THE MICHIGAN DAILY
ziv Conductors Will Participate In Festival's Six Coi
UWMAT MARCH
icer
"
ser man Pianist Is Political Exile
true veteran of thp concert stage, dence that Mr. Schnabel has become
ur Schnabel can look back on a one of the greatest exponents of the
eer of 38 years in which he has works of this man, Johannes Brahms.
yed and lived in most of the coun- Nix On Encores!'
s of the world. One of Schnabel's iron-bound rules
orn in Austria 53 years ago, Mr. is not to give encores, as he believes
nabel made Germany the center that masterpieces must be followed
his concert and teaching activities by something trivial as an additional
il he had to leave because of polii- heavy work does not usually please
conditions. Although his sons the audience. However, once he broke
ke the United States their home this rule.
and his wife live in London most This happened in Washington,'
he year. D.C., some years ago when a faulty
[e was fortunate in not having chair prevented him from playing the
put in long years of preliminary first part of his program to his own
ning in his youth. At ten he was satisfaction. While playing he felt
epted as a pupil of Leschetizky the chair slipping and sliding be-
continued with him for five years neath him, and though Schnabel tried
11 the regular instruction he ever to brace his heels on the floor to'
-. hold it in place it was of no use, and
Meeting With Brahms he found himself stretching his arms
he story is told of his experience and legs to reach the keyboard and
ring at one of Leschetizky's studio pedal.
certs. After finishing his selec- It was found that the chair was
, an elderly bearded man arose equipped with special sliding knobs
n a far corner of the room to ask keep the legs from damaging the
amazement: carpet. They were removed and
How in goodness' name can you Schnabel played the only encore in
r all of this so correctly?" his concert experience "making
is probably more than a coinci- amends to Beethoven."
To Take Place .*.
THOR JOHNSON
How To Be A Tenor
How can a tenor sing more than
26 years in opera and still keep sweet
and young on high .notes? Giovanni
Martinelli, who has contrived to do
this, gives credit to his chef and good
man Friday, Noemio Guido.
I
Dr. Ormandy,
Harl McDonald
To Lead Again
Saul Caston, Juva Higbee
And Thor Johnson Also
Will Direct Orchestra
For rapidity of baton-shifting a'
conference track meet has nothing onf
this year's May Festival.
During the six-concert program
five conductors will handle the direc-
torial stick. For Eugene Ormandy,
regular conductor of the Philadelphia
Orchestra, it will be a familiar experi-
ence. Violin prodigy at five, profes-
sor in violin playing at 16, he has
been conducting for almost a quarter!
of a century. He has directed the
New York Philharmonic, the Minne-
apolis Symphony and the Philadel-
phia Orchestra.
Saul Caston, associate conductor of
the Philadelphia Orchestra since
1936, has been playing first trumpet
with the organization since he was
21. Beforehe joined the orchestra
when he was 16, he played in the
Russian Symphony and with the
Young Men's Symphony. Mr. Caston
will direct the Orchestra in the Fri-
day afternoon concert.
Harl McDonald, who will lead the
orchestra in the first performance
of his Sante Fe Symphony, has been
at one time or another, an orchestral
player, concert pianist, lecturer in
composition, research worker in prob-
lems of tone measurement, choral
and orchestral conductor. He prefers
to think of' himself as a composer,
however, and a long list of works in
large and small forms, which are fre-
quently performed, justify him in that
preference.
Last year, he also conducted the
Philadelphia Orchestra in the prem-
iere of one of his symphonies.
Thor Johnson will conduct the
Choral Union in its Festival presen-
tations. He has won distinction as
the organizer and musical director of
the Mozart Festival at Winston-Sal-
em, N.C.; as the holder of the Beebe
Foundation Scholarship for a year's
study abroad; for his conducting of
University Little Symphony on tours
involving more than 60 concerts
throughout the Middle West and
South.
Director of the Young People's Fes-
tival Chorus, a welcomed fixture to
Festival programs, Miss Juva Higbee
has gained wide fame as the trainer
of countless hundreds of boys and
girls for choral singing.
Carillon To Be Featured
Prof. Percival Price, University
Carilloneur, will play short programs
on the Charles Baird Carillon each
. . Podia m
HARL McDONALD
Cordon Truly American Artist
Norman Cordon, the Metropolitan
Opera'e new bass-baritone star is
truly an American artist.
Born in Washington, North Caro-
lina, he started his singing career
as a choir boy, earning four dollars
a month.. He attended Fishbourne
Military Academy and later entered
the University of North Carolina,
where he played in a saxaphone quar-
tet. It was there that he began the
serious study of music which he con-
tinued for four years at the Nash-
ville Conservatory of Music under
Gaetano de Luca, then for two years
in Chicago under Hadley Outland.
Cordon's real singing career was
launched when, after a series of per-
formances with the San Carlo Opera
Company, he was signed by the Chi-
cago Grand Opera Company. He
made his debut with that organiza-
tion as Angelotti in "Tosca," and was
hailed by Herman Devries, dean of
Chicago criticis, as "a singer of great
promise."
Cordon followed this very success-
ful first appearance with an amaz-
ing operatic record, which included
learning simultaneously a score of
roles in 15 lyric works and singing
24 performances in five weeks with
ever-increasing success.
Next came appearances with the
Detroit Civic Opera, the Philadelphia
Orchestra under Stokowski, a return
engagement with the Chicago Grand
Opera Company and a 39-week radio
engagement.
- Last season he sang with the St.
Louis Grand Opera Company . as
Landgrave in "Tannhauser." Re-
turning to Chicago, he sang in
"Thais," "Rigoletto," "La Traviata,"
"Turnadot," "Aida," "Lucia,"' "Car-
men" and "La Fiamma" with the
Chicago City Opera Company.
THIRD MAY FESTIVAL CONCERT
Jueav #if96ee
, ...
...
CONDUCTOR
of the
d
Young People's Festival Chorus
I
The Young People's Festival Chorus, directed by Juva Higbee, is made up of sev-
eral hundred young people from the Ann Arbor Schools, Miss Higbee has worked with
this organization for many years, influencing the musical career of many of her stu-
dents. The performance of this group with that of the Choral Union presages splen-
didly trained choral singers for the years to come.
Star of Opera' ConcertRai'Sre
MISS LILY PONS, the world's premier coloratura, will appear
in concert in Hill Auditorium on Friday evening, May 10.
fflnY FG S TI VFL
I'
dill Auditopium
I
~1
evening
Festival
at 7:45 p.m. preceding the
concerts.
:1
i
..,mil
The,
1940
U
A
The University Musical Society presents the forty-seventh annual May Festival, to be held
May 8-11. For almost fifty years the May Festivals have presented the outstanding Music
Personalities, and this year have again attained the same high standards.
1'
SOLOISTS
LILY PONS .....
DOROTHY MAYNOR
ROSA TENTONI.
ENID SZANTHO.
GIOVANNI MARTINELLI
LAWRENCE TIBBETT.
.Soprano
Soprano
..Soprano
Contralto
... Tenor .
. Baritone
I1OBERT WEEDE
NORMAN CORDON
RICHARD HALE
JOSEPH SZIGETI
EMANUEL FEUERMANN
ARTUR SCHNABEL
Baritone
.Bass
Narrator
Violinist
Violoncellist
. Pianist
ORGANIZATIONS
The Philadelphia Orchestra
The University Choral Union
The Young People's Chorus
CHORAL WORKS
"THE INIMITABLE LOVERS"
Vardell
"SAMSON AND DELILAH"
Saint-Saens
G.
PRICES:
SEASON TICKETS: (Six Con-
certs) may be ordered at the Main
Office of .the School of Music, on
MAY FESTIVAL COUPONS from
Season Choral Union Tickets en-
titles original holders to price re-
INDIVIDUAL CONCERT TICK-
ETS will be taken from the unsold
season tickets and will be offered
1 11