GRAND OPERA ARIA

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 298, 30 September 1935, Page 7

GRAND OPERA ARIA

THE MELBOURNE CONTEST.

MR FRANKLIN-BROWNE

CONFIDENT.

(Special to the “Guardian.”) WELLINGTON, September 27. Feeling fairly confident that ho will be one of those to be recalled, Mr Colin Franklin-Browne, of Wanganui, who won “The Dominion” grand opera contest at the recent Wellington Competition, loft Wellington by the Wanganella for Sydney on Friday, on his way to Ballarat to compete m the Melbourne “Sun” aria from grand opera contest. . . At the South Street competitions in Ballarat, Mr Franklin-Browne will compete with 86 young Australians and New Zealanders, his nomination for and expenses of participation having been the prize of his success at Wellington. The aria contest at Ballarat will be held in the first week in October, at the end of which eight entrants will he chosen by the judge ( i Bennett North) to sing in the final at the Melbourne Town Hall. The first prize is 120 guineas, and the total amount to be distributed is 230 guineas. This is the largest vocal prize ever offered in Australia. Mr Frankdin-Blrowne will sing tno selection with which he won “The Dominion” contest—“ Walther s Pnzt Bong” (“Meistersingers,” Wagner), and if he is recalled he has chosen “When the Stars are Brightly vShinino-,” from “Tosca.” Though he said 1 he knew Ins voice might not he as' good as the voices of come of the other entrants in the Ballarat contest, Mr Franklin-Browne felt he knew how to give an artistic interpretation, and tliis was why he was confident of beiflg recalled. He was going to do his utmost to prove he had been worthy ofi selection to icpresent New Zealand at the contest.