Robert White (1936–), tenor and teacher, was born in New York City. He studied with Nadia Boulanger at Fontainebleau and was a soloist in Renaissance repertoire with Noah Greenberg's New York Pro Musica. He went on to sing with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic and other major orchestras, as well as with the Monte Carlo Opera. He has performed and recorded with Yo-Yo Ma, Samuel Sanders, Placido Domingo, William Bolcom, Brian Zeger, and Graham Johnson in music ranging from Beethoven to Richard Rodgers; premiered works by composers including Menotti, Hindemith (under the composer's direction), John Corigliano, Lowell Liebermann, Milton Babbitt, Ned Rorem, and Lukas Foss; and hosted his own BBC series with orchestra.

White has sung for six American presidents—Truman, Kennedy, Carter, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton—and also for Britain's Queen Mother and Prince Charles, Monaco's royal family, and Pope John Paul II.

As a youngster, White acted and sang on New York radio with stars such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart, Beatrice Lillie, and Bob Hope. His recent CDs include Hyperion's Bird Songs at Eventide, with pianist Stephen Hough; Irving Berlin songs and duets on Berlin Lieder, with Marilyn Horne and pianist Dick Hyman; and Songs of Lowell Liebermann, with the composer at the piano.

White received the 2007 Award for Artistic Excellence from the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, held the William Schuman Scholars Chair for 2008 at the Juilliard School of Music, and is a member of the Directors Council of the New York City Opera. He serves on the CUNY graduate voice faculty and has been a member of the Juilliard voice faculty since 1992.

Interview

By Permission of Robert White

RWI first met Sam Barber in 1961. Gian Carlo Menotti had written a part for me in his opera The Labyrinth, written for NBC television—Judith Raskin and John Reardon sang in it1—and he had invited me with a lot of the other singers to try out this opera. We went to Mt. Kisco, where he had a beautiful home in the country. That's where I met Sam.

AJ Were you associated closely with him?

RW Yes, I certainly was. Sam became a very good friend, not only to me but also to my family. He knew my brothers and sisters, the whole crew.