One Wed Oct 22 I has the pleasure of hearing Measha Brueggergosman give a recital at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Measha has become quite the name on the Opera circuit both in North America and in Europe. Before going to hear her I read the blubs on her web site and other reviews I could find, including this review from the CincinnatiBeat

Cincinnati audiences adored Measha Brueggergosman in last year's Dead Man Walking. This season she returns as the servant girl Liù. Her casting in this particular role at first seems odd: Her power-packed stage presence brings something new to the role of the long-suffering servant girl. But the formula works. Brueggergosman shows herself truly capable of a wide range of roles, and her singing is exquisite. When she opens her throat, her soul pours out. For the audience, the experience is at the same time thrilling, intimate and deliciously tragic.

And I'm glad to report that Measha gave a recital that was all that. What the reviews did not prepare me for is Measha's amazing sense of comedic timing. While listening to songs in German and French I found my self laughing out loud at the punch lines, simply from Measha's expressions, in her voice and on her face. This made for a much more light hearted evening than I was expecting.

At the end of the evening I felt she a delivered a 10 out of 10 performance, but in her encore she cranked it to 22 for the black spiritual Where You There. This is becoming Measha's signature song, she delivers it with a passion and power that makes the rest of the evening pale in comparison.


Measha Brueggergosman is an opera diva with pop accessibility, if you have the chance to hear one of here recitals, I recommend you take it.

For backgroud you can read my previous post about Measha.

- Peace