May 1998 | By Harris Loewen, Former ECC Conductor
One of the highlights of my dozen or so years with ECC was a concert we presented in May 1998. The board bravely chose one of the program options I had presented, a narrowly-focused one consisting entirely of arrangements of Afro-American spirituals. Some of these arrangements required a good soloist, so I set out to find a good Black singer who could match the sound of a 50-voice choir. I consulted with a choral colleague, Brainerd Blyden-Taylor (conductor of the Nathaniel Dett Chorale), who recommended a young U of Toronto student named Measha Gosman (now Brueggergosman-Lee). He cautioned that, due to her youth, she may require some additional support.
Measha arrived for rehearsal, a brimming, eager, and energetic singer who had clearly prepared all the material. I was immediately impressed with her voice, charisma and beyond-her-years professionalism. She did not require any special handling at all. I asked her if she would be willing to sing a few additional solos without the support of the choir and she agreed, saying she did not need the support of an accompanist either. Despite my misgivings, convinced by her confidence, I agreed. Well, she was the unquestioned star of the show, her stand-alone solos garnering tremendous applause. This concert remained the most gratifying conductor-solo collaboration of my career. Oh, yes, an inspired ECC absolutely nailed it too!
— Harris Loewen, Former ECC Conductor
