CONCERT IN DUNEDIN.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVI, Issue 48, 22 March 1889, Page 13

CONCERT IN DUNEDIN.

The concert given by the Irish Rifles in the Garrison Hall, Dunedin on Monday evening, as a celebration of St. Patrick's Day, proved a thorough success. The hall was filled, and, in some instances, there was a difficulty found in securing places. Among the audieDce we noticed the Yen. Archdeacon Coleman ; the Rev. Fathers O'Leary, Lynch, aod Vereker ; Colonels Wales and Jack ; Majors Gordon, and Callan ; and a large number of the officers and members of the Volunteer corps of the city. The programme, which consisted almost exclnsively of Irish music, was *ell selected, and, as the services of professional and amateur talent of a high order had been obtained, the performance was all that could be desired. The lady vocalists were the Misses Wooldridge, Walsh, Blaney, and Corrigan, each of whom interpreted the number entrusted to her in a very happy manner. Miss Wooldridge's mellow voice and finished style are familiar to the music-loving public of Dunedin, and arc always an attraction of great power. Her tinging on this occasion was no exception to the rule, and deserved for her the enthusiastic encore in each instance given her. Miss Walsh has now attained to a highly credhable place among our arnattur BiDgers. Her natural powers, which are very considerable, ha^e been made a great deal more of by cartful culture. aTd the ie>ult is particularly charming. Her notes are extremely sweet and easily produced, and in feeling and expression she excels. She was also honoured with an encore. Miss Corrigan has for some time been an established favourite in DunediD. On the present occasion she had ample scope for the display of an admirable flexibility oi voice, which is one of the chief features of her singing, and one sufficiently rare to make it additionally valuable. An encore marked the appreciation of the audience. Miss Blaney is a young amateur of much promise, who siDgs with exceptional sweetness. Her pretty and charmingly-rendered sojg also receivpd an encore. The gentlemen who sing solos on the occasion we f e Messrs. Walle, Umbers, Jago, and Vonng. Mr Walls was new to a Dunedin audieDce. but by his sweet siuging at once gained and retained the admiration i ] the audience. Mr. Umbeis acquitted himself in capital style, and was particularly happy in the expression given to his songs. Mr. Jago as usual, was admirable in every respect, and proved himself well capable of interpreting Moore, whica is no very easy td6k. Mr. Young made a most pleasing impression. Some of the " Melodies " sung by male voicts as double quartettes, and without accompaniment, were especially effective. A fantasia on Irish airs performed by the Garris m Band, under the conductorship oi Mr. D. Wishart, and whosi performance was fully up to the reputation justly earned by the conductor and his band, and an arrangement of the " Melodies" played with artistic Bkill on the clarionetie by Mr. W\ Corrigan, weie the instrumental itemp. Messrs. Barren and Bracken, performed the jealously scene frem Othello, in which they added fresb laurels to those obtained by them in tie late representation of the tragedy given at the Princess Theatre Messrs. A. J. Barth and E. Towsey.ag accompanistp, contributed much to the success of the evening. A Bechstein grand piano had been kindly lent for the occasion by Me^rp. C. Begg and Co The decorations of the hall were very appropriately arranged by Mr. Button. The committee desire us to thank, on their behalf, the Direct Importing Company for the loan uf a handsome screen and pot-plants.