CHOIR FESTIVAL’S POPULAR SUCCESS: JUVENILE VOICES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23093, 4 November 1949, Page 6

CHOIR FESTIVAL’S POPULAR SUCCESS: JUVENILE VOICES

Staged with an attention to timing and detail which reflected the utmofjj credit upon the teachers concerned, tile annual choral festival of Gisbornj schools delighted a large audience at tne Opera House last evening with programme ,of items to which carefuf preparation had been given. < A total of 433 children took part iv the festival, a feature ol which wa-iii tile series of selections oii'ered by the massed choirs. The preparations IoJ these items were extremely difficult since each school group had to bll trained separately and the presentations moulded so that when they earner together on the stage they could, achieve harmony. ' * In acknowledging the support ed to the festival by the puoiic, Mr. W. E. Donnelly, president of the Head* masters’ Association, referred to this" difficulty and congratulated Miss DJ Emmerson upon the results of her painstaking work in visiting tne various,' schools in connection with the massedchoir items. The success achieved was' outstanding in the circumstances said Mr. Donnelly, who acknowledged therfenthusiastic work of teachers in the various schools represented at the festival. Massed-choir items on the programme comprised "God Defend New Zealand, "Tir-Nan-Og,” “Hymn for All Slavs, ‘Skye Boat Song,” “Bless the Four* Corners,” “Jerusalem,” “First Noel,’ and" “Brother James’ Air.” Contributions\ by individual groups included the Kaiti' School’s “Bergerette” and "Lady Bird”'.* the Makauri School’s “What a Beautiful Morning” and “The Flight of theEarls ” the Marist Bros. School’s “Old*Refrain ’ and . “The Huntsmed'e Chorus”; the Pehiri-Hangaroa Schools’ "Silent Night” and “Christmas is Com-*, mg! ; Mangapapa School’s “Come, All* Ye Faithful” and “Come, Thou Almighty King”; and the Gisborne Inter- 7 mediate School s “Go, Lovely Rose” and, "To Music,’ in the first half. The second half comprised, apart? from the massed-choir items, the Gisborne Central School’s "A Mother's" Reverie” and “Hush-a-Bye Birdie’’ - the , Ormond School’s “Frog’s Holiday”’? Grove”; Te Hapara S-- s Angels we Have Heard onf High and Song of the Music-Makers”’ the Awapuni School’s “Sweet Nelly”J and “Phyllis on the New-Mown-Hay”: and the Convent School’s “WateFl Gibes.’ ‘Veni Jesu Amor Mi,” and “Pams Angelicus.” ; > Artistically, the performance of the. Convent group was outstanding in programme with a highly creditableoaiance in the harmonies and a range"" of voices which none of the other groups could achieve. Equal favourite* with the audience, however, was the, group representing the combined voices'll of u . th L e .Pehiri and Hangaroa Schools, A which incorporated every pupil in both ■ these small country institutions. JB The pleasure of the audience war much enhanced by the overture andf entracte provided by Miss M. Henrikson’s orchestra, which played with*' much credit “The Sanctuary of the Heart” and the intermezzo from “Cava-?" lera Rusticana.”