Internationally acclaimed bass-baritone Willard White is the featured artist in `A Tribute to Paul Robeson,' which opens a two-night run under the banner of the BermudaFestival at the Ruth Seaton James Centre for the Performing Arts tomorrow evening.

He will be joined by journalist-broadcaster Trevor Phillips as narrator, and the Matrix Ensemble conducted by Robert Ziegler.

The life and career of the legendary American lawyer, singer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson has served as an inspiration to many, not least Mr.

White.

Born at the end of the 19th century, the late Mr. Robeson gained his law degree at America's Columbia University but, due to the prevailing limited opportunities for black people, pursued a singing career instead.

An ardent advocate of black rights, Mr. Robeson's journey through life took him all over the world, not only as a singer but also as an ambassador for his people, and for the struggle for civil rights.

The Bermuda Festival presentation relates his incredible journey, and features many songs made famous by Mr. Robeson, including `I Got Plenty o'Nuttin', `Go Down Moses,' and `Ol' Man River.' Jamaican-born Mr. White trained at the Julliard School in New York and subsequently made his debut at the New York City Opera. Since then his highly successful career has included performances in many of the world's top opera houses. He has also sung with some of the world's leading orchestras, as well as at the famed Last Night at the Proms in London, and was a featured soloist at the opening of London's Millennium Dome.

The bass-baritone has recorded oratorios, operas and recitals, as well as a television film version of `Porgy and Bess' in which he played Porgy.

In 1989, he played Shakespeare's Othello with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and his acclaimed performance was also recorded for television.

Mr. White's `Tribute to Paul Robeson' premiered at the Salisbury Festival in Britain in 1999 to outstanding reviews, and has since been performed extensively elsewhere.

Narrator Mr. Phillips is also managing director of the independent production company, Pepper Productions, which has produced several television series.

Educated in Guyana and London, Mr. Phillips is an Associate of the Royal College of Science, chairman of the London Arts Board, a trustee of the race relations think tank Runnymeade Trust, a Council member of the Royal Television Society, and chairman of the Greater London Assembly.

He was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen in 1999, and lives in London with his wife and two daughters.

American-born Mr. Ziegler has conducted many of the United Kingdom's top orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the London Symphony, and the Ulster Orchestra.

A winner of the Fitelburg Conductors' Competition in Europe, he has also conducted in Europe, Australia, the Far East and New Zealand, and his orchestral repertoire ranges from operas and symphonies to masterpieces of the 20th century.

"Any concert featuring Robert Ziegler's Matrix Ensemble is worth watching,'' Clive Davis, critic of Britain's The Observer newspaper, promises.

`A Tribute to Paul Robeson' begins at 8 p.m. and tickets (adults $30, students $15) are available from the Bermuda Festival box office next to the ferry terminal on Front Street from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For further information telephone 292-8572.

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