Measha Brueggergosman Serenades Toranto for AMREF, 10/17

Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman, with German pianist Andreas Kern, will perform in Toronto on Saturday, October 17th. Recovering from heart surgery in June, the 32-year old style icon and classical music star is proving she's as fierce as ever. On the cusp of a brand new record release, the singer is kicking off a series of North American concerts in support of AMREF - the African Medical & Research Foundation - a cause close to her heart. An Evening with Measha Brueggergosman is at 5 PM on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 inside Toronto's historic St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (at King and Simcoe), followed by a private reception for 100 guests. This will be Brueggergosman's sole Toronto performance of 2009.

In 2007, Brueggergosman became the Goodwill Ambassador for AMREF Canada - the African Medical & Research Foundation and visited AMREF's health projects in Uganda and Kenya. Her experience with Kenyan street children and war-affected children in northern Uganda strengthened her dedication to help them break free from the cycle of poor health and poverty. Brueggergosman is now giving her time and her voice for this special performance with 100% of net proceeds helping empower the most vulnerable and marginalized people in Africa.

Tickets for this special performance are $60, $125 and $175 with a 50% discount for students. For information or purchase tickets, members of the public can contact AMREF Canada at 416-961-6981 or info@amrefcanada.org.

The African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) is the world's leading international African not-for-profit health organization. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya since 1957, AMREF has major programmes in Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, and trains health workers across the continent and beyond. AMREF's work spans HIV/AIDS, TB and STIs, malaria, safe water and sanitation, clinical outreach, training and education and maternal and infant health. AMREF Canada is one of 11 offices in countries outside Africa and works to support AMREF to empower African communities to live healthier lives.

Known for her sharp sense of humour, her larger than life personality and her off the cuff remarks, soprano Measha Brueggergosman is one of Canada's most magnificent performers and sought-after personalities. A style icon, Measha has guest judged Project Runway Canada, Idol Underground, and is a media fixture in print and radio.

She is critically acclaimed by Canadian and international press as much for her innate musicianship and voluptuous voice as for her sovereign stage presence. Her vocal mastery has led her to perform with some of the world's leading orchestras and conductors. Measha has given a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II and has performed for the Prince of Wales, President Halonen of Finland, several Canadian leaders including Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, and for Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan.
Following several recordings with CBC Records, her extraordinary versatility, intuitive musicality, and radiant star quality yielded her an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon. Her first recording on the label, "Surprise", garnered a Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year 2007. The same year, Measha became AMREF Canada's Goodwill Ambassador. Passionate about health and Africa, Measha has travelled twIce To visit AMREF's vital work in northern Uganda and Kenya. Her first-hand experience with African children and young women strengthened her dedication to help them break free from the cycle of poor health and poverty. Doing what she knows best, Measha is lending a hand by lending her voice.

Pianist Andreas Kern is Measha's co-host on "Arte Lounge", a TV show that promotes classical music in Germany. Mr. Kern flew in specifically for this concert. He studied at the Privatinstitut für pianistische Studien in Dusseldorf and later on at the renowned Hochschule der Künste. As a soloist, Andreas has performed in concerts around the world, including in Germany, Italy, India and Japan. He has performed with several orchestras, including the Hannover Philharmonie, Kottmann Stringorchestra and the Aachen Youth Orchestra. He has also performed contemporary music for a radio concert series for the German radio station, WDR. Since 1999 he has been the artistic director of Sommernachtstraum Arts Festival in Berlin. A versatile performer, Andreas recorded film scores composed by Christian Biegai for the upcoming DVD release "Croatian Fairytales from Long Ago", directed by Helena Bulaja. In 2004, he was the collaborative pianist for the acclaimed Sasha Waltz Dance Company in the South of France. In the same year he performed Mozart at the "Wiener Festwochen". He was also been invited to serve on the Jury of the prestigious Steinway Competition for 2006 in Berlin. In the same year he produced his own classic show for Arte TV which was aired in May 2007. He also performed twice his new show of "Dolce&Ciabatta" for the German EU-Presidency.