When it comes to serving the local music landscape, Anne-Marie Brugger is Ottawa’s behind-the-scenes mastermind. Her resumé boasts a long history of partnership with Ottawa musicians, including producing music radio shows such as Hop the Fence on Ottawa’s CHUO FM and Canadian Spaces on CKCU FM. Brugger is the volunteer president of the Ottawa Arts Council, a panellist and participant for Folk Music Ontario, a board member of the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition, an occasional EmCee of the Ottawa Grassroots Festival, and a co-creator of FemmeVox, a concert series that celebrates and connects female singer-songwriters. Brugger is currently the executive director at CKCU FM and has contributed several music-related articles to Ottawa Life Magazine.
On Friday, November 1, Brugger will be awarded the Spirit of Tony Turner Award for 20 years worth of dedication in cultivating Ottawa’s music landscape. The award, founded in 2016 by Chris White, is presented annually to an individual in Ottawa who works behind the scenes to support musicians.
Brugger was “honoured” and “a little bit humbled” after finding out that she would be receiving the award. She says that she did not enter the music broadcasting world with winning awards on her mind: “It’s not like if you put out an album and you’re kind of hoping it will make the top 40. So, it’s nice to get some recognition. The award is for people who just do all kinds of stuff in the background.”
“The reason I’m getting the award is the work I’ve been doing for the last 25 years. It’s just stuff that I love to do, so this certainly was not on my mind,” says Brugger. She calls her service to Ottawa’s musicians a “labour of love . . . I just really love to be able to help people out.”
ABOVE: Anne-Marie Brugger goes backstage to interview Brian Asselin, The Commotions’ musical director and saxophonist, for the OMIC Encore series.
For all of her behind-the-scenes commitment to spotlighting Ottawa’s musicians, Brugger will join the ranks of other noteworthy Spirit of Tony Turner Award recipients, including Greg Kelly, Pat Moore, Bob Nesbitt, Shelley Ann Morris, Sjef Frenken, Carmel Whittle, Arthur McGregor and Heather and Mark Evenchick. It was on the advice of these previous recipients that Brugger was selected for the award. Brugger says that being chosen by this group is “the most humbling part” of her achievement. “I was thinking, ‘nobody really knows who I am,’ so being recognized by them is a huge honour in itself.”
Brugger will accept the award at this year’s Spirit of Tony Turner Award Showcase, which seeks to honour and highlight some of Ottawa’s local musicians. This annual concert is produced by the Spirit of Rasputin Art Society and will feature a memorable mix of talented musicians that Brugger hand-picked, including Tara Holloway, Christine Graves, Brent Smith, OK Naledi, and, of course, Tony Turner, accompanied by Ann Downey on upright bass.
Rasputins.org calls Brugger’s hand-picked musicians an eclectic mix of lyrical and sonic surprises. Brugger speaks glowingly of her lineup: “Tara Holloway is a beautiful singer. She’s got a really unique sort of raspy voice that knocks your socks off when you first hear it. OK, Naledi has beautiful songs and a gorgeous voice. Brent Smith is from a band called Tin Constellations . . . his writing is really, really on point, and his lyrics are very meaningful. Christine Graves has been part of our folk community for many, many years, and she has her own style as well. Everyone is a little bit different, but I think they will complement each other quite nicely, actually,” Brugger says. “It’s going to be a great showcase.”
The Spirit of Tony Turner Award’s namesake is a folk songwriter and performer hailing from Ottawa and currently residing in Nanaimo, BC. Tony Turner pairs his rich baritone voice with skillful acoustic guitar and harmonica, giving musical performances that are insightful, thought-provoking, and oftentimes humorous. Turner is the previous leader of Ottawa’s most prominent songwriting collective, Writer’s Bloc, the organizer of the Great Canadian Song-Along showcase, and is a champion of bringing musicians together in collaboration—a mission he has continued in Nanaimo. Turner has recorded three original albums and has contributed his original compositions to songbooks. He is probably best known for his 2015 protest song, “Harperman,” which delivers a serious critique of Harper’s 2015 Conservative government in a fun and playful tone. This song sparked 50 sing-along events across Canada to protest Harper’s Conservatives and led the Folk Alliance International Organization to honour Tony Turner with the 2016 Spirit of Folk award.
ABOVE: Tony Turner, for whom the Spirit of Tony Turner Award is named, is shown here with Anne-Marie Brugger in a photograph from 2017.
“Tony is the kindest gentleman you’ll ever meet. But when he’s got something to say, he’s not afraid to say it…I respect that of him very much. I’m not sure that I would be so easily able to protest something. I tend to stay in the background,” says Brugger. “He is such a great lyricist as well as a great singer-songwriter—just a wonderful human being.”
Brugger says that the Ottawa music scene has enriched her life with community and belonging. She takes great joy in seeing emerging artists succeed—she recalls fond memories of watching artists who had their first interview on her radio show Hop the Fence go on to win Junos and other awards. “Hop the Fence was part of their path. It was their stepping stone to fame and fortune, I used to always joke. It’s meaningful for me to watch them through their journey and see them succeed. Winning a Juno is not the end-all, but it’s just very nice to watch them and to be able to support them.”
Indeed, it is this very attitude that has made Brugger the unsung hero of Ottawa’s music landscape. Tickets to the Spirit of Tony Turner Award Showcase are available here for $25. The showcase is happening this Friday night (November 1) at 8:00 pm at the Westboro Masonic Hall (430 Churchill Ave. N.). Be sure not to miss this celebration of Ottawa’s musical talent and Anne-Marie Brugger’s achievements!
PHOTOS: Courtesy Anne-Marie Brugger