SINGERS IN LONDON

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11217, 24 May 1922, Page 3

SINGERS IN LONDON

STRUGGLES FOR EXISTENCE. A NOTE OF WARNING. A warning against undue optimism on the part of young singers in regard to their of success in London was sounded bv Miss Buckman in the course of an interview. “There are literally thousands of girls in London who have come there buoyed up with high hopes," she said, "and with the encouragement of their friends, hut with no idea whatever of the great difficulties they will have to surmount. Some 't: them will never be eingere; 1 have known of cases where they ’have been brought almost to the verge of destitution, while numbers of them have been thankful to appear at picture shows, or to obtain any kind of engagement at all And I have known of ffirl© from overseas on the very verge of starvation. Sir Joseph Ward made a statement at the civic reception the other day that I believe to be unfortunately true, namely, that only about one in every 150,000 aspirants for fame in the world of music and song achieve real success.

“Any girl who has been led by her to believe she has an unusual voice would do well to remember .that in London she will hav© to compete with singers from every .part of the world, that competition there is infinitely keener than any she would have to meet in her own land. The first requisite, of course, is that sh© will have a good voice, but it. is not wise that any should seek fame in the great outei\ world until they have won real distinction in their own country. Then flhe should havq personality. the qualities of patience and determination, and last, vitally important, sound financial backing. If she he* all theoe. then she may go abend with confidence, for she will‘he properly equipped for an uphill fight."