William Morton

Who is William Morton?

William Morton is a Canadian tenor opera director, and voice teacher born in Deloraine, Manitoba. He first studied singing with Alicia Birkett in Regina, and later with Albert Whitehead and James Rosselino in Toronto. He made his professional singing debut in 1932 and made his first radio appearance in 1933 on CKCK. He appeared regularly on CBC Radio from the mid-1930s through the 1950s and was also one of the leading tenors of the CBC Opera Company during the 1940s. With the CBC he notably performed the title role in the Canadian premiere of Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes in 1949. From 1942-1951 he was a member of the CBC vocal quartet the Four Gentlemen which were a main feature of the radio program 'Carry On Canada'.

In 1952 he relocated to Vancouver where he established the Vancouver Opera Theatre; serving as the company's conductor and director. He also taught singing privately in Vancouver for more than 20 years. Two of his notable students were Don McManus and Harry Mossfield.