Portia White

Portia White
Portrait of White, taken in 1946 by Yousuf Karsh
Born	Portia May White (1911-06-24)June 24, 1911 Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
Died	February 13, 1968(1968-02-13) (aged 56) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Contralto
Years active	1941–1968
Children	1 [1]
Family	William A. White (father) Jack White (brother) Bill White (brother) Donald Oliver (nephew) George Elliott Clarke (grand nephew)

Portia May White (June 24, 1911 – February 13, 1968) was a Canadian contralto, known for becoming the first Black Canadian concert singer to achieve international fame. Growing up as part of her father's church choir in Halifax, Nova Scotia, White competed in local singing competitions as a teenager and later trained at the Halifax Conservatory of Music. In 1941 and 1944, she made her national and international debuts as a singer, receiving critical acclaim for her performances of both classical European music and African-American spirituals. White later completed tours throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

When vocal difficulties and cancer eventually contributed to her retirement in 1952, White settled in Toronto and subsequently taught young Canadian musicians such as Lorne Greene, Dinah Christie, Don Francks, Robert Goulet and Anne Marie Moss. One of White's final major public appearances was a special command performance for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1964.

White was declared a person of national historic significance by the Government of Canada. Her original supporters in Nova Scotia went on to establish the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, awarding annual arts scholarships to both emerging and established local artists, and the government of Nova Scotia continues to award an annual Portia White Prize. In 2007, White was posthumously awarded a lifetime achievement award by the East Coast Music Association.