Where is BLACK OPERA canada
PORTIA WHITE IS PROBABLY THE MOST important Canadian opera singer you’ve never heard of. The Nova Scotia-born contralto was at one time so renowned that in 1946, at the height of her career, Yousuf Karsh, who photographed Churchill and Casals, took her portrait. In the picture, White’s expression is one of serene ecstasy. Her sensitive oval face is framed by the collar of her coat. Her eyes are closed, her head tilted, her lips slightly pursed and pressed together as if she were humming something privately to herself, lost in the music
If White could convey such dignified vulnerability in a still photograph, you can imagine what it was like to hear and see her live, and why the critics at her 1944 New York debut—she was the first Canadian to perform at the fabled Town Hall concert venue—raved about her “magnificent musical instrument,” as well as her musicality and intelligence. White became the first Black Canadian classical singer to achieve international fame, singing concert programs of art song, oratorio arias and African-American spirituals throughout the United States, the Caribbean, South America, and Europe.
Portia White was compared, not surprisingly, to her great American counterpart Marian Anderson. But while Anderson is considered a beacon and inspiration for African-American singers who came after her, and is celebrated as a Civil Rights icon, White’s accomplishments and artistry are barely mentioned in Canada, even though she, like Anderson, broke a colour barrier while fighting both overt and
