Portia White scholarship for vocal talents
The province is investing $50,000 to support a scholarship honouring internationally acclaimed Black-Canadian singer Portia White.
The Bravura Nova Scotia Portia White Scholarship will provide $2,000 in tuition for one senior voice student who shows exceptional promise for a professional music career, said provincial officials in a release on April 16.
Communities, Culture and Heritage Minister Suzanne Lohnes-Croft said the award would be given annually to a Maritime Conservatory student of Performing Arts.
"Portia White achieved international fame for her exceptional musical talent. Her accomplishments are a source of pride for Canadians and a reminder of the importance of recognizing the contributions of African Nova Scotians," she said.
"What could be more fitting than a scholarship in Portia's name to the conservatory where she received her musical education."
Portia White, of Truro, was a classical concert and gospel singer in the 1940s and 1950s and toured Europe, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
She became the first Black Canadian concert singer to win approval across North America, despite difficulties obtaining bookings because of her race.
In 1995, the Government of Canada declared Portia White "a person of national historic significance."