“Do you know who you are talking to?” announces the voice at the other end of the phone line.
The deep bass tone belongs to none other than opera star Sir Willard White, who is bringing his tribute to the singer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson to Fairfield Halls.
In White’s second Robeson programme he will sing everything from It Ain't Necessarily So to Ol' Man River.
“A lot of the narration has changed,” he says as he describes how the show differs from his first Robeson programme.
“It is relaying different aspects of Robeson’s life.”
White says he is not a politican or an orator of Robeson’s ilk but has been inspired by his staunch support for the disenfranchised and underprivileged.
“I believe in those things,” he says.
“I remember when I was younger I heard a recording of his songs and I thought it would be nice to have a recording of my own.
“I always sang for myself, ever since I was a youngster. To explore the possibility of being a professional only came to me when I was in my 20th year.”
White says he experienced some difficulties in his career but adds: “I stuck to what I believed in, which is that my voice and my talent is not for nothing. Therefore I must try it and explore it - so I did that.
“What is more amazing to me is the whole purpose of living and being alive and the path my life has taken is not what I dreamed it would be. That for me is very interesting. Even if our dreams are not fulfilled we can still lead fulfilling lives.”
Music, though he says, can unify people and can help people find a voice, just as Robeson did.
“Music is very important as far as I’m concerned. Singing is probably the important, it comes from the heart of the body.
“All the other instruments are devices created to make a sound.
“When you open your mouth to sing it is like you are exposing your most inner secrets - your dreams, your fears, everything.
“That is why a lot of people are afraid of singing because it’s like laying yourself bare and vulnerable.”
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