NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ont. – Acclaimed soprano Measha Brueggergosman is recovering from emergency open-heart surgery.
The Shaw theatre festival, where Brueggergosman is set to return to the stage later this summer, issued a statement about her condition Wednesday.
“After experiencing acute pressure in her throat, Ms. Brueggergosman was rushed by ambulance to a Toronto hospital where she was diagnosed with high blood pressure and hypertension and subsequently released,” the statement said.
“The following day she reported to her family doctor with continued pains in her chest. Her doctor sent her immediately back to the hospital. Further tests revealed she had a dissection in her aorta and doctors immediately performed open-heart surgery to repair it.”
The festival said Brueggergosman is “recovering well” and is resting under doctor’s orders.
Brueggergosman has cancelled three appearances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as well as a performance in Austria. The Shaw festival says she’ll be back onstage August 9 for their performance of “An Enchanted Evening.”
The Fredericton-born singer, 31, recently underwent a dramatic weight loss of about 150 pounds.
She has said that diabetes, heart disease and cancer run in her family. She has said she lost the weight through Bikram yoga and gastric bypass surgery.
Brueggergosman has been heaped with critical praise while performing with orchestras around the world. She has won a Juno Award and performed for Nelson Mandela and the Queen.
The singer was born Measha Gosman and married Markus Bruegger. They changed their last names to Brueggergosman.
