Sir Willard White pays tribute to Paul Robeson in Manchester

Feb 3 2009 by Michael Green, Chester Chronicle

LEGENDARY singer Sir Willard White makes a welcome return to The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on Friday, February 13 to celebrate the life and work of the singer, actor and civil rights activist Paul Robeson.

The night before he gives a masterclass down the road at the Royal Northern College of Music, which will be his first public engagement there since he became the RNCM's new president.

This tour builds on White's first Robeson programme which has been a great success throughout the UK and abroad.

Sir Willard is joined again by the Neal Thornton Band to present a new set of Robeson favourites, with the addition this time of the Pavão String Quartet, who will add orchestral textures to the tailor made arrangements of the more popular Robeson songs.

Acclaimed worldwide for his many operatic roles, Willard White was originally inspired to sing after hearing a recording by the legendary Paul Robeson.

In this rich and inspirational programme he takes on the Robeson character to perform songs from a variety of traditions including Negro spirituals, British folk and early jazz. The concert concludes with White's rendition of Ol' Man River.

Willard White is one of the most admired bass-baritones in the world. He has sung at many of the world's major opera houses including the Royal Opera House, Metropolitan Opera New York, Opera de Paris, as well as at the Glyndebourne, Aix-en-Provence and Salzburg Festivals.

He is also much in demand for concerts and recitals, and will sing the role of the Wanderer/Siegfried at the Salzburg Easter Festival with the Berlin Philharmonic under Simon Rattle.

Tickets for Sir Willard White's Paul Robeson Re-explored concert at The Bridgewater Hall at 7.30pm cost from £12 to £29 and can be booked via the box office on 0161 907 9000 or via www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk.