Measha Brueggergosman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Measha Brueggergosman
Measha Brueggergosman at 2014 CFC Annual BBQ
Born	Measha Gosman (1977-06-28) June 28, 1977 (age 47) Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Occupation	Singer, stage actress
Spouse(s)	Markus Bruegger ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2018)​ Stephen Lee ​ (m. 2021)​
Children	2

Measha Brueggergosman–Lee (born Measha Gosman on June 28, 1977) is a famous Canadian singer. She is known for her powerful voice as a soprano. Measha performs in opera shows and also gives concerts. She has sung all over the world and won many awards. Her music albums, both classical and popular, have also received special honors.

Early Life and Family History

Measha Brueggergosman performing in September 2009

Measha Gosman was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Her parents are Anne Eatmon and Sterling Gosman. From a young age, Measha loved to sing. She started singing in her local Baptist church choir. Her father was a deacon there.

She began studying voice and piano when she was seven years old. As a teenager, she took singing lessons in her hometown. She also spent summers learning at the Boston Conservatory. She attended a choral camp in Rothesay, New Brunswick. Measha studied with soprano Wendy Nielsen for a year. Then, she went to the University of Toronto and earned a music degree. After that, she moved to Germany for five years. There, she completed her Master's degree at the Robert Schumann Music College.

In 2007, Measha learned about her family's long history in Canada and the United States. Her ancestors, John and Rose Gosman, were African Americans. They escaped from slavery during the American Revolution. They found freedom by joining the British side. John was from Connecticut and Rose was from Rhode Island. They likely met in New York City, which the British controlled. The British offered freedom to slaves who left rebel owners. Many thousands of slaves escaped during the war.

After the war, the British helped nearly 3,500 Black Loyalists move to Nova Scotia. These were Black people who had supported the British. John and Rose Gosman, with their baby daughter Fanny, were among them. Fanny was born free. Their journey was recorded in a special book called the Book of Negroes. They sailed to Nova Scotia in 1783. Measha's ancestors first lived in Shelburne. Later, they settled in Fredericton. Measha learned about her family's roots on a TV show called Who Do You Think You Are. Genetic tests suggest her father's ancestors might have come from the Bassa people in Cameroon.

Singing Career

When Measha was 20, she starred in a new opera called Beatrice Chancy. This opera was about a slave girl in the 1800s in Nova Scotia. It was performed in Toronto in 1998 and in Nova Scotia in 1999. Critics and audiences really liked the opera and Measha's performance. The opera was even filmed for the CBC in 2000.

Measha has performed all across Canada. She has sung with major orchestras like the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed at famous venues like Roy Thomson Hall.

She has also sung internationally in the United States, Germany, and other countries. She appeared in operas like Elektra and Turandot with the Cincinnati Opera. She also sang in the Verdi Requiem with famous conductors.

In 2005, Measha was a soloist on an album called Songs of Innocence and Experience. This album won three Grammy awards. One of them was for Best Classical Album. In July 2007, she performed at the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo. She sang in a 'Phantom of the Opera' medley and closed the show with "Ave Maria."

In 2010, Measha sang the Olympic Hymn at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Games. She sang a special version of the hymn in both English and French. This showed Canada's two official languages.

Measha has also been on TV. In 2012, she was a judge on the Canadian reality show Canada's Got Talent. She has also acted in a Murdoch Mysteries episode. She appeared in the films Brown Girl Begins and The Young Arsonists. In 2021, she created a short film called Forgotten Coast. This film explored Black Canadian history in Nova Scotia.

Charity Work

Measha Brueggergosman is part of a Canadian charity called Artists Against Racism.

In 2007, she became a Goodwill Ambassador for the African Medical & Research Foundation (AMREF). This charity works to improve health in Africa. In June 2007, she visited a village in East Africa affected by war. She used her singing to help children there. Measha said the trip changed her forever. She continues to work with AMREF today.

Personal Life

Measha married Markus Brügger, who was born in Germany. They met in high school when he was an exchange student in New Brunswick. When they married, they combined their last names to Brüggergosman. They have two sons. They divorced in 2018. In 2021, she married jazz guitarist Steve Lee.

In June 2009, Measha had a heart condition. She needed open heart surgery and took time off to recover. She returned to performing in September 2009. On June 20, 2019, she had another successful open heart surgery in Calgary.

Awards and Recognition

Measha has won many important awards. She received the Grand Prize at the 2009 Jeunesses Musicales Montreal International Musical Competition. She also won First Prize at the International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch in 2002. She has been a prizewinner at other competitions too. These include the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition and the Queen Sonja International Music Competition.

Measha has received grants from the prestigious Canada Council. She has been nominated for Juno Awards twice. In 2008, she won the Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year. This was for her album Surprise.

In 2015, she was featured in a TV series called Songs of Freedom. This show followed her as she explored her African heritage. It led to a live concert of African-American spiritual music.

In 2017, she received an honorary doctorate from Concordia University.

Discography

See also

In Spanish: Measha Brueggergosman para niños