LAST DAY'S EVENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 185, 7 August 1925, Page 5

LAST DAY'S EVENTS.

COMPETITIONS FESTIVAL. TO-MORROW'S PERFORMANCE. THE LATEST WINNERS. To-day is the last day of tke Auckland Competitions Society's first annual festival, which commenced on Thursday of last week, but demonstration concerts, in which the winners of the various classes will take part, will be held in the Town Hall to-morrow afternoon and in the evening. The most outstanding and at the same time disappointing feature of the festival lias been the apparent lack of interest on the part of the majority of the public This has been commented on at various times throughout the competitions. It has caused the committee and the judges considerable amazement, for this is the only town in which competitions are "held where the citizens have not given the venture their support. "Auckland, the largest city in the Dominion, lags behind in a movement, that is a permanent and paying concern everywhere else,' , is how the position has been summed up. Last evening the contralto solo. which was won by Miss Maida Davisoii. and tin- action song were the main at- j tractions. This morning Mr. Temple White, judge of the music section, was engaged in healing the champion solo for ladies. This was a lengthy class. A, B and C numbers being chosen from opera, oratorio and ballad respectively. The first prize is £10 10/, and the second £.") o/This afternoon Miss Iris Montgomery will take the dance duo (under 11), and the classic or Eastern dance (under 13), which was postponed from Saturday lust. Mr. Temple White will hear the bass and violin solos (open), and Mr. Culford Dell the recitation for Standard V. boys, while Mr. Kobert Hark will take the sailors' hornpipe (under 11). This evening the programme will-con-sist of the recalled competitors from today and also the classic or Eastern dance (under 11), the saxophone quartet, the recalls from yesterday's piano duet (under Hi), and'the remaining two hallets in the combined ballet section. In addition, Mrs. Dreaver'e drawing room entertainment party will a. j.,ar. To-morrow afternoon's demonstration concert will be composed of nearly all junior classes. The programme will be headed by the Baytield School choir (winner of the junior choir section), and the Newton West School. No. .2 choir (boys' voices only). Master Bert Skeels, the junior champion vocalist, will appear, and there will be a long list of winners from all sections. In the evening the performers will be mainly those who were successful in the senior classes but little Beryl Dickson, to whom has been awarded a special medal by an anonymous donor, who saw her compete in a -section senior to her standard, will also appear. Last evening, the judges made the following awards and comments: — Contralto Solo (Open). Miss Maida Davison 1 Miss Helen Taylor 2 The two recalls were the only ones who had much idea of the song. Most of the competitors did not seem to have studied the character. Sacred Solo (Men). | Mr. William Farrow 1 j Mr. J. Littler 2 This was (|uite a good section. One of i ithose recalled did not appear. The judge] said it was a pity as he had an idea that he might have won. Piano Solo (under 13 years). I Richard Walton 1 j Jeanie F. Fogarty 2 ; Both were very creditable performI ances. I Vocal Trio (Ladies). I Mrs. A. H. Osborne, Miss L. A. Kite and Mrs. A. L. Lewis 1 Mrs. MePherson and Misses Hunter j and Robb 2 Action Song (under 12 years). Doreen O'Leary 1 Beryl J. Dickson ~ % i I Yvonne Mackay * 3 I Gladys Cain was highly commended. ; The four recalls were very charming. I Scan Triubhais (under 15 years). Edna Fitzwilliain 1 i Wilma Lockwood 2 , Irene Long 3 j The dancing in this class had improved i greatly in timing andlftterpretation since the commencement of the competition. i Sailor's Hornpipe (under 15 years). Angus Brown . .• ~ 1 : Cava Petersen .....<.., ;« 2 Irene Long ... ., -. "> The competitors should study the meaning of each step, and then they would be able to do justice to them. I Recitation (Boys under 16 years). Kenneth Warburton 1 J. Roy Ferguson 2 , Mervyn Blair 3 Musical Monologue (Men). Mr. Maurice Wilkinson 1 Mr. Robb Kiddey 2 • Test Recitation (Men). Mr. Frederick W. Barker 1 ! Mr. Robb Kiddey 2 Mr. Maurice Wilkinson 3 The selection gave scope for a great deal of emotional expression, but none came up to anything like the ideal. All missed the fervour needed for the piece. Prepared Reading (Pupils of Primary ; > Schools). Ruth Gourdie (861 1 1 Marie Corner (82 ) .'. -2 1 Sybil K. Wright (80) .. :i Highly commended: Mavis H. Drearer (7!>), "Rosalie Daniels (79), Lulu Armitage (7S), Edna Sharp (7">!, Olive Gaudin (741, William Vaughan (74), Joyce Crosher (71), John Bartram (70). The readings in this class were very good, said the judge (Mr. Culford Bell). He did not place much importance on the section, as prepared reading was more or less easy. It had to be pretty correct to get into the prize list. The work was good throughout. One competitor had not looked at the book at all. which was a , mistake. Even if she did know it off by i heart she should have disguised the fact. • The attacks were good. One or two were i too declamatory, and a few took the piece j too quickly. The prevailing fault was the j breaking of phrases, and there was i trouble occasionally with breathing. Irish Jig (open).—Miss Edna Fitzwilliam. 1: Miss Gwen MacNaughton. 2. Jig (under 11). —This section was taken on Friday last. The correct result was: Betty * Kerr, 1; Rosalie Daniels, 2.