THE MICHIGAN DAILY SUNDAY, MARCH 9, 1941 America's Own' Is Title Given To Tibbett' Festival Conductor Negro Singer Reached Peak In Two Years Miss 1 aynor Got Audition From Dr. Koussevitzky To BeginRapid Rise TI e Organizations... Origins And Activities No TI cES The Philadelphia Orchestra comes to Ann Arbor again for the May Fes- tival with an imposing record in its 41 year history. Hailed by Rachman- inoff as "the finest orchestra I have ever heard any time or place in my whole life," the Philadelphia organ- us, made up of several hundred young people from the Ann Arbor public schools. Under the direction of Juva Higbee, the Chorus will present d'In- dy's "St. Mary Magdalene." Within two years Dorothy May- nor, soprano, has become one of thea top-rank singers now touring ther United States, to climax one of thec most unusual stories in recent musi- cal history.f Her career began fortuitously, when she attended the Berkshire Festivalc to hear the Boston Symphony Orches-c tra, and won an audition from Con-1 THOR JOHNSON ductor Serge Koussevitzky, who start- ed her sensational rise to fame. i Cordon x la s Koussevitzky was so impressed by Cor n xplamls Miss Maynor's voice, that he request- '1 orho7 Role cd her to sing the next day at the : i'Workho'i %/fuse annual picnic which he gives for theI members of his orchestra. She start-J In oeratic ork ed by singing difficult classic arias by Handel and Mozart, followed by Norman Cordon, bass-baritone of a group of German lieder and the the Metropolitan Opera Association, Wagnerian "Ho-Yo-To'from aDie is a workhorse among the supposedly Walkuere Her professional audi- sedentary class of opera singers. He artas quick to acclaim her vocal is known throughout the country for Her audition was followed by a his numerous roles during a season. eri of engagements with the Bos- I just happen to be able to learn a role rapidly," he explains. "There ;onic, Chicago and Philadelphia is just one way. When I find that Sypon orCh estoasPas elpa I have to learn a new role on short Symphony orchestras as well as a notice, I simply shut myself up in a group of recitals, including one at the room with an accompanist and keep auer o here lasl year. minis-? working at the thing until I know it.1DuheofaNrlkVamns "During the opera season. I spend ter. Miss Maynor received her first most of my time down at the Metrosnn tmusical training in the choir of her politan. It mea ten hours a day-- father's church. At 14 she entered a oobit. fItme.Y ousavdato the