CONCERT AT CHEVIOT.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13377, 19 March 1909, Page 3

CONCERT AT CHEVIOT.

The first public celebration of St. Patrick's Day on tho Cheviot settlement took the form of a. concert and dance, which was held in the McKenzio Town Hall on Wednesday evening. The celebration was a very enthusiastic and eminently successful one, and it will probably be made an annual fixture. The concert programme was one of considerable merit, and the different items were thoroughly enjoyed by the audience, which filled the hall. A quartet of Christchurch vocaJists assisted in the musical part of the evening's entertainment. Mr Richard Allan sang quite a number of eongs, all of them, owning a national flavour, in capital style, and also gave several monologues in a most entertaining and acceptable fashion. Sir Dudley Wyatt ■was also very successful in his coir.ic songs, and he was recalled with a frequency which made considerable inroads into his repertoire. The soprano soloist was Miss Chegwin, whoso artistic interpretation , ? of a number of the gems of Irish song appealed strongly to the audience. Miss Smith, a contralto, who is as much at home in mezzo-soprano sis on tho lower register, also sang in very good form, and treated her songs in a very capable and ple-asing style. Mr A. Allen, of Cheviot, was an old favourite with the audience, and Mies Winterbourne, another locnl performer, was well received. A violin and pianoforte duet by Mr Murgatroyd and Miss, Hauehey was a topical item, their playing of popular Irish eongs. with variations, taking the audience by storm. During the evening tho chairmnn (Mr J. Sullivan) introduced tho Hon. G. Fowlds, who had made a .short stay in Cheviot on bis way to JT.iwarde-n. The Minister gavo a .short ad'lress, which treated very wisely with tho propriety of olv•wrvinir anniversaries which remimTfMl colonists an 4 their descendants of the InmU from which they had come or sprung. The concert was followed by n dance, and refreshments made an atrreor»blr> interlude to this part of the celebration.