song Tour (with guest Clinton Charlton) | May 30, 2015 | Water Street Dinner Theatre | 8:00pm | More Info
