Soprano Measha Brueggergosman-Lee has been awarded one of the Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prizes. There are two prizes awarded each year, one in the arts and the other in the social sciences and humanities.
Dr. Myriam Denov, a professor at McGill University, has been awarded the prize for sciences and humanities.
The prizes, funded by The Molson Foundation and co-administered with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, include $50,000 cash awards for each recipient. The goal of the prizes is to recognize and encourage substantial contributions to Canadian cultural and intellectual life.
The Winners
Measha Brueggergosman-Lee (Arts)
Soprano Measha Brueggergosman-Lee was born in Fredericton, NB. Her parents encouraged music and arts in their children, and she began to study voice and piano at the age of seven.
Measha has gone on to perform with eminent orchestras and ensembles across the globe, including at Carnegie Hall, Washington’s Kennedy Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, both the Konzerthaus and Musikverein in Vienna, Madrid’s Teatro Real, as well as appearances at prominent music festivals. She has sung at a number of major public occasions, including the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics and Paralympic winter Games, and a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II.
Along with a wide range of operatic repertoire, Measha has performed as a soloist with orchestras worldwide, including the Orchestre de Paris, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony and New World Symphony, among many others.
She is a recording artist with a catalogue of several acclaimed albums in the genres of opera, art song, and contemporary crossover, including her most recent, 2024’s Zombie Blizzard with the Aaron Davis trio and The Hanford Street Silver Band.
In 2024, she became the first Black recipient and youngest-ever recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Classical Music from the Governor General of Canada.
She is the permanent Artist in Residence for the Toronto-based Canadian opera company, Opera Atelier.
In addition to her performing career, Brueggergosman-Lee is an advocate for music education and the published author of a bestselling memoir.
Brueggergosman-Lee commented in a social media post,
“I am the 2026 Recipient of The Molson Prize from Canada Council for the Arts | Conseil des arts du Canada. The award ceremony took place after I sang the role of the Sorceress (transposed up for this soprano) in Opera Atelier ‘s production of Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas to open Ottawa Chamberfest on July 23, 2026.”
Myriam Denov (Social Sciences and Humanities)
Dr. Myriam Denov is a professor at McGill University. She also holds the Canada Research Chair in Children, Families and Armed Conflict (Tier 1).
Denov’s research examines the affects of war on children and families. She has drawn attention to human rights violations of children in war for more than 20 years across the globe, and pioneered research into sexual violence, trauma and mental health.
Previous awards include the SSHRC Gold Medal, the Prix du Québec, the Governor General’s Innovation Award and the SSHRC Impact Award, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Congratulations to both well deserved recipients.
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