Conductor Discovered And Married Glenda Raymond

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28701, 26 September 1958, Page 2

Conductor Discovered And Married Glenda Raymond

When a 22-year-old ( woman bank clerk went along td a Melbourne studio in 1944 to record “The Lass with the Delicate Air” for her grandmother’s birthday, the chain of events which brought fame and romance to Glenda Raymond was begun. Hector Crawford, at that time manager of the Broadcasting Exchange of Australia, in his office a few floors above the studio, heard her song and Immediately telephoned bis engineers for the name find address of the singer. The result was the debut of Glenda Raymond in an open air concert in the Botanic Gardens of Melbourne, organised by Hector Crawford, and the start of a friendship which culminated in the marriage of the Australian soprano and Mr Crawford in 1950. Melb* Role Glenda Raymond’s fine voice first became widely acclaimed by the Australian public when she took the singing role in the life of Dame Nellie Melba on the radio. At the completion of this programme Miss Raymond made an Australia-wide tour before sailing for England in 1948 to study under the Italian tenor, Dino Borgioll. Within a few months she accepted a contract from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, making her London debut in Rutland Boughton’s opera “The Immortal Hour” tn the role of Etain. Concerts. 8.8. C broadcasts and television engagements came in quick succession in England. In 1949 Miss Raymond returned

to Australia for another nationwide tour when she made the well-known recordings for a national radio programme “Glenda Sings." After a further season in Europe, Miss Raymond returned to Australia in 1950 to marry Hector Crawford and to continue her career in her own country. On her three concert tours of New Zealand since 1955, Glenda Raymond endeared herself to audiences in this country. She has been a soloist with the National Orchestra under James Robertson and fulfilled engagements with Maurice Till, pianist, as her accompanist.

N.Z. In October Glenda Raymond will interrupt her opera season in Australia where she is appearing in “Barber of Seville” and "Fidelio,” to tour New Zealand next month. Her Canterbury and Westland itinerary will be sponsored by the Adult Education Department of the University of Canterbury. Christchurch audiences will have an opportunity ol hearing her, again accompanied by Maurice Till, on October 20.

Her programmes will include selections from Handel, Schubert, Strauss, Mozart, Schumann and Brahms. Expected to be of special interest will be folk songs of Europe—from England, Ireland. Italy, Spain and Poland.