THE SHEFFIELD CHOIR’S TOUR.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 53, 13 February 1911, Page 5

THE SHEFFIELD CHOIR’S TOUR.

MEETING TO BE HELD AT HASTINGS.

It should scarcely be necessary to remind our readers and the public generally, business men especially of the meeting to be held on Thursday afternoon next, as advertised in another column, to receive Mr. Hugo Borlitz, the touring manager for Dr. C. Harriss’s Choir. Mr. Gorlitz is well known in New’ Zealand, as one of the greatest entrepreneurs of musical celebrities we have ever had in the Dominion, and there is no doubt he is the one man above all others, who is fully able to undertake the herculean task of piloting this great organisation successfully. What Mr. Gorlitz wishes to do now’, however, is to personally meet the public, and explain the objects of the tour, and wherever possible, set up committees to arrange for special trains to the centres where the performances are being held. Hastings is in a particularly favourable position in this respect, as an afternoon performance is'to be held at Palmerston North, on Friday, June 30th, so that it will be possible for Hastings patrons to leave by special train in the morning, hear the performance, and arrive home the same evening, without much hardship. The New Plymouth people have decided to run a train for the same, performance, although it will mean a start at about 5 a.m., 'but they fully realise the importance of the venture as an educational factor, and also as a means of welding the Empire more closely, together. We doubt whether many of our readers fully realise the great significance of this tour. Here we have 200 men and women—workers, tradesmen, and professionalmen—from one of the greatest industrial centres in the Old Land, who have been assiduously forking for years at the great Oratorio’s, etc., under the direction of England’s greatest chorus master, Dr. Henry Coward. These people are now journeying to the most remote corner of the British Empire to unite with their brethren there in a glorious festival of music.

It is thoroughly recognised that the organiser of this great tour .will suffer financial loss from tlieir visit to New Zealand, in fact they personally understood, before they set out, it would be so, but knowing that their visit to New Zealand w’ould be a gain to the Empire, they willingly sacrificed themselves in this respect. It is now left to New Zealanders to do their share, which is to give the. choir as hearty a welcome as possible, and we are veil assured that the people of Hastings will do their part, and a* least show their appreciation of Mr. Gorlitz’s efforts by attending the meeting which he advert is ?s w ‘l beheld on Thursday afternoon next.