THE COMPETITIONS

Evening Post, Issue 47, 24 August 1936, Page 11

THE COMPETITIONS

2YA VOCAL TESTS

VARIETY IN PROGRAMME

Judges at the Wellington Competitions Society's festival were kept busy today, not only in the three halls in use, but also at the 2YA studio, where the preliminaries of the radio vocal solos were begun. There were seventeen entries in the men's section, and they were completed this morning, but the large number of 59 competitors in the women's class meant a division of it into two sections, the second of which will be heard at the studio on Wednesday, morning. Competitors sing through a microphone and speaker at the studio, and the two best are being selected to. broadcast from 2YA on Wednesday night. That! transmission will-be received in the Town Hall and the final decision made by the judges there. A cooking competition, for scones, shortbread, and sponge sandwich, is a new, idea being tried this year, in conjunction with electric cocking demonstrations by Miss R. E. Wood. Competitors are to hand their exhibits in at the Concert Chamber between 12,30 and 2 p.m. on Wednesday, and the entries will be arranged in front of the stage. Miss Wood will give her demonstrations.at 3 p.m. and again at 8 p.m. She will judge the competition after the afternoon demonstration and the results will be announced in. the evening. More than half of the competitors in the contest for the society's vocal scholarship for ladies, in which there are thirty-seven entrants, were heard in the Chamber on Saturday night, in the soprano and contralto sections. Time did not permit the many competitors in the" mezzosoprano section to be heard, and they will sing on Wednesday in Charles Begg's studio, beginning at 6.30 p.m. THIS EVENING'S PROGRAMME. Tonight's combined: demonstration and competitive programme in the Town Hall will contain a full range from the hundreds of classes at the competitions. A few of the more popular items will be an. eccentric dance, fifteen minutes of magic, items by three verse-speaking choirs, a demonstration; number by the winner of the chief piano solo contest, an oration, a classical dialogue, a number of ballets, and numerous other dancing and vocal items. Twenty-three different classes will occupy the attention of the judges tomorrow. In the Town Hall tap dancing (8-10 years of age) will take the whole morning, and in the afternoon there:will be toe dancing (14-16), character story dancing Cl2-I'4), skipping dancing (14-16), and the seantriubhais (12-16). The elocution scholarship contest (16-21),' the boys' junior test recital (14-16); and the musical monologue (14-16) will be taken in the morning in the ■ Concert Chamber, where in the afternoon will be heart! the vocal solo (18-21), contralto solo (restricted), men's Welsh song, ; and ladies' .Welsh ■ song. The. Concert Chamber, programme ■in the evening will comprise the contralto test solo, men's humorous recitation, and men's Irish folk, song. In the Blue Triangle Hall the morning programme will open with the piano'solo (reading at sight), 12-16, after which there will be a violin solo (12-16), a piano duet (under 12), a piano solo (reading at sight), over. 16, and a girls' recitation (9-12). The boys' recitation for the same ages will follow in,the afternoon, and there will also be a boys' non-humorous recitation in character (under 12) and girls' reading; at sight (under 12). Through a judge's error, the name of Patricia Oliver, Wellington, was omitted from'the .list of those highly commended in the class for the operatic- dance (942) on Saturday. Additional results are:— ACROBATIC DANCE, under 12. (Three entries.) • Joyce G. Smith (Wellington), 75 ... 1Lynley Wainscott (Lower Hutt), 69 2 Very highly commended: Pamela Walden (Wellington), 68. PIANO DUET, 12-16. (11 entries.) Loretlo Cunninghame -and Zila Mc-Mahon-Box (Lower Hutt), 92-.. 1 Rita Simpson and Margaret: Reynolds (Wellington), 88 1.. 2 Very highly commended: Mary Smith and Eunice Johnston (Lyall Bay), 87. Highly commended: Robert Drewitt "and George Hughes'(Paraparaumu), 86. The winners had some nice phraseshaping and tone-making. They blended excellently, said the judge, Mr. Ernest Jenner. PIANO SOLO, rl4-17. (Six entries.) Jocelyn Walker (Wellington), 97 . 1 Lola Buick (Palmerston North), 90 2 "Viewed as a class the work was not good, being rather dull and often very inaccurate/ said the judge, Mr. Ernest Jenner,• "but'the winner's performance was easily.the best of any class so far. She has excellent musical understanding, fine feeling, a sensitive ear, and a very sound control of tone-making." * PIANO SOLO, 12-14. (30 entries.) Loretto'Cunninghame (Lower Hutt), 93 1 Zita McMahon-Box (Lower Hutt) and Claudia Simon (Lower Hutt), each 92, equal ........... 2 Very highly commended: Mary Smith (Lyall Bay), 91; Robert Drewitt (Paraparaumu), 90. Highly commended: George Hughes (Paraparaumu), 86; George Denham (Lyall Bay), 86. Very good work was done in this class, said the judge, Mr.; Ernest Jenner. The highest five were.very close in marks and the winner had excellent" "pictorial imagination. VIOLIN SOLO,; under 12. (5 entries.) Desmond Bohanna (Lower Hutt) and Marie Walker (Wellington), each 85, equal .:.■... 1 There was a great need in this .class for ear training in pitch, said Mr. Ernest Jenner, who judged it. MEN'S NEW ZEALAND TEST RECITAL. ((11'entries'.) Mr. J. B. McNeill (Christchurch), 166 .....'... ............... 1 Mr. Robert Cheyne (Eastbourne), 164 .....1....:...„.' 2 Very highly commended: Mr. Lan Galloway (Khandallah), 163. Highly commended: Mr. .'. Len Crothers (Island Bay),, Mr. Winston Reynolds (Wellington), Mr. Ronald Wakelin (Wellington), each 160. "I was slightly disappointed.with the standard of the work done in the test selection," said the judge, Mr.W. Rus-sell-Wood. '.'Almost all.the competitors lacked the required patriotic fervour essential to the successful interpretation of Kipling's poem. The men's voices were very good, but one or two were a trifle strident. 'Although lacking the polished diction of some of the other performers, the winner got nearer to the traditional idea of tlie interpretation of Kipling. In his own selection, -'Boots,' he gave a sound, virile, and truly rhythmic performance —the most rhythmic in the class. The second prize-winner did very well, I shoving..g<rod -pn^on^ijjo^vejHand^a