Measha Brueggergosman is an award-winning soprano who is recognized around the world for her spectacular voice, innate musicianship, magnificent performance style, and vibrant personality. She has shared the stage with the likes of Bill Gates and former U.S. President Bill Clinton and given performances for Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, and Queen Elizabeth II. At the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, 3.2 billion television viewers from across the globe witnessed her singing during the Opening Ceremonies. Her musical range encompasses everything from gospel hymns and jazz standards to classical music. Measha Brueggergosman embodies the term diva in the best sense. Who else could boast of both singing opera on the world's most prestigious stages and acting as a judge on Project Runway? The dynamic and multifaceted Juno award winner embarks on an emotional and spiritual journey in creating her critically acclaimed gospel album, Songs of Freedom. Measha Brueggergosman's exploration of African-American spirituals was not only a departure from her usual classical genre, it was deeply personal for her: "I wanted to explore this repertoire because it's dear to my heart. They are a very important part of my family's history. It is the music of my people. My ancestors were stolen from Africa and sold into slavery in the United States before finding freedom in Nova Scotia. The spirituals were born out of a time when my people were oppressed and needed to find a way not only to communicate with each other, but also to express themselves." In 2007, Brueggergosman discovered her family's deep history in Canada and the United States. Her great-grandparents, African Americans who each escaped slavery in New England colonies during the American Revolution by going to British lines, and their five-month-old daughter Fanny, born free in British lines, had passage in 1783 on one of the last ships to leave New York for Nova Scotia. Brueggergosman learned of her African-American roots on the television show Who Do You Think You Are. According to Y-DNA genetic testing of her brother, it is likely their direct-line paternal African ancestors came from the Bassa people of Cameroon. Upon the discovery that her family is of Cameroonian descent, Measha naturally set off to Cameroon to explore their roots and was immediately consumed with the culture; singing with a Cameroonian artist and speaking beautiful French. "It is an incredibly exciting opportunity to learn that I am from Cameroon and then be able to act on it," says Measha, "to embark on a journey that seeks to reintegrate me into a culture that my ancestors were essentially stolen from through slavery in the 1700s is an experience that is quite surreal. Being from Cameroon is, in some ways, both amazing and terrifying." Songs of Freedom is Measha's connecting with her faith, her past, and honoring her family. The album and tour celebrate freedom but also shine a light on our nation's past. The film Songs of Freedom, which documented Meahsa's journey, was nominated for four Canadian Screen Awards.
