Portia May White was a operatic contralto, known for becoming the first Black Canadian concert singer to achieve international fame. Born in 1911, White's formative years were spent performing in her father's church choir in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She competed in local singing competitions as a teenager and later trained at the Halifax Conservatory of Music. One of her most popular recordings was of the African-American spiritual "Think of Me". She also had a hit with the song "4 & 20 Elders".
In 1944, Portia White made her international debut auditioning for the Metropolitan Opera. White became the first Canadian to sing at New York's Town Hall performance space. The New York Times reported her singing was "remarkable." White later completed tours throughout Europe, the Caribbean, Central and South America.
When vocal difficulties and cancer eventually contributed to her retirement in 1952, White settled in Toronto and trained other Canadian musicians such as Lorne Greene of Bonanza TV fame, and famous pop singer Robert Goulet. Portia White was interviewed by CBC Television in 1958.
One of White's final major public appearances was a special command performance for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1964. Portia White occasionally performed on American radio during the medium's golden age. We found one appearance on the show New World A'Comin in 1945, celebrating the Allied Victory in Europe during World War Two, and it's meaning to African-Americans.
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