Charles Jordan (baritone)

'''Charles Jordan''' (3 April 1915{{dash}}27 June 1986) was a Canadian [[baritone]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Canadian Geographical Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ihw6AAAAMAAJ|volume=38-39|year=1949|publisher=Royal Canadian Geographical Society.|page=lxvii}}</ref> and [[voice teacher]]. As a performer he was mainly active on Canadian radio.

==Early life and education== Jordan was born into a Jewish family in [[Montreal]]. He first studied singing with Adrienne Bourassa in Montreal during the 1930s, and later was a pupil of Albert Whitehead at the [[Toronto Conservatory of Music]] from 1941 to 1943.

==Career== Jordan made his professional debut singing French chassons on [[CKAC]] in 1937.<ref name=cjn>[http://newspapers.lib.sfu.ca/cjn2-18319/page-11 "Ten Jewish Giants"]. ''The Canadian Jewish news'', October 2, 1986, page 11</ref> He performed regularly on CKAC and with various [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] orchestras in Montreal through 1940. From 1941 to 1943 he recorded several [[oratorio]]s and [[opera]]s by Purcell and Handel for the CBC, including Polyphemus in ''[[Acis and Galatea (Handel)|Acis and Galatea]]''. He also sang on the show ''Air Band'' in 1943.<ref name="Inc.1943">{{cite magazine|title=Show reviews|magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xAwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT11|date=17 July 1943|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|page=11|issn=0006-2510}}</ref>

From 1944 to 1950 Jordan worked as a radio singer for both the CBC in Toronto, and for the American radio programs ''Sweetwood Serenade'' (NBC) and ''Sunday Night Serenade'' (MBS) in New York City.

After 1950, Jordan divided his time between performing and teaching singing in Toronto. Several well-known actors studied singing with him, including [[Susan Clark]], [[Lorne Greene]], and [[William Shatner]].<ref name="Inc.1999">{{cite magazine|author=Larry LeBlanc|title=Marc Jordan makes Blue Note debut|magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iAgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT42|date=11 December 1999|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|page=42|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> He also made several albums during the 1950s of Canadian classical music and Canadian folk songs, including ''Folk Songs of Canada'', based on [[Edith Fowke]]'s book of the same name. It was recorded with singer Joyce Sullivan and released on the Hallmark label.<ref name="SissonsBrisay1957">{{cite book|author1=Charles Bruce Sissons|author2=Richard De Brisay|title=The Canadian Forum|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=POKeAiogWJAC|volume=37|year=1957|publisher=Survival Foundation|page=132}}</ref> Critics praised the quality of the singing, but pointed out the lack of authenticity involved in having classically trained singing for folk songs.<ref name="GuignéResearch2008">{{cite book|author1=Anna Kearney Guigné|author2=Memorial University of Newfoundland. Institute of Social and Economic Research|title=Folksongs and folk revival: the cultural politics of Kenneth Peacock's Songs of the Newfoundland outports|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ulsSAQAAIAAJ|year=2008|publisher=ISER, Institute of Social and Economic Research|isbn=978-1-894725-06-4|page=138}}</ref>

He is the father of Canadian singer-songwriter [[Marc Jordan]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/charles-jordan-emc/|title=Charles Jordan|encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]}}</ref>

Jordan died 27 June 1986 in [[Toronto]].<ref name=cjn />

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Charles}} [[Category:1915 births]] [[Category:1986 deaths]] [[Category:Anglophone Quebec people]] [[Category:Canadian operatic baritones]] [[Category:Jewish Canadian singers]] [[Category:Singers from Montreal]] [[Category:20th-century Canadian male opera singers]]