A STEWART ISLAND CONTRAL TO

Southland Times, Issue 14095, 29 April 1909, Page 6

A STEWART ISLAND CONTRAL TO

DISCOVERED BT MELBA. ■’A WONDERFUL GLORIOUS VOICE." “Here In New Zealand," said Madame Melba to a Wellington reporter, "I have discovered the most magnificent conUatto voice I ever heard in all my life, a wonderful, glorious voice! Now, isn't that exciting?" This statement came at the end of a delightful Interview, and it seemed in its Importance to quite overshadow all the other Interesting things she had said. Exciting? Yes, Indeed! That Madame Melba, who has heard every contralto singer of note, either In the Old World, or the New, should come to little, out-of-the-way New Zealand and discover the very finest one of all. Why! ! It adds to the romance of the discovery, that Miss Thomson, the owner of tills glorious voice should come from Stewart Island, that lonely little paradise which so few people, even In Now Zealand, know anything about There Is In that island beauty, and magic, and mystery enough to develop the soul of a genius, but one could hardly expect a genius to arrive among such a mere handful of people, and, If she did appear, how little chance there would seem to be of her ever making herself known. How fortunate is Miss Thomson, "An old school friend of mine told mo about her, and begged me as a personal favour to hear her sing,” said Madame Melba, "so she came, and I prepared to hear the usual sort of lovely voice. But I can tell you that, as she sang. I began to open my eyea, wider and wider, and at last I called Mr Lemmone In, and said, Must listen to' this.’ 1 applied all sorts of tests, tried her on long sustained notes, everything—and her voice was glorious. Isn’t It, Mr Lemmone?” And Mr Lemmone corroborates all that Madame Melba lias to say about the beauty of the voice, Its richness, sweetness, and sympathetic quality. Miss Thomson is quite untrained, so Madamo Melba is arranging for her to go over to Melbourne within a few weeks, nnd will there herself give her lessons. It is a dazzling prospect, that is held out to the eyes of that Stewart Island girl, and every other girl In New Zealand w:’l wish her all success.