June 14, 1923
MUSICAL COURIER
30
MYRA HESS,
snapped in Santa Barbara, Cal. Miss Hess will return to America in September to fulfill numerous concert dates.
Music Festival Association of Atlanta, and he was high in his praise of her art.
Miss Harvard will rest during the summer and also prepare for a busy 1923-24 season.
A Resumé of May Korb’s Activities
May Korb, coloratura soprano, was the only feminine singer chosen at last year’s auditions for the Stadium concerts. She appeared at the Stadium on July 29 with the Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Willem Van Hoog-straten. Her regular season began on September 2 at the Allentown, Pa., Festival, where she achieved an enormous success which resulted in a direct engagement at Williamsport, Pa., as soloist with the MacDowell Club, Leon Huff-meister conducting, on October 17.
November 8,^ May Korb made her New York debut in recital at Aeolian Hall, receiving enthusiastic praise from the critics. November 22 brought an engagement at Jersey City, as soloist with the United Singing Societies of Hudson County, George Friedgen conductor.
On January IS the Newark Symphony Orchestra gave its mid-winter concert with Miss Korb as soloist. January 18 she gave a recital at Columbia University, where she was enthusiastically received.
February 8 brought a reengagement at Rahway, N. J., on February 20 Miss Korb gave a very successful recital at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N. H., with Charles Raymond Cronham at the piano. This concert resulted in a reengagement for next season.
Mr. Friedgen again engaged this soprano for a concert with his New York Society, the Uhland-Bund on March 12. Miss Korb’s next appearance was with the Sittig Trio at Wallace Hall, Newark, N. J., where she sang a Mozart aria with violin and solo numbers with cello obligato. The critics called her a Mozart singer “par excellence.”
During music week Miss Korb sang at Town Hall, N. Y with William Simmons, for the League of Youth. The same week she was scheduled to appear at the Hotel Astor as soloist at the annual Breakfast of the New York Fresh Air Fund Society. June 1 brought an appearance at Elizabeth־ N. J., with the Fidel Mannerchor. In July Miss Korb will sing in New York and then spend the remainder of the summer at Lake George preparing next season’s programs with Marcella Sembrich.
In addition to these concert engagements and many postponements of dates for next season, Miss Korb sang at several private musicales. She also holds two important church positions, one at South Park Presbyterian Church Newark, and the other at Temple B’Nai Jeshurun
Miss Korb is booked exclusively by Concert Direction Annie Friedberg.	’
panist was Gordon C. Laidlaw, also a former Rochesterian but now of New York.
Popular Singing Body Again Pleases.
The Rochester Maennerchor gave its sixty-ninth annual concert on May 15 in Masonic Temple, under direction of F. Eugene Bonn. It sang a varied and attractive program with the finish that has made it one of the best known of local singing institutions. John Paul Bohn won special applause with his solo number. Other soloists were Max Toor, violinist, and Margaret Daigman, soprano, with Dorothy Mc-Hale as accompanist.
Piano Recital by Eastman School Exponents.
Roslyn Weisberg, well known pianist and graduate of the Eastman School of Music, gave a recital in Kilbourn Hall playing the Beethoven Appassionata Sonata and pieces by Chopin, Debussy and Sain-Saens. Miss Weisberg is a pupil of Raymond Wilson, coming with him from Syracuse to Rochester when the Eastman School was opened. For the yast year she has been much in demand as accompanist at Eastman School recitals.
Harry W. Watts, another of Eastman School’s advanced students, gave a piano recital. His program included the Beethoven E flat major sonata and short pieces.
School Children in Instrumental Ensembles.
