SCHOOL MUSICIANS

Evening Star, Issue 25325, 6 November 1944, Page 8

SCHOOL MUSICIANS

TECHNICAL COLLEGE CONCERTS Over the last 10 years the musical activities at King Edward Technical College have become of great public interest, and the occasional concerts given by the college musicians are eagerly awaited by the public. The next series of concerts on November 14 and 15 promise to be up to the highest standard so far reached, and the public will no doubt take the fullest opportunity to hear these popuhir performers. Since the inauguration of the Town Hall concerts in 1939 the musical work in the school has benefited by the proceeds of only a single performance, the mon'ey raised from iour festivals, including that held earlier this year, having been devoted to patriotic purposes. The position of musical instruments at the college has become serious, and it is proposed to devote the proceeds from the concerts this month to a special fund which it is hoped will eventually enable the purchase.of a full set of lowpitch instruments.

When instrumental music was introduced into the school in 1933 a number of brass and woodwind instruments were purchased. None of these were new —in fact, the majority of them were, even then, very old and of little value. Incredible though it may seem, most of these instruments are still in usesome have been discarded. Through the years very few additional instruments have been bought, and this year it has been increasingly difficult to maintain certain woodwind and brass groups, and it seems likely that next year it will be impossible to continue some classes. In the meantime, however, every effort will be made to maintain all instrumental music classes by acquiring any second-hand instruments that become available. In all its musical work the Dunedin Technical High School has never possessed a new musical instrument of any sort. The forthcoming concerts will be on the large scale which has been a feature of those in recent years. The massed choir will number 700 voices, and the massed orchestra 320 players. In addition, there will be a three-part girls' choir of 75 voices, and a ifourpart bass tune choir of 100 voices. The first half of the programme will be devoted to orchestral items, interspersed with items by the smaller choirs, and in the second half the massed choir will .occupy the stage, and there will also be orchestral and military band items. In this section of the programme a selected orchestra, with Mrs Frank Callaway as solo pianist, will play Weber's ' Concertstuck.' The massed choir will sing two great choruses from Handel's ' Messiah,' 'And the Glory,' and 'Hallelujah,' a chorus written for ' and dedicated to the college by Professor V. E. Galway, and several choruses either' written by or arranged by Professor Vernon Griffiths. The senior string orchestra will play a number of interesting items, including the beautilful chorale and choral prelude,_ ' Sleepers Wake ' (Bach), and the ' Minuet ' from Handel's ' Berenice.' There will also be items of lighter music by the massed orchestra and two instrumental groups will play selections.