Manitoba Live Music Event

About

Jazz Winnipeg is pleased to present Measha Brueggergosman’s powerful project, Songs Of Freedom. Breuggergosman is one of Canada’s foremost opera stars who is got back to her cultural and musical roots with the project, spearheaded last year. Involving a documentary, a journey to her family’s homeland of Cameroon, and an exploration of her Nova Scotian roots, Brueggergosman’s voice shines while taking on these powerful songs of freedom. 

The importance and impact of the project can, perhaps, best be explained in the singer’s own words:

“I wanted to explore this repertoire because it’s dear to my heart. These spirituals are close to my Christian faith. They are also a very important part of my family’s history. It is the music of my people. 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. They created a powerful snapshot of their lives that still resonates with people today. The reason the songs survived so long is because of their immediacy. They have the universality of a mournful yet hopeful existence. They have strength. Every group of people who have held their elbows out to create room for themselves has these kinds of songs.”