Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Fresh from performances across Canada, the USA and Europe, Canadian singer Measha Brueggergosman returns to Toronto for a live musical performance at the launch of AGO Creative Minds at Massey Hall on Sept. 20, 2016.
The series kicks off with an evening of unscripted dialogue on the topic of Art and Social Justice, featuring André Alexis, Rebecca Belmore, Deepa Mehta and Buffy Sainte-Marie. Moderated by Matt Galloway, host of CBC Radio's Metro Morning, the conversation will begin with a discussion of each artist’s relationship to activism, resistance and reconciliation through the lens of their work and life experiences. Drawing from these personal contexts, Galloway will challenge the artists to consider the role of the creative community in confronting issues of systemic discrimination and social justice, and to outline the actions they see as necessary to provoke real change.
A partnership between the Art Gallery of Ontario, Massey Hall, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Creative Minds is a new semi-annual series of artist-driven dialogues that will invite Canadians to consider urgent contemporary issues through the eyes of some of the world’s most innovative and unconventional thinkers. Moderated by leading cultural journalists and covering matters of local and international relevance, each event will feature a panel of artists from diverse disciplines exploring one issue as it relates to their work and lives. The events will be streamed online and broadcast on radio by CBC, giving audiences across Canada an opportunity to hear what the artists have to say.
Measha Brueggergosman recently appeared in VisionTV’s Songs of Freedom, a production that blends musical performance and documentary. The series featured Brueggergosman performing a collection of Freedom Songs that emerged from Africa via the slave trade to America, then came to Canada via the United Empire Loyalist migration and the Underground Railroad. Brueggergosman will perform a selection from this collection of Freedom Songs at the launch of Creative Minds, underscoring the topic of the evening.
“As a longtime advocate for social and environmental causes—and as an incredible performer—Measha is the perfect artist to help us inaugurate Creative Minds,” says Sean O’Neill, the AGO’s Associate Director, Adult Programming & Partnerships. “All four cultural partners are thrilled to have her return to Toronto to help propel forward our conversation about the role artists play in shaping our world.”
“Artists hold the power to engage audiences in awareness of social injustices, giving a voice to those throughout the world who may not have a platform to be heard,” says Measha Brueggergosman. “I am honoured to be part of an evening that brings attention to the artist’s role in the world of activism and their ability to bring change through art.”
Tickets for the launch of AGO Creative Minds at Massey Hall are available through the Roy Thomson Hall box office, and range from $19.50 to $49.50 and are on sale now. For more information, please visit www.AGOCreativeMinds.ca.
Creative Minds is supported by Series Presenters Jonas and Lynda Prince.
About Measha Brueggergosman
Measha Brueggergosman is an award-winning Canadian soprano who is recognized around the world for her spectacular voice and innate musicianship. 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. She is also Canadian good-will ambassador for the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), Learning Through the Arts and the World Wildlife Fun (WWF).
Photo: Measha Brueggergosman.
2016-08-08
Toronto: Soprano Measha Brueggergosman joins AGO Creative Minds line-up