The second annual concert by the combined instrumental classes of the public schools brought nearly 420 pupils to the stage of Convention Hall under the direction of Jay W. Fay. An unusual feature was the choir of twenty-eight flutes playing Titl’s Serenade. Another novelty was the playing of a gavotte by a string choir including 105 violins. There were numbers also for violas, cellos, French horns, clarinet and bassoon ensembles and some for saxophones, trombones and cornets. The junior orchestra contained 170 young musicians and the advanced orchestra and band was carefully organized to invite comparison with professional organizations. This work among the school children is only two years old but has brought striking results. Many of the young musicians use instruments donated by George East-
The Business Women’s Club gave a musicale on May 15 at the club rooms. Those who took part were Marion Rose O’Neil, Florence Bradley, with Elizabeth Gillespie at the piano; George F. Frank, with Ruth Mabee Vick at the piano; Ralph Scobell, with Alice Wysard at the piano; Emily Borchert and Helen E. Curtis.
The musical program in connection with the moving picture entertainment at the Eastman Theater for the week of May 27 was provided by Alexander Roman, concertmaster of the Eastman Theater orchestra, and Edipha McRae, popular vocalist.
Pupils of Gerald Maas, cellist, gave a recital in East High School on June 1. Features of special interest on the program was the cello quartets by four picked pupils. The soloists were Wilton Clute, Albert Caplin and William Carman.
Recitals have been given recently by pupils of Jane M. Templeton, Hermina Dossenbach and Annie Parsons.
H. W. S.
Kiwanians Applaud Sue Harvard
Among the many organizations with which Sue Harvard is a great favorite is the Kiwanis Club. She was chosen as soloist for the International Convention held in Atlanta during the week of May 28, and needless to say her success was instantaneous. Miss Harvard had recently recovered from a severe illness, but her truly artistic singing on
UWJMflHUnpr•...—- ■■
Philadelphia’s Tribute to John Barnes Wells
Harriet Ware and John Barnes Wells recently visited Philadelphia to give a joint recital for the Contemporary Club, and a column of press comment (the clipping, but not the name of the paper, is before us) says many fine things of tenor Wells, in part as follows :
In interpreting Miss Ware’s songs Mr. Wells not only served her with graciousness and sympathy, but by his understanding of them intelligence, good taste and pure diction clearly conveyed to lcnc• jheir import. He also was heard in his own Dream Port, h״mir״eSCT'PtlV r ■La vrlld drows‘nS int0 the land °f dreams, and the Uiilest ? T״LltlIe Magpies, thumb marks further evidence of his 25"“,in fhl‘dreT’ afd a	concert dealing with a French bull•
d°sa״da butterfly; Loomis s In the Foggy Dew and Burleigh’s Go Down, Moses. He was in good vocal condition. His tones had the !	and 5y'npattetic. Quality that, allied to his knowledge
of what constitutes good art in singing, always makes the hearing of tnem an agreeable experience.
Münz to Make Philadelphia Debut
Mieczyskw Mimz has been booked as soloist with the Philadelphia Philharmonic Society on December 16 next, thus adding to the long list of engagements the sensational Polish P^mst will fill next season in this country Mr. Munz is now in Europe, where he is making many concert and recital appearances.
Leginska With St. Louis Symphony in February
. eiuCt odat?s f?r Leginska’s appearance as soloist with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, under Rudolph Ganz, next season have been fixed for Thursday and Fri-¿ay> February 7 and 8, on the pianist’s return from her iracinc Coast tour in December and January.
Ethel Frank Summering on Long Island
Ethel Frank soprano, who will be remembered by her recitals in New York and Chicago last season, is summering in Rockville, Long Island. Miss Frank is an ardent tennis tan and plays a very strong game. She is also devoting part of her time to preparing programs for the coming season, which promises to be a very active one
SUE HARVARD
this occasion proved that her voice had not suffered in consequence. In addition to a first class vocal equipment she possesses a charming personality and immediately wins the hearts of her hearers.
