CREAM OF TALENT

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 291, 4 September 1933, Page 10

CREAM OF TALENT

Competitions Close TROPHIES PRESENTED \ Demonstration Concerts His Excellency, the Governor-Gene-ral, Lord Bledisloe, presented the awards at the final demonstration concert in connection with the Wellington Competitions Society’s sixteenth annual festival at the Town Hall on Saturdav evening. There was a crowded attendance. His Excellency was accompanied by the Lady Bledisloe, and as he handed the various trophies to their winners, she added a few kindly congratulatory words to each one. The winners of the shields and championships were as follow:— Choir shield: Island Bay Baptist Church Choir. Juvenile choir shield: Wellington Technical College. \ State schools’ choir: Lyall Bay School. Children’s chorus shield: Technical College. Nimmo’s challenge shield (for highest aggregate in men’s voices) : Shared by Mr. Ray Trewern and Mr. J; E. Davies. Nimmo’s cup (for chief pianoforte solo) : Shared by Miss Elsie Phillips and Mr. Gordon Anderson. Brice and Brice dancing championship cup: Miss Thblma Bartholomew. , Pianoforte championship: Miss Elsie Phillips. Ladies’ vocal championship: Mrs. Bertha Fcttes. Brabin diamond ring (for highest aggregate in ladies’ voices): Miss Rae Bond. Ladies’ elocution championship: Miss Nellie Henaghan. Men’s elocution championship: Mr. ♦Robert Cheyne. Girls’ elocution championship: Miss Constance Kelly. Boys’ elocutionary championship: lan Galloway. ' „ Ladies’ vocal scholarship: Mrs. Fettes. Men’s vocal scholarship : Mr. Ray Trewern. Ladies’ elocution scholarship: Miss Nola Hyde. Junior elocution scholarship: Andrea Lawson. ~ Pianoforte scholarship: Paul Magill. Air excellent concert programme was presented during the evening. The singing of the two male voice champions was much enjoyed. Mr. J. E. Davies sang in his native Welsh tongue the tuneful song, “Oh, That Summer Smiled for Aye," and showed that real abandon that only comes through the joy of singing. Mr? Ray Trewern, whose excellent voice and free production was commented upon on the occasion of the last concert of the Royal Choral Union, sang very attractively the “Dream” aria from Puccini’s “Manon Descant.” Miss Marjorie Lee sang with almost prudish care “The Old and the Young Marie,” and Mrs. Fettes was overweighted in the familiar “Che Faro” aria. Miss Kathleen Chappell sang the “Jewel Song,” from Gounod’s “Faust” fairly well. The dancing of Miss Vedras Reminers, who caught the Spanish idiom capitally, the delicately expressive toe dancing of Miss Dorothy Daniels, and the clever posing of the Misses Thelma Bartholomew and Joan Raine reached quite a high level of artistry. Mr. Robert Cheyne could have improved Henry V’s impeachment of the traitors by infusing his condemnation with more spirit. His elocution was good—it just lacked that little force which the lines suggest in such a'fiery spirit as England’s fighting King. Miss Nellie Henaghan, who recited “The Menin Gate,” made the mistake of calling it “Menin Gates” wherever it occurred in the poem. There is only one Menin gate. Numbers were also contributed by Misses Elsie Phillips, Constance Kelly, Rae Bond, Kathleen Monteperto, Natalie Pollack, and G. Sterling, Eileen Gooding, Nola Hyde, Grace Kerr, Kathleen Sawyer, Messrs. Martin Liddle, Graeme Ayson, A. P. Dorrian, and Herbert Seaton. The Technical School choir, though timid in tone, sang very sweetly Dr. Cyril Jenkins’s very charming part song “Fairyland” and “Where the Bee Sucks” (Arne), under the skilful baton of Dr. Jenkins. AFTERNOON CONCERT There was a splendid audience at the demonstration concert in the Town Hall on Saturday afternoon, when a large percentage of the juvenile talent which came to the top during the competitions appeared. The programme, which consisted of forty-two items, included the entire range of vocal, instrumental, elocutionary, and dancing numhoi's, and the result was a rather wonderful entertainment. In the realm of song, Audrea Lawson, Walter Waddle, Jean Cerchi, Kenneth Mackwell, Violet Compton, and Doreen Calvert, appeared with credit,: whilst the action songs of Elaine Webber and Jean MticLachlan were much appreciated. Loretta Cunningham played a pianoforte solo and Rita Simpson and Margaret Reynolds, and Yolande Bitossi and John Martin con; tributed pianoforte duets. There was plenty of variety in the elocutionary items. These included recitations in costume and plain dress by Constance Chalk, lan Galloway, Rita Cass, Keith Dudson, Murray Todd. Pauline McKain. Berwyn Frye, Ruby Cheyne, a dialogue from ‘‘Lorna Doone” by Joyce Webster and Bryce Glennie, and a scene from “Twelfth Night” by Hugh Jansen and partner. Jean Ivin also recited, in character, the poem “Ayah.” The only violin solo on the programme was that contributed by Pauline Craig, and choir singing was represented by the Lyall Bay School children. “Rendezvous” was prettily sung by Eunice Scott and Louie Compton. There appeared to be nothing more popular on the programme than the dance numbers, of which there was an infinite variety, displaying a good deal of promising talent among the young folk, who enjoyed the experience of self-expression in graceful movement every bit. as much as those in front. Dolores Harris and Adelaide Burnette executed clog dances; Phyllis O’Shea tin operatic dance; Jean O’Connor a lively jig; Melva Doney and Brian Ashbridge a dance phantasy entitled “’Twas Only a Dream”; Margaret Oates an eccentric dance; Diana Wil-liams-Elliot a skipping dance; Heather Elgie a “Jack-in-thc-Box” dance; Valeska Jenkins a tap dance; Joyce Oliver and Ngaire Keys a classic dance; and Peter Currie a hornpipe; the winners of the under 12 class a ballet in costume; and Dawn Larsen a character dance. One of the most attractive numbers of the afternoon was the dancing of a lively Highland reel by Juno Scott, .Tenn Lee, Margaret Kerr, and Peter Currie.

THE LAST EVENTS The four last events in which final awards were given at. once were decided in the Concert Chamber on Saturday morning. They were as follow :— RECITATION IN CHARCTER, humorous, boys under 12, own selection. Bryce Glennie, Lower Hutt 1 Murray, Todd. Island Bay.

Highly commended: Alan Bruce, Robin Holloway, Alexander Scott. RECITATION IN CHARACTER, humordus, boys 12-16, own selection. Hugh Jansen, Island Bay 1 lan Galloway. Khandallah - High commended: Lloyd Barrett, Veinon Halliday, Richard Burgess. RECITATION IN CHARACTER, boys under 12, not humorous. Robin Holloway, Ilitwera 1 Alan Bruce, Lyall Bay ............ ~ High commended: Bryce Glennie, Arthur Domb. ACTION SONG, boy or girl under 9. Kathleen Caldwell, Petone. and Beryl McMillan. Wellington, bSpte., equal 1 Cmmtanee Chalk, Wellington. B<pt«. 2 High commended: David Brown, Kora Hood. Mson, Davis, Pat McLean.