World renowned musician is honoured by NEWI

Sir Willard White the world renowned opera singer from Kingston, Jamaica attended a special ceremony today (22nd February 2007) held by NEWI at the House of Lords to receive an honorary fellowship from NEWI.

Sir Willard first began to learn music by listening to the radio and by singing the songs of Nat King Cole. Inspired by the American singer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson, Sir Willard was a founding member of the Jamaica Folk Singers and sang with the Jamaica Amateur Operatic Society.

After making his debut with the New York City Opera in 1974, Sir Willard made his London debut in 1976 with the English National Opera.  Sir Willard has not confined himself to opera. He has appeared in concerts and recitals throughout Europe and elsewhere and has sung regularly with some of the world’s greatest conductors and orchestras, appearing many times at the BBC Proms.

His acting skills have also been in demand, appearing with Sir Ian McKellen and Imogen Stubbs in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 1990 production of Othello and in the 1993 Glyndebourne production of Porgy and Bess, both directed by Sir Trevor Nunn.

In 1995 Sir Willard was awarded a CBE and in 2004 he received a Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday honours.

Sir Willard has previously performed at NEWI and his highly popular concert programme An Evening with Willard White - a tribute to Paul Robeson was the highlight of NEWI’s celebrations to mark the reopening of the refurbished NEWI William Aston Hall in January 2002. The occasion also remembered with gratitude the support Paul Robeson gave to the mining community of Wrexham following the Gresford disaster of 1934.

NEWI is honouring him for his services to music and to NEWI.