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Robert White (born October 27, 1936) is an American tenor and voice teacher who has had an active performance career for eight decades. He began performing Irish songs on the radio in 1942 at the age of six on programs such as Coast to Coast on a Bus and The Fred Allen Show; earning the nickname the "little John McCormack". In the late 1950s, he embarked on a career as a concert tenor, and achieved success as an exponent of early music by such composers as Handel, Bach, and Monteverdi during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. He has performed in concerts with several major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein and the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy, and has performed at the White House for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter.
White was born in the Bronx, the fifth of six children of tenor,
composer, and radio actor Joseph White and lyricist Maureen O'Byrne White. His mother was originally from Galway,
Ireland, and his father was the grandson of an Irish immigrant from Kerry. His father achieved fame portraying the
title role on the NBC Radio program The Silver-Masked Tenor; a program
for which he also composed many of the songs. White's mother Maureen was
his father's lyricist. White began performing on WJZ radio at the age of 6 under the name
Bobby White, and recorded his first album, Ring of Gold, at the
age of 7. He usually performed Irish folk songs and ballads on the radio,
and was dubbed by Milton Cross as "our own little John McCormack." Some of the radio programs he performed
on were Coast to Coast on a Bus; Irene Wicker, the Singing Lady;
and The Fred Allen Show. On the latter show he became acquainted
with The DeMarco Sisters, with whom he was notably trapped for four days
during the North American blizzard of 1947. He also had the opportunity to perform
with such legendary entertainers as Humphrey Bogart, Bing Crosby, and Frank
Sinatra on Allen's program. By
the age of 12 he was performing challenging tenor songs with full orchestras
on NBC radio, such as 'Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life' from Victor Herbert's
Naughty Marietta. White's initial training as a singer was established through lessons
with his father. His
skills were also sharpened as a chorister at St. Jerome's Church in the
Bronx. He
earned a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from Hunter College. He then pursued studies in Germany, Italy,
and at the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau in France with Gerard
Souzay and Nadia Boulanger. He went on to earn a Master of Music
in vocal performance from the Juilliard School in 1968 where he was a pupil
of Beverley Peck Johnson. While at Juilliard, he played the role
of Charles in the world premiere of Paul Hindemith's The Long Christmas
Dinner for the Juilliard Opera Center in 1963. He continued to study voice privately
with Johnson throughout his professional career. In the mid 1970s White returned to his roots as a performer of Irish
songs, and achieved fame internationally as an 'Irish tenor,' drawing comparison
to John McCormack; he even performed on programs for BBC television in honor
of the late tenor. He continues to perform in concerts with a diverse repertoire
ranging from Irish ballads to opera to contemporary art songs and works
from the classical tenor canon. Several composers have written works specifically
for him, including Mark Adamo,
William Bolcom,
John Corigliano,
Lukas Foss, Stephen Hough, Libby Larsen, Lowell Liebermann,
Gian Carlo Menotti,
Tobias Picker,
Ned Rorem, and
David Del Tredici.
He has made several recordings for RCA Victor Records, mainly of Irish songs
and ballads, and has also recorded a diverse repertoire for Virgin Classics,
EMI, and Hyperion. A former faculty member of Hunter College and the Manhattan
School of Music, he currently teaches on the voice faculty of the Juilliard
School. He also works periodically as an interviewer for the radio station
WQXR-FM. == Names which are links in this box and below
refer to my interviews elsewhere on my website. BD Sadly, just as this webpage is being posted in March
of 2026, we learn of the passing of this fine artist at age 89.
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© 1989 Bruce Duffie
This conversation was recorded in Chicago on March 10, 1989. Portions were broadcast on WNIB in 1996. This transcription was made in 2026, and posted on this website at that time. My thanks to British soprano Una Barry for her help in preparing this website presentation.
To see a full list (with links) of interviews which have been transcribed and posted on this website, click here. To read my thoughts on editing these interviews for print, as well as a few other interesting observations, click here.
Award - winning broadcaster Bruce Duffie was with WNIB, Classical 97 in Chicago from 1975 until its final moment as a classical station in February of 2001. His interviews have also appeared in various magazines and journals since 1980, and he continued his broadcast series on WNUR-FM, as well as on Contemporary Classical Internet Radio.
You are invited to visit his website for more information about his work, including selected transcripts of other interviews, plus a full list of his guests. He would also like to call your attention to the photos and information about his grandfather, who was a pioneer in the automotive field more than a century ago. You may also send him E-Mail with comments, questions and suggestions.