NEWS

You can also check out Measha's schedule of upcoming performances.

Measha will be giving a special New York performance with Roger Vignoles celebrating the US release of her Deutsche Grammophon debut Surprise on November 5, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. at The Cutting Room (15 W 24th St).
Measha made her New York Philharmonic debut under Sir Andrew Davis on July 17, 2007, closing the orchestra’s annual Concerts in the Parks series.  Over 65,000 people packed into Central Park’s Great Lawn to hear her sing arias by Catalani, Massenet, and Weber, along with a rendition of ‘Summertime’.  She wore a beautiful purple and green dress from ru by Rosemarie Umetsu. (Photo credit: Michael Nagle for The New York Times)
From June 11-21, 2007, Measha visited Kenya and  Uganda as the Goodwill Ambassador for AMREF Canada (African Medical & Research Foundation).  To find out more about Measha's trip, you can read her diary, listen to her interview with CBC Radio's As It Happens, or watch her pump water at an IDP (internally displaced persons) camp  in northern Uganda.  Photo courtesy of AMREF Canada.
Measha has entered an exclusive arrangement with award-winning Toronto jeweller Myles Mindham.  Measha is thrilled to be able to wear them at concerts and appearances, and says that “Myles’s pieces are beautifully crafted and absolutely stunning”.  One of Myles’s necklaces appears in this photo of Measha after a performance in Elora, Ontario in August 2007.
Measha is now a contributor to Q, CBC Radio One's newest art show, hosted by Jian Ghomeshi.  As part of Mondays with Measha, Jian will periodically check in on her as her career takes her around the world. Q airs weekdays at 2:00 p.m. PT, MT, ET and AT; 1:00 p.m. CT, 2:30 p.m. NT and again at 10:00 p.m. (10:30 p.m. NT).
On April 23, 2007, Measha made her African debut, singing Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the La Scala Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim in  Accra, Ghana.  The concert celebrated the 50th anniversary of Ghanaian independence.  Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was among the dignitaries in attendance.
Measha is a Scrabble champion!  On March 27, 2007, she participated in Scrabble Night in Canada, the annual charity event supporting Frontier College's literacy programs.  In addition to performing the national anthem, Measha's team - The Triple Word Scores - was the top team in their category and one was one of the highest-scoring teams at the event.
On March 10, 2007, Measha made a welcome return to Bathroom Divas.  For the second season of the popular program, she acted as a fashion consultant, coaching the prospective divas on how to find an outfit befitting a professional opera singer.
On March 7, 2007, Measha won the award for Favourite Classical Artist at the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards.  Measha was touring and was disappointed she couldn't accept the award in person, but was thrilled that CBC Records was there to accept the award on her behalf.
On March 5, 2007 Measha joined James  Taylor and Herbie Hancock in honouring Joni Mitchell at the 4th Annual Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  Measha brought the house down with her performance of Both Sides Now, one of Joni Mitchell's five inducted songs. Measha also participated in the special inductees dinner and reception on January 27, 2007.  She was a special correspondent for Entertainment Tonight Canada; her report aired on January 29, 2007.
On March 5, 2007 it was announced that Measha's appearance in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Cleveland Orchestra under Franz Welser-Möst, will be released by Deutsche Grammophon this summer.  Measha toured with the Cleveland Orchestra in Janauary, performing at Severance Hall in Cleveland from January 11-13, 2007 and at the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami from January 19-20, 2007.  Measha also gave a masterclass on January 19 at the Clarke Recital Hall at the Unversity of  Miami.  Click here to see a video of her special backstage interview with ABC.
On February 18, 2007 Measha took home the award for Best Classical Recording at the 2007 East Coast Music Awards in Halifax.  Measha won the award for her latest album Extase, which was released by CBC Records.  She was accompanied by the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec under Yoav Talmi.   During the live broadcast Measha performed L'Ile Inconnue accompanied by Michael McMahon and also presented the Doctor Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award honouring the late Portia White.
On February 14, 2007, the internationally-renowned classical music label Deutsche Grammophon announced their exclusive contract with Measha. In the official press release, Measha stated: “Ever since my parents gave me my first classical CD – a Deutsche Grammophon recording – I’ve been inspired by the DG tradition of excellence. I’m thrilled to be joining a roster of exclusive artists at a company that embraces great music-making and values the contribution of our living composers.” Her first album with DG is scheduled for release in early 2008 and will feature the songs of Bolcom, Schoenberg, and Satie, and she will be accompanied by David Robertson, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and William Bolcom himself.
Measha is nominated for a Juno!  Extase has been nominated for Classical Album of the Year for the 2007 Juno Awards.   Released by CBC Records, this critically-acclaimed recording also features the L'Orchestre symphonique de Quebec  under Yoav Talmi in a sumptuous program of songs from Hector Berlioz and Jules Massenet, including the beloved Berlioz song cycle Les nuits d'été
On January 11, 2007 Measha launched the latest season of Opening Night on the CBC.  She introduced the documentary MozartBalls, a lighthearted film about some unusual Mozart lovers.  She will be making another hosting appearance later in the season.
Measha rang in 2007 by performing Auld Lang Syne in front of an audience of 40,000  at Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square as part of Canada's New Year's Eve Bash. She joined fellow performers Keshia Chanté, George, and Hedley. The event was televised on CityTV and A-Channel stations across the country.
Measha appeared on eTalk Daily on December 14, 2006 to advertise WWF Canada's Hotter Than I Should Be t-shirt campaign. All the proceeds from the sales of these shirts go into efforts to stop global warming. As Measha notes, by "giving one piece of clothing, you're also supporting a cause that will help our way of life." More information about the campaign is available at www.saveourclimate.ca and you can check out her eTalk Daily appearance here.
On November 7, 2006, Measha attended the presentation of the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize.  Having spent the ceremony seated alongside Giller jury members Adrienne Clarkson and Alice Munro, Measha quipped: "It took every ounce of restraint I had not to jump in Alice Munro's lap."  Magpie and Myles Mindham outfitted her for the event. (Photo credit: Tom Sandler)
Measha once again wowed San Francisco audiences when she performed with the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas from November 2-5, 2006.  She sang songs from Schoenberg's Brettl-Lieder as well as Mahler's Symphony No. 4.
Joining renowned Canadian singers Nancy Argenta, Kathleen Brett, Tracy Dahl, Adrianne Pieczonka, and John Tessier, Measha celebrated the 80th birthday of illustrious Canadian soprano and voice teacher Mary Morrison at the University of Toronto's Walter Hall on October 23, 2006.  Measha emceed the event and performed a stirring medley of spirituals.  She was outfitted for the event by Magpie.
Measha completed a British invasion in October thanks to two successful London shows.  She made her recital debut at Wigmore Hall on October 15, 2006 and opened the concert season of the English Chamber Orchestra on October 11, 2006, singing Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915.
On October 6, 2006, Measha performed with Maxim Vengerov and the New World Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas at the inaugural concert for Miami's band-new Carnival Center for the Performing Arts.  She sang Villa Lobos's Bacherias-Brasilieras No. 5 and the spiritual Goin' Up A Yonder.
Measha celebrated the successful launch of Extase with a CD release party at Ultra Supper Club in Toronto on September 29, 2006.  Guests included Toronto designer Izzy Camilleri, National Post columnist Shinan Govani, and jeweller Myles Mindham.  Measha was outfitted for the event by Rosemarie Umetsu for r.u. (Photo credit: Tom Sandler)
Sold out crowds at Roy Thomson Hall greeted Measha at her two performances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under Peter Oundjian on September 27 and 28, 2006.  She sang two nights of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, along with one night of selections from Mahler's song cycle Des Knaben Wunderhorn.
Measha launched the concert season of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under Robert Spano, along with the American release of Extase, with three performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 on September 21, 23 and 24, 2006.
Measha joined Molly Johnson and Rosey Edeh at the 10th Annual Awards Ceremony for South African Women for Women on September 16, 2006, where she performed Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child.  SAWW is a non-profit organization that focuses on improving the lives of all South African women, whether inside or outside South Africa.
On September 13 and 14, 2006, Measha launched her new CD Extase in Québec City with a press conference at the Grand Théâtre de Québec along with two performances of Strauss' Four Last Songs with the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec under Yoav Talmi.  The concert on the 14th was broadcast live on Radio-Canada's musical radio service, Espace Musique.