THE COMPETITIONS

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21175, 28 May 1934, Page 3

THE COMPETITIONS

FINAL DEMONSTRATION CONCERT WINNERS OF SCHOLARSHIPS AND MEDALS The final demonstration concert by successful competitors in the recent festival for music, dancing, and elocution occupied some three hours at the Civic Theatre on Saturday evening. Halfway through the programme 1 the president awarded medals to the winners of the various championship sections, and addressed remarks to the audience and to all competitors on the aims of the society. The programme j again produced some very good singing and general entertainment. It was very noticeable in the dancing that the national dances had more in them for the eye, and as for the musical accompaniments went, for the ear, too, than the more stereotyped forms. Mr Percy Geddes gave a light-footed and

I neatly-stepped sword dance. Miss Irene Roes, a nimble, joyful nornpipe. Miss Gladys Rose performed an operatic • dance with no more than clever toedancing; Miss Audrey McNish went through the graceful movements of an Egyptian dance. Misses J. Skilling and E. Man ion gave a stylish Russian duo; this with the other Russian dance by the Misses C. Brown and B. Addis involved much exertion and stamping of feet. The Egyptian-cum-Eastern ballet by pupils of Miss Bessie Macdonald had as much invention and originality as was contained in the music used, Luigini's "Ballet Egyptienne." Miss Billie Addis performed a highly amusing knock-about dance with bucket, broom, floor-cloth, and bar of soap. Miss Addis has a gift for. slap-stick and a gift for eccentric dancing. Instrumental items included the slow movement from Scnubert's Trio in B flat by Misses D. and E. Beck and Mr M. Lummis: balance and ensemble were fair. Miss Jean McLeod played Dohnanyi's concert arrangement of the Naila waltz with a certain amount of dash, but without the masterful technique that can alone make this music endurable. Mr Peter Cooper produced some beautiful sounds from the piano in Ravel's Jeux d'eau, neither overdoing the technical brilliance nor under-stating its quiet

charm. Miss Alva Myers was at last heard in music really worthy of her voice: Gluck's "Ye Powers that Dwell Below" is a majestic air whose spaci--1 ous melody Miss Myers invested with tone of glorious quality. It is rare to hear music sung, or played, for that matter, with the technical problems put in their right place; rarer still to find technique serving the lively and artistic purpose that informs all Miss Myers's singing. "Drink to Me _ Only with Thine Eyes," and Bishop s ' Home, Sweet Home," were sung with unfailingly beautiful sound. Miss Joyce Wilkinson sang finely Brahms s Love Triumphant," one of the most dim- ' cult of all Brahms's songs to sing well; for the burst of tone at the climax, Miss Wilkinson obtained absolute control from the very outset. Mr Fred Taplin sang the first of VaughanWilliams's "Songs of Travel" in a easy rhythm and with pleasant voice. Miss Edna Henderson showed what could be achieved by the avoidance of over-emphasis in "How's My Boy. Mrs Cyril Goode concluded the evening with "Dawn." . Humorous recitations by Miss Gracie Kerr, "Bargains," by Miss Meryle Swanson, "What Andy Didn't Know, by Miss Norma Sturrock, "At the Cinema," met with the approval of the very large audience. Miss Kerr gave a short scene from "Trilby" that showed to advantage her beautiful speaking voice. The Rangiora Juveniles gave an action chorus, "Wigwam," and later sang the winning song for the junior choir. In the afternoon a concert of children's work was held. Medals and Scholarships The medals won during the festival were presented at the concert on Saturday evening by the president (Mr R. H. J. Camm), who also expressed the thanks of the society to the newspapers, to those who gave assistance in the way of scholarships and medals, to patrons generally, and to the members of the staff, including the secretary (Mr T. F. Hall), the treasurer (Mr C. S. Thompson) and the stage manager (Mr H. Sweney). Mr Camm announced that the Royal Christchurch Musical Society, had offered the society a vocal scholarship, tenable for one year, to the value of £6, to be open only to members of the chorus of the musical society. It will'' be some time before it is known whether the 1934 festival has been a financial success. The attendances at the daily and evening sessions on fine days have been good, but this has been offset by wet weather. During the recent sessions there were six wet nights, compared with two for the session in 1933. The following medals were presented on Saturday evening:— Women's Vocal Championship—Miss Alva Myers (Kaitangata). Elocutionary Championship—Miss Gracie Kerr (Wellington"). Piano Championship—Miss Jean McLeod (Christchurch). Junior Elocutionary Championship— Miss Meryle Swanson (Dunedin). Sword Dance Championship—Mr Percy Geddes (Christchurch). The following scholarships were won during the festival:— Women's Vocal Scholarship—Miss Alva Myers. Men's Vocal Scholarship—Mr Fred Taplin (Dunedin).

Girls' Vocal Scholarship—Miss Henderson (Christchurch). . Elocution Scholarship—Mr Fred Stevens (Christchurch). Begg's Piano Scholarship—Petei" Cooper (Christchurch). Society's Piano Scholarship—Miss Jean McLeod (Christchurch). Mounsey Memorial Scholarship, Vocal—Miss Maryle Clark. Stacey and Hawker's Scholarship—• Miss Billie Addis. „ The Gunner Memorial Medal (vocal) was won by Miss Joyce Wilkinson, and the Gwen Gibbs silver cup for dancing by Miss Gladys Rose. The junior choir shield was presented to' thf Rangiora Juveniles. ' , The opportunity was also taken on Saturday evening to present the society's' gold badge to the past president, Mr A. L. Wilkinson. This is an. honour "conferred on all :'