Measha Brueggergosman's life has been full of surprises. In 1998 she drew rave reviews for her portrayal of Beatrice Chancy in James Rolfe's opera. Four years later her Montreal International Musical Competition win triggered a meteoric rise that led to appearances in the world's finest concert halls, to audiences that have included Bill Gates, Queen Elizabeth and Nelson Mandela. Her CD Surprise! won a Juno Award in 2008, and she was a soloist in William Bolcom's Songs of Innocence and Experience, which won three Grammy Awards.

When Measha Brueggergosman took part in the BBC/CBC genealogical show Who Do You Think You Are? she was surprised to learn that her ancestors were Black Loyalists who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1783. They eventually settled in Fredericton, where her parents still lived two centuries later, and where Measha Gosman was born. As a child she sang in church; later she studied music in Boston, Toronto and Dusseldorf. When she married Markus Bruegger, she combined his name with hers to become Measha Brueggergosman. Their son, Shepherd Peter, was born in August, 2012.

In 2009 Brueggergosman was surprised by a heart condition that nearly cost the soprano her life. She's not been shy to talk about the effect it's had on her and her subsequent return to singing.

Onstage, Measha Brueggergosman has a commanding presence. She sang the Olympic anthem during the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics, and recently was one of the celebrity judges on Canada's Got Talent. Her pop CD I've Got a Crush on You was released in April, 2012.

Measha Brueggergosman is the host of This Is My Music on CBC Radio 2 on Saturday, Feb. 2 from 10:05 a.m. to noon in most of the country, 11:05 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Atlantic Canada in an encore broadcast.

Related:

Measha Brueggergosman marches to the beat of her own drum
Measha Brueggergosman reflects on 2002 MIMC win

posted by hele montagna on Jan 30, 2013