White, Willard (1946– )

Jamaican bass. He studied at the Juilliard School, New York, and made his debut with the New York City Opera in 1974, as Colline. After engagements on the Continent he sang Monteverdi's Seneca with the English National Opera ensemble in 1976; he later returned as Hunding (1983) and as Ivan Khovansky (1994). From 1978 he appeared at Glyndebourne, as the Speaker, Osmin, the King in Love for Three Oranges (1982), and Gershwin's Porgy (1986). He sang Wotan with Scottish Opera (1989, 1991) and Monteverdi's Pluto at the 1990 Salzburg Festival. He has been heard in concert in works by Shostakovich and Elgar. In 1995 he was awarded the CBE.