AMALGAMATED CHOIRS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 March 1911, Page 5

AMALGAMATED CHOIRS.

PREPARATIONS FOR ANNUAL . QO^CER^S.

The arrangements for the great amalgamated choirs’ concerts are fast being completed. A meeting of the committee was held last-night, and plans were fully discussed in connection with Same. It was decided to hold the concerts on two nights in the second week in June. Popular prices for seats will he a feature that should enable all interested in really good music to attend each night. -The programme will be absolutely different on each night, not one single item being repeated. The various choirs; already are oraetising the choruses for these concerts, and the intention is to give such'a rendering of the different works, that all those who go to hear them will be both amazed and delighted at the magnificent results that can be obtained from such a body of voices, when, thoroughly trained and broken in to sing under the baton of one man. At, present each choir is being trained by its own conductor, but on the laist Thursday in April, the whole of the choirs will , meet, and practise in a body under the conductorship of Mr 0. .Sf.offnn I Mr Staffan will have his hands full, as in addition to these _ choruses, of which tfiere are seven or eight, there will ' be quartettes, and the orchestra to be trained. The orchestra will consist of the pick of the instrument players in Greymouth, and will doubtless ablv do their part towards making the concerts the success they undoubtedly will be. IA word is due to the four conductors and their secretaries, for all. these gentlemen are taking the keenest interest in rfiese concerts, and are not sparing either time or expense to further the arrangements, so that the concerts should be far and away beyond anything ever dreamed of on the whole of the West Coast hitherthat now remains is for each individual member in each choir to make up her or his mind to do the very best possible. both in the way of singing, .and in attendance at the practices. There is ■n,uch work to be done, and regular attendance, with whole-hearted attention, is absolutely necessary if the choruses are to “go.” . It may be well to remind the public also that these concerts are not a joke. For in addition to the work to be done on each chorus, much of which is both wiearying and tedious (especially to the conductors) to the choir members, there is all the music for Easter, to be studied .and learnt, and then for the competitions, and the Methodist Choir has the Christchurch competitions in hand also. : But full houses on each night will amply i-epay all those who have worked, so hard, and this the part that the public can play.