The first night of the convention the soprano sang to an audience of 6,000 and was applauded to the echo. That afternoon she was heard at a big reception given at the Heinz home. Miss Harvard .sang at three dinners on the evening of May 30, appearing for the Capitol District, for the clubs from North and ־South Carolina and for the representatives of the Pennsylvania clubs. While in Atlanta Miss Harvard sang for Colonel Peel, the chairman of the
ROCHESTER LAYS FOUNDATION FOR PERMANENT BACH SOCIETY
Rendition of Matthias Passion Finds Intelligent Response—
Eastman School Commencement Activities—Local Boy Soprano Returns Home as Concert Tenor— Maennerchor and Other Concerts
Rochester, N. Y., June 2.—An interesting event of the spring musical season was the presentation of the Bach Passion According to St. Matthew by a chorus of ninety voices and an orchestra of thirty-five pieces in Convention Hall, on May 23. The production was prepared entirely by Guy Fraser Harrison, organist of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and a teacher at the Eastman School of Music, who gave a similar performance a year ago in St. Paul’s Church with such success that he was urged to undertake a more elaborate production this year. The performance was witnessed by an audience that showed an intelligent interest in the music which was considered an indication of the possibilities for developing a public response to Bach music. Mr. Harrison announced that the proceeds of the concert were to be used in the establishment of a permanent Bach society for Rochester similar to the famous Bach choir of Bethlehem, Pa. The production was of finished excellence and won hearty commendation. The mature voices were supplemented by the choir boys of St. Paul’s Church. The soloists were Lucille Davis, soprano; Mildred Lewis, contralto; Charles Hedley, tenor, and Frederick Benson, baritone (all local artists).
Eastman School Activities.
Commencement activities at the Eastman School of Music have been in progress for two weeks beginning with a concert by the Eastman School orchestra, conducted by Selim Palmgren, on May 18 in Kilbourn Hall. The program included Haydn’s symphony in В flat major, the Boccherini minuet (for strings), a Berceuse by Jarnefelt and a series of musical episodes from Mr. Palmgren’s own historical musical play, Duke John. The soloists for the concert were Santina Leon and Veronica McCarthy, who sang the Ortrud and Elsa duet from Lohengrin, and Marion Keeler, a young coloratura soprano, who won warm applause by her singing of the Mad Scene from Hamlet.
An equally interesting event of the Eastman School commencement was the performance of two operas, Hansel and Gretel and Pagliacci, by the students of the new operatic department of the school. The operas were the first presented by students and were received with every evidence of interest and appreciation. Those who took principal parts in Hansel and Gretel were Stanley McClelland, Lulu Piens, Dorothy Pringle, Helen Wilson, Florence Bradley, Adelaide Tweedle, Christine Henkel, Hazel Miles and Maxine Kisor. In Pagliacci the leading parts were filled by Lucille Davis, Charles Hedley, George Frank, Theodore Fitch and Philip Van Tas-sell.
On May 29, in Kilbourn Hall, the following advanced students gave a recital in connection with the end of the Eastman School year: Florence Alexander, Bertha Keating, John Thompson, Christine Henkel, Allison MacKown, Florence Bradley, Ruth Mabee Vick, Lyndon Croxford, Claribel Banks and Elizabeth Buck.
Another class of advanced pupils was heard in recital, the following appearing: Margaret Williamson, Maxine Kisor, Jerome Diamond, Wilton Burke Owens, Dorothy Dodd, Estelle Holroyd, Ruth Vick, Constance Finckel, Edna Richardson and Ruth Northup.
Boy Soprano Returns to Home Town Concert Singer
Robert J. Naylor, a former Rochester church tenor and before that a well known boy soprano, returned to his native city to give a recital in the Corinthian Theater. He was met by a large audience of friends who gave him an enthusiastic reception. Mr. Naylor has been studying for six years and has received offers of grand opera engagements in South America and Italy. His program included a variety of operatic arias and songs which he sang admirably. His accom-
ESIHER
DALE
Soprano
Engagedfor two solo appearances in July with
NEW YORK SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Personal Representative:
ARTHUR J. BECKHARD
731 St. Nicholas Avenue, New York
Telephone Audubon 1163