.. .. ....... hirty-Ninth Annual May LEA lINC OPERATICl STARS SCHEDULED, fOR SIX CONCERTS EX-OPERA TENOR Goeta Ljungberg, Sensation Metropolitan Season, Is Among Headliners, of GIGH WILL SING FRIDAY Chicago Symphony, Directed by Frederick Stock, to Play for Entire Series. ly Jerry E. Rkosenthal All roads of the music world will lead to Ann Arbor this next week when the outstanding musical event -of the world for the month takes place in Ann Arbor in the shape of the 1932 May Festival. The event, the thirty-ninth annual one of its kind, will last four days comprising six concerts continuin: - from Wed- nesday night through Saturday evening, and the scene will be Hill auditorium. Operatic stars from the leading opera companies of the world have been gathered to appear here and with the Chicago Symphony con- cert, the Choral Union society, the children's choruses and with the as- sistance of others necessary to a Festival, the affair promises to be one of the most glamourous in its history. Goeta Ljungberg to Appear. The stars who will appear as singers on the four day event in- clude Goeta Ljungberg (pronounced Yoeta Yungbairg) sensational so- prano of the year whose rise to fame since January with the Met- ropolitan opera company has been one of the surprises of the operatic year; Beniamino Gigli, leading ten- or of the Metropolitan who of late has refused to accept a reduction GOETA LJUNGBER.G. in salary for his services; and John Charles Thomas, baritone with the Chicago Civic Opera company. Miss Ljungberg will appear on Thursday night, Gigli on Friday night and Thomas on Saturday afternoon. Frederick Stock, veteran conduc- tor of the Chicago orchestra, will again lead his organization in its numbers throughout the six con- certs and has arranged the sym- phony concert for Saturday after- noon as well-as assisted Earl V. Moore in the direction of the chor- al works. Moore will again person- ally conduct the choruses except on Thursday evening when Gustav Holtz, guest conductor, will wield the baton in the presentation of his, own works. Will Give Opera. The leading choral work to be presented will be Rimsky-Korsak- off's "The Legende of the Invisible City of Kitesh" to be performed on the Saturday evening concert with Juliette Lippe, Marjorie McClung, Mina Hager, Frederick Jagel, Nelson E d d y, Chase Baromeo, Palmer Christian, the Chicago Symphony orchestra, and the University Chor- al Union taking part. This presen- tation will be the American premiere for the opera and will be watched for future use by associates of the- Chicago and New York Metropol- itan Opera companies. The trans- lation into English was done by Mrs. Lila Pargment, of the Russian de- partment. Haydn's "Creation" will be the other major choral work of the, Fes- tival, this oratorio being the open- ing feature for the Wednesday night concert along with Gitta Gra- dova, pianist. On Saturday after- noon, the children's choruses, led by Juva Higbee, will present Pro- theroe's "The Spider and the Fly." Mina Hager, contralto, will be the soloist. May Festival to Give Six Selected Choruses Six choral works will be present- ed during the course of the Festival. The most important will be the Beniamino Gigli. 1932 Series Boasts Largest Collection of Concert Artists One of the largest numbers of artists to appear on a Festival pro- gram for the past few years will take part in the 1932 edition next week. 16 singers, conductors and instrumentalists will take part dur- ing the four day program. John Charles Thomas is prob- ably one of the best known and most versatile baritones who have appeared on the American scene. He has appeared as a concert art- ist, oratorio work and in opera. At the present time he is with the Chicago Civic opera company. He will be heard by Festival patrons on Saturday afternoon with the Chicago Symphony orchestra. Another artist who has achieved fame is Frederick Jagel, of the Met- ropolitan Opera company and the La Scala in Milan. He was a feat- ured performer also last year. Juliette Lippe is Covent Garden's contribution to the Ann Arbor Fes- tival. Although an American, which is a handicap on European opera stages, she has been heralded as one of the leading artists in London. She will have the lead in the production "The Legende of the Invisible City of Kitesh." Ruth Rodgers and Mina Hager are also concert and oratorio singers who have won places for themselves in the musical world. The one featured pianist on the Festival prpgram will be Gitta Gradova who will appear on the second half of the opening concert on Wednesday night. Miss Grad- ova has received the praise from a great many critics as being the foremost woman pianist in the United States. Gustav Hoist will be the guest conductor and will lead his own works on the Thursday evening concert. IS SERIES FEATURE1 Swedish Soprano Hailed as One of Leading Prima Donnas in This Century. By far the feature of the artist concerts on the May Festival pro- gram for 1932 is the appearance of the Swedish soprano, Goeta Ljung- berg, sensational soprano of the Metropolitan Opera company, who since her American debut January 20 has been hailed as one of the foremost prima donnas of the twentieth century. Her concert on the Thursday night program, from all indications, will come near be- ing a sell-out. With the advantages of being beautiful, blond, a real actress as well as a superb singer, Madam Ljungberg was perfectly cast for the part of Brunhilde in "Die Wal- kure," some of the selections of which she will sing in her appear- ance. Goeta Ljungberg was born in Sundsval, Sweden. At the age of eight she sang for the queen of Sweden and at sixteen she entered Royal Academy of Singing at Stock- holm. Soon she was engaged for the Royal opera there. Since then she has sung in Cov- ent Garden, London and it was there that Eugene Goosens wrote the opera "Judith" especially for her. A short time after she was engaged to sing in Berlin and since then has performed in Dresden and Mannheim. During the summer of 1931, con- ductor Arthur Bodanzky, of the Metropolitan, heard her and in a few weeks she had a contract with the New York opera company. 800 Persons Included in Festival Program Apnroximatelv 800 nersons will I