THE COMPETITIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 49, 26 August 1935, Page 11

THE COMPETITIONS

TODAY'S' CLASSES

VARIETY OF ITEMS

Seventeen classes, with competitors averaging about thirty in each, kept the judges busy^ in four halls at the Wellington Competitions Society's festival today. ' The Tpwn Hall was used for dancing events, the Concert Chamber for singing, and the Blue Triangle Hall and the Wesley Hall for elocutionary items. . Saturday's daytime audiences exceeded in number the attendance for the opening day last year and the indications were that today's attendances would maintain the improvement. ■.: ■:'■■.- The: chief item on this afternoon's programme was the Ladies' Operatic Solo, own selection, in which there were thirty entrants, many of whom are also competing in the grand operatic contest.- Although in today's class grand opera was not required there were some who sang for it their selection lor the operatic contest, and their performances today were watched with a great deal of interest as giving some indication of their worth in the major event. • . ■ ■ ■ Tonight's programme bids fair to eclipse in popularity even the successful show of/Saturday night. It comprises a ballet in costume, a tenor solo, three humorous stories, a boys'' song, an oration, a ladies' vocal solo by a New Zealand'composer, a classical dialogue, ten'minutes of magic, a character story dance, a song in character, a ladies' humorous recitation, a Scottish folk song, a ballet in. costume, a one-act play, a ladies' vocal trio, a boys' humorous recitation, a song and dance, and the grand operatic contest. ;.■■■ In the last-named^ class the competitors are Miss Kathleen Montaperto (Wellington), Miss Kathleen Sawyer (Te Horo), Mrs. Richard Bradley (Upper Hutt), and Mr. Waller E. Richards (Wellington). THE RESULTS. Placings.in today's classes were as follows:— TAP DANCE, under. 12. 'Section A. (37 Comnetitors) Keith Major, Island Bay, B'3 ....,. ] Freda C. Harris, Wellington, and Elaine Montgomery, Welling- ' ton, each 82, dead-heat ...... 2 Lois Humphreys, Wellington, 8L v.h.c. "The winner gave a very good performance and the two girls who tied for second place did sorre very pleasing work, but generally speaking the work was not 'of. a.high.standard," said the judge, Miss Irene Stone. SONG IN CHARACTER, boy or girl, under 12. (27 Competitors) Melya Doney, Wellington, 92 .... 1 Betty Campbell, Upper Hutt, 89 .. 2 Fay Steeds, Hataitai, v.h.c; Pamela Ballard, Hataitai, v.h.c; Pat McLean, Wellington, v.h.c; Murray Platt, Lower Hutt, h.c.; Thelma Anderson,' Hataitai, h.c; Colleen Walling, Wellington, h.c; Beryl McMillan, Wellington, h.c.'; Vera. McKelvie, Wellington, c; Betty Spinley, Wellington, c; Ngaire Bynam, Lower"Hutt, a; Mavis Trower, Petone, c; Nona Hood, Roseneath, c; Bottine Kerr, Wellington, c. The judge was most enthusiastic about the standard in this class, as was indicated by.the number of mentions he gave. "I was specially struck with the amount of care which had been put into training and with the thought which had gone on. the part .of the mothers into the ; making of the dresses," said Mr. Griffiths. "Generally speaking the choice of songs was good and the vocal standard for a class of this kind was commendably high. There is a danger,,, though, of sacrificing the musical standard to the purely picturesque."' " SEANN TRIUBHAIS, 12 and under 16. (13 Competitors.) Gracie McKay, Wellington, 88 .... 1 Roie Docherty, Mercer, 84 ........ 2 Daphne Morrison, Dunedin, h.c; Jean O'Connor, Wellington, h.c; Jean McLachlan,' Christchurch, h.c. Though on the whole the section-was disappointing, the winner gave a very pleasing performance, commented the judge, Mrs. Lan Cameron. LADIES' SCOTTISH FOLK SONG. (25 Competitors.) Miss Una Thomas, Brooklyn, 89 ... 1 Miss Audrey Lawson, Wellington, 86 2 Miss Eileen Courtenay, Wellington v.h.c;. Mrs. Richard Bradley, Upper Hutt, h.c.; Miss Valeric Ashenden, Lyall Bay, h.c; Mrs. Angus McKay, Wellington, h.c; Miss Kathleen Bond, ..Lower Hutt, h.c; Mrs. H. W. Thompson, Wellington, h.c; Mrs. Grcville Wiggs, Karori, c; Miss Joyce E. Myers, Wellington, c; Mrs. Gordon Morrow, Christchurch, c; Mrs. W. H. Webster, Hcretaunga, c. * The judge, Mr.. T.. Vernou Griffiths, said that this was a splendid class. Some of the singers displayed real talent, and generally the choice of songs was excellent. Again he stressed the almost supreme importance of rhythm, and he regretted to hear signs of vibrato and tremolo in some otherwise very promising candidates. This* was a fault to be eradicated immediately it appeared.

GIRLS' READING AT SIGHT, under

■ ■ (40 Competitors.) Beryl McMillan, ■Wellington, 73 ... U Jessie F. Montgomery, Lower Hutt 72 ............... ;......; 2 Beverly Peek, Berhampore, 71, v.h.c;

Rita Cass, Island Bay, h.c.; Vera Gilmour, Xyall Bay, h.c. . Mrs. Craig MacKenzie. who judged this class, said that the piece she set had practically no difficult words, but was really to catch the competitors who could not maintain the sense over long sentences. On the whole the speech was quite good, a weakness being inability to look ahead to dScide the phrasing, to suggest the meaning. The winner was- a very fine reader with good expression and pausation, and the second girl had a pleasing voice and vowels. GIRLS' RECITATION, 9 and under 12. (32 Competitors.) Violet Compton, Kilbirnie, 68 .... 1 Bernice Burgess, Karori, and Rita Cass, Island Bay, each 67, - >. equal ...'.■ .". 2 Betty Campbell, Upper Hutt, h.c; Bettine Kerr, Wellington, h.c; Eunice Adams, Lower Hutt. h.c; Elaine Montgomery, Wellington, h.c;: Mary A: Burgess, Karori, c; Noelene. Perrin, Palmerston North, c; Shirley AustinTurtle, Wellington, c; June Blake, Northland, c. ' ..... ■ Mrs. MacKenzie considered -that the standard was very high. She wanted, the competitors to emphasise first good speech arid secondly a sense of rhythm, upon which gestures and acting should not be allowed-to intrude. On the whole the vowels were good, and there was some bright work. ' -.'■' ■ , - TENOR SOLO. .'".. (Five competitors.)Mr. Ernest Elliott/Wellington, 80 .. 1 Mr. Eric Wardlaw, Lower: Hutt, 78 2 secondary school chorus, 20 / to 30 voices: technical College,. Wellington, 172 .. 1 The only competing choir. Mr. T. Vernon Griffiths, the judge, said the first item showed good attack and effective contrasts. The control of the chorus was excellent and its balance and tone very good. Diction was clear. Altogether it was a very pleasing performance showing careful training. .The second and unaccompanied item showed very good balance and nice contrasts in-tone and tempo. The phrasing was carefully done and the choii- was admirably controlled. Special praise was due to those singing the lower part. ; The intonation was very good throughout. In the ladies' reading at sight on Saturday Miss Violet Potter, of Wellington, was very highly commended.