Seven Kickass New Brunswickers
It’s the New Brunswick Day long weekend. Time to think about some of the people from this province who are kicking ass – in business, the arts or life in general.
For a small place, we produce a lot of people who do amazing things. Here are a few of our favorites:
Measha Brueggergosman
Measha Brueggergosman has made herself heard across the world as a classically trained opera soprano and popular concert artist. The Fredericton native has lent her voice to not only her classical roots, but pop, jazz, gospel and African American spirituals. Brueggergosman’s performances like those in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, International Tattoo, National Arts Centre Orchestra and Cincinnati Opera have blown away listeners and made her into the award-winning, charismatic force she is today.
Frank McKenna
You may not always agree with his politics, but it’s hard to argue that Frank McKenna gets things done. From small town New Brunswick to rolling with Bill Clinton and other global big shots, the former New Brunswick premier has made a name for himself well beyond the picture province. He burst onto the scene in 1987 where his party won EVERY SINGLE SEAT in the provincial legislature. He governed for a decade, and left on a high note, defying the maxim that all political careers end in failure. He turned down the chance to run for the leadership of the federal Liberal party, became Canada’s ambassador to the United States, and then took on a senior role at TD Bank. Now he’s a corporate mover and shaker, serving on boards and brokering deals. That’s a long way from Apohaqui.
Julie Doiron
Julie Doiron is a Canadian music icon and a damn cool New Brunswicker. She was part of the Moncton band Eric’s Trip, New Brunswick’s biggest contribution to the early 1990s red hot Halifax music scene. During her successful solo career, she’s released lots of great music and even worked with the Tragically Hip and its lead singer Gord Downie. Her sound has evolved beyond the lo-fi grunge sound of Eric’s Trip into something more introspective and beautiful. She’s won a Juno, been nominated for a Polaris Prize, and in the ultimate signifier of cool, had one of her songs used in an iPhone commercial.
David Adams Richards
Chronicler of the stories of the Miramichi, writer David Adams Richards has become one of Canada’s literary leaders. His books are complex, often dark, character studies of people and place that cover centuries of the Miramichi’s rich history. Born and raised in Newcastle, he’s written fiction, non-fiction, screenplays, plays and more. He’s firmly escaped the “regional” label that often plagues Maritime writers. He’s the first writer to win the Governor General’s Literary Awards for both fiction and non-fiction. He’s also won the prestigious Giller Prize and been nominated and earned many other literary prizes. Adams Richards’ body of work says that our stories in New Brunswick matter. He tells them well. Give’r.
Herménégilde Chiasson
Herménégilde Chiasson is a man with many hats. Visual artist, poet, playwright, professor and 29th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, Chiasson is an officer of the Order of Canada, recipient of the Order of New Brunswick and an advocate of Acadian culture and arts. Chiasson was born in Saint-Simon, New Brunswick and went on to earn a BA from Université de Moncton, a BFA from Mount Allison University, a master’s degree in aesthetics from Universite de Paris, an MFA from the State University of New York and a doctorate at the Sorbonne in Paris. Throughout his career, Chiasson has pushed for Acadian culture to be a vibrant, living one and is considered a father of Acadian modernism.
Sheree Fitch
Sheree Fitch a master wordsmith. She also may have been/is a staple in your bedtime story collection. Born in Ottawa, but spending much of her life New Brunswick in Miramichi, Moncton and Fredericton, Fitch is best known for her children’s poetry books. Some of her popular titles include Sleeping Dragons All Around and Toes in My Nose. She is also the author of an adult poetry book and novel. She’s a strong literacy advocate and is an Honorary Patron of the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick, which offers adult learning scholarships in her honour. She has also received honary degrees from St. Thomas University, Saint Mary’s University and Acadia University.
Though she now resides in Nova Scotia, we don’t care. She was ours first!
Laura Calder
Laura Calder is culinary master from our own backyard. Born in Saint John and raised in the Kingston Peninsula, Calder is the host of the award winning series French Food at Home on Food Network Canada. She is also a judge on Recipe to Riches and has been a guest judge on both Top Chef Canada and Iron Chef America. If you haven’t seen her on TV, you may have tried some of her recipes. Calder is the author of French Food at Home, as well as the bestselling French Taste: Elegant, Everyday, Eating, which won the Cuisine Canada gold medal. She was recently honoured with the Ordre National du Mérite Agricole by the French government.