THE COMPETITIONS

Evening Star, Issue 23352, 23 August 1939, Page 5

THE COMPETITIONS

PIANO CONCERTO CONTEST WIN FOR MISS MOLLY RUNNERSTRUM MISS WINKEL'S JUVENILES SCORE IN ACTION CHORUS By 11 points Miss Molly Runnerstrum secured first place oyer Miss Lois Manning (Christchurch) in the piano concerto contest held last night in _His Majesty’s Theatre, when the thirtyeighth annual festival of the Dunedin Competitions Society was continued. Mr E. C. Reynolds was chairman. There, were four competitors in the concerto class, which carries a first prize of £6 6s, as well as the right to hold for 12 months the Collard and Collard Championship Cup. The judge (Mr Paul Schramm) did not say very much about this class, his comments being confined to “ Those of you who heard the first competitors on Friday night will agree that Miss Runnerstrum knows her piano very well.” The sixth of the children’s action choruses was presented, following which the section was judged. Miss Anita Winkel’s Juveniles gained first and third places with ‘ Spring’s Return ’ and ‘ Maoriland,’ and Miss E. Lungley’s Juveniles second place with ‘ Hungarian Dance.’ The' impromptu debate attracted four teams, and! the subject, ‘ Are We Utilising Our Leisure to Best Advantage? ’ provided some keen debating. The winners were Messrs J. D. More and J. D. Neil. v . ' Apart from the piano concerto, piano pieces were much to the fore last night, a solo and a duet section also being heard. Mr William Clarke, who was third in the concerto, was one of the winning pair in the duet, and he came second in the solo. The vocal scholarship winner. Mr Ken Stewart, came first in the baritone solo contest. Results INSTRUMENTAL. Judge: Mr Paul Schramm. PIANO CONCERTO CONTEST, open, first movement of ‘ Concerto ’ (Grieg). First prize £6»6s, second £3 3s, donated by Messrs W. Harris and Son. Ltd. Winner to hold in addition championship cup offered by Messrs Collard and Collard Ltd., London, in conjunction with Messrs Charles Begg and Co. Ltd. Miss Molly . Runnerstrum, 89 points 1 Miss Lois Manning (Christchurch), 78 points 2 Mr Wiliam Clarke, 76 points 3 Also competed: Mr G. H. Ellis (Port Chalmers).

, PIANO SOLO, own selection. Miss Clare Neale, 89 points 1 Mr William Clarke, 77 points ... 2 Miss Irene Adamson, 76 points ... 3 Highly commended: Miss Elsa Gawn (Green Island). Also competed: Misses Margaret Boult (Oturehua), Kathleen Wilson fOamaru), Noela Borrow (Mosgiel), Joan Owens (Christchurch), Lucy Robertson, Mr Gavin Bartlett. PIANO DUO, two pianos, four hands, open, ‘Gopak’ (Moussorgsky). Messrs William Clarke and Laurence Scott (Abbotsford), 81 points ... 1 Misses 'Ruth, Stewart and Kathleen Allen, 74 points ... 2 Misses Irene Adamson and Rena Simpson, 69 points. 3 Also competed: Misses Olive Nieper and Rena Simpon. The competitors, said Mr Schramm, did not play the piece_ as a (Russian dance, and it was only in the winners’ effort that the barbaric rhythm was apparent. CHILDREN’S ACTION CHORUSES.

Judges: Miss Betty Carnochan and Mr C. H. Adolph Mann.

Minimum of 12 voices, in costume, 16 or under. Miss Anita Winkel’s Juveniles,

‘ Spring’s Return.’ 85 points ... 1 Miss Edna Lungley’s Juveniles, ‘ Hungarian Dance,’ 84 points ... 2 Miss Anita Winkel’s Juveniles, ‘ Maoriland,’ 74 (points 3 Also competed: Miss Anita Winkel’s Juveniles, ‘Pipes of Pan,’ ‘Song of the Danube ’; Miss Muriel Eager’s pupils, ‘ Hungarian Gipsies.’ A question to be considered in judging this section, said Mr Mann, was whether the action threw any light on the music or not. He thought that in the first and second cases it did. ELOCUTION. Judge: Mr Rupert Harvey. RECITATION, girls under 12, ‘The Darkling Thrush ’ (Thomas Hardy). Ngaire Douigan, 86 points 1 Shirley M'Cormack (Oamaru). 83 _ points 2 Yvonne Lamhourne, 81 points / ... 3 Also competed: Lorna Fuller, Nanoye Callander, Ngaire Whitcombe. Shirley Hicks, Laureen Lethaby, Noeline Fellingham (Christchurch), Pauline M'Grath (Ravensbourue), Margery Georgeson, Nancy Smith, Averill Millow, Jean Grant, Alma M'Allau, Joyce Taylor, June Reta Cook, Leona Perry, Ngaire Jones, Christina Peacock, Dorothy Mitson, Kathleen Mutineer, Rosemary Samson, Maureen Liddell (Invercargill), June Trcgilgus (Mosgiel), Doris Melser, Edith Taylor (Christchurch). Mr Harvey did not consider that many of the competitors understood the poem set, and he admitted it was an exceedingly difficult piece. Technique was generally high, however, and he based his markings more on this than on the understanding of the poem displayed. RECITATION, ladies or men, own selection (not humorous). —There were 23 competitors in this class, the judge recalling Misses Alice Clarke and Margaret Scurr. The recalls will be heard to-morrow night.

VOCAL. Judge: Mr C. H. Adolph Mann. BARITONE SOLO, ‘ A Song of Lyonesse ’ (Rutland Boughton). Mr Kenneth Stewart, 76 points ... 1 Mr Alan Sotting, 71 points 2 Mr Harold Barnes, 67 points ... 3 Also competed: Messrs Harold Lyders, B. Wilkins (Mosgiel), Walker M'Donald, Alick Munro, Harold Davidson, Eric Johnson, William Miller, Harold Robinson. This song was intended by the composer to be a sturdy song, to be rendered in a quick and happy style, said the judge. It was a difficult number, but he did not think the candidates had studied the words to any extent before rendering it. There was not the required change of voice or of facial expression which would have been in evidence had the song been studied fully. Tone had been brought out very well indeed in the cases of the first, two. fioropetitqra.

Judge: Mr Paul Schramm. CHILDREN’S DUET, 13 and under 16, in character, to be sung in unison or harmony. Own selection. Owen Hymen (Gore) and Irwin M’Gregor, 90 points _ ... 1 Hilda and Kathleen Paul, 83 points 2 Isla Johnson and Mina Parker, 76 points 3 Also competed: Muriel Davis, Doreen Scoullar: Hazel Yeoman, Margaret O’Connell; Noeline Moody, Zelda Osborne; Chryanthe Pagonis, Pauline Sime; Leone Cornish, Enid Carter; Hilda and Kathleen Paul. Both the first and second competitors sang very charmingly, said Mr Schramm, and if there had been a little more action in the girls’ number they might have come first. CHILD’S ACTION SONG, under 12, in character, own selection. —There were 22 competitors in this class, and the recalls, to be heard to-morrow night, were: Shirley M’Cormack (Oamaru) and Patricia Wood. DANCING. (Judge; Miss Betty Carnochan. TAP DANCING, suitable for musical comedy, without apparatus, 10 to 14. Section 1. Erin Reed, 68 points 1 Jack Miller, 67 points - Irene Leitch, 65 points 3

Also competed: Beryl Gilchrist, Gwen AVilson, Ngaire Dawson, Betty Fletcher, Valerie Gray, Yvonne Hughes, Patricia Hanley, Nola Hall, Dawn Lindsay, June Applegate, Shirley Stewart, Betty Maguire, Joy Mills, Margery Georgcson. . Arm movement had been too definite, said Miss Carnochan. The competitors did not appear to be enjoying the dance. If they were, arm movements would have been better and the general standard of the dance ivould have been improved. IMPROMPTU DEBATE. Judges: Messrs Rupert Harvey and P. 0. Smellie. Subject, ‘ Are We Utilising Our Leisure to Best Advantage?’ Time limit, lOmin. Messrs J. D. More and J. D. Neil, 80 points -v- ••• 1 Messrs J. N. Ramsay and H. L. Gibson, jnn., 69 points ... ... 2 Messrs S. E. Mee and J. B. Cull, 65 points 3 Also competed: Messrs M. G. O’Callaghan and Robert Bradley. Mr Smellie stated that the competitors did very well indeed. There ■were some logical arguments put forward and some good replies made. The w-in-ners handled their material very well. One of the biggest faults, said Mr Harvey, was the habit of competitors in dropping the ends of their sentences so they could not be heard. Although this was a commonplace in everyday speech, it must be guarded against in public speaking.

SPECIAL AWARDS

The following special awards are officially announced. Shield for secondary schoolgirls choir: St. Philomena’s College. Mr E. T. Holler’s shield for winners of verse-speaking choirs, 14-18 years: Dunedin Academy. Mrs E. T. Holler’s cup for winner of verse-speaking choirs, under 14: St. Philomena’s College. Vocal scholarship, donated by Mr .Alex. Stewart, valued £6 6s; Mr Ken. Stewart. _ Elocution scholarship, donated by Mr Arthur Barnett, valued £6 6s; Miss Alice Clarke. Miss Florence Pacey’s cup for best performance in child’s action song, 12 and under 16: Noeline Moody. MR PAUL SCHRAMM’S RECITAL. On Friday night there will be interspersed throughout a very good programme selections on the piano by Mr Paul Schramm. These selections will be divided into three groups, the first devoted to Beethoven, the second to modern compositions, and the third to Chopin. The programme is as follows: (a) ‘ Sonata in F Minor, Opus. 67 ’ (appassionata): Movements —assai allegro, andante con moto, allegro ma non troppa (Beethoven). (h) ‘ General Lavine—Eccentric,’ ‘ The Engulfed Cathedral ’ (Debussy), ‘ The Valiev of Bells ’ (Maurice Ravel), [ Marche Grotesque,’ (Serge Prokofieff). _ , r . , (c) ‘ Nocturne, D Flat Major ; ‘ Waltz in G Flat Major ’; three ecossaises; ‘Polonaise in A Flat Major ’ (Chopin).