- Portia White
Portia May White (
June 24 ,1911 -February 13 ,1968 ), was a singer who achieved international fame because of her voice and stage presence. As anCanadian of African descent, her popularity helped to open previously closed doors for talented blacks who followed.Portia White was born in the town of
Truro, Nova Scotia ,Canada , to Reverend William Andrew White and Izie Dora White,and was the third child in a family of 11. She made her musical debut at the age of six in her fathers’ church choir. At the age of 17, while she was teaching school in Lucasville just outside of Halifax, she received her first break, winning a silver cup in theNova Scotia Music Festival . From this experience, she qualified and received a scholarship from theHalifax Ladies Music Club , so she could attend theHalifax Conservatory of Music .One of the great
contralto vocalists in the history ofCanadian classical music , Portia made her debut on the national stage inToronto in 1941. By 1944 she had made her international debut inNew York City and later toured the world. When a rasp in her voice appeared it forced her to retire, she settled in Toronto and taught some of Canada’s foremost pop singers of the day.Portia White was asked to perform for Queen Elizabeth II, at the opening of the
Confederation Centre of the Arts inCharlottetown ,Prince Edward Island , in 1964. This was to be one of her last major concerts.Her brother Bill was the first Canadian of African heritage to run for political office in Canada, standing as a candidate for the
Cooperative Commonwealth Federation in the 1949 election, and her brother Jack was a noted Canadianlabour union leader. In addition to Bill's children, politician Sheila White and folk musicianChris White , Portia White was also the aunt of SenatorDonald Oliver and playwrightGeorge Elliott Clarke .Portia White has been declared "a person of national historic significance" by the
Government of Canada , and she was featured in a special issue of Millennium postage stamps celebrating Canadian achievement.Additional information: Her father was the first black man to graduate fromAcadia University , the Nova Scotia talent Trust was made in her honour, as well as the Portia White prize.ee also
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Portia White Prize External links
* [http://www.yorku.ca/aconline/music/classic.html African Canadian Online article about White]
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