JOHN YOUNG, BASS BARITONE, RETURNS TO WANGANUI

Wanganui Chronicle, 21 December 1950, Page 4

JOHN YOUNG, BASS BARITONE, RETURNS TO WANGANUI

A chance entry in the Wellington competitions festival a few years ago by a boy soprano seems like leading to a brilliant career for John Young, a former pupil of ths Wanganui Collegiate S.liool. He returned to his home town on Tuesday after two and a-halt years at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music to present radio broadcasts, At 19 years, John Young has a fins bassbaritone voice which has received high commendations from Lading critics in Sydney.

His first success in class company was in 1949, when he won the youths championship in Sydney, and since then he has taken second place in both the adult section bass championship and bass ballad. He also took places in the aria championships at Bathurst and Wollongong. John Young is proud of his most recent effort. He took small master parts in the Master Singers’ presentation in Sydney of the Wagner opera, “Nuremberg.” He presented his own recital recently, singing the great Verdi aria, “Ellag Giammai M’Ama,’ from “Don Carlos.’

John Young wants to go to England as soon as possible to further his studies. His ambition is to become an opera singer.

Although it was hard to get engagements in radio in Australia, he has had several engagements and when he returns in five weeks’ time he has several more to fulfil. One of his best contacts for engagements is the Federated Mus : c Club, which arranges engagements for artists throughout Sydney. A son of the former manager of the South British Insurance Co. in Wanganui, Mr C. S. Young, and Mrs Young, who now live in Sydney, John Young was a pupil of Mr Gordon McBeth, under whom he studied for five years before going to Australia.

His radio engagements while in New Zealand include those with Station 2XA on December 27 and January 2,2 YA and 3XC (Timaru).