THE SHEFFIELD CHOIR.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1146, 6 June 1911, Page 5

THE SHEFFIELD CHOIR.

DR. COWARD'S CAREER. Worthy of a chapter in Smiles' "SelfHelp" is the career of Dr. Henry Cowan!, tho conductor of the Sheffield* Choir, which will give performances in Wellington )» the course of its tour of the Umpire. Dr. Coward is nn entirely selfeducated man. The son of nn innkeeper in Liverpool, England, he was left practically destitute at nn early age, and went to live with an uncle, a Sheffield cutler. At eight years of ago, lie had already begun to learn the art of mnlcing cutlery, and for mnny years' lie followed that business as an artisan. Ho became so proficient that- he was awarded various prizes for making knives. But the boy had other ambitions besides the making of prize-winning knives. Ho became a chorister in church, learned to play the violin from his Sunday school teacher, and began on his own account tho study of the theory of music. Entirely by his own effort?, ho so perfected himself in his knowledge and in general culture that he was enabled to win tho degree first of Hnchclor of Music' of (ho University of Oxfqrd, nnd then Doctor of Music. His first effort as a conductor, the role in which he has since attained world-wide fame, was in leading a joint choir of school children. Now Dr. Coward is looked upon as the greatest of living choirmasters. Dr. Coward declares that the 200 choristers who will visit Wellington on Juno 20, in the course of its lour of the Empire, will be the finest, lwily of choristers ho has ever conducted in the whole of his professional career. They were picked out of over 500 applicants, and each was personally submitted to a voice-test Hint demanded 8!i out of a possible 100 marks. Tho Choir was due at Suva yesterday, en route to Brisbane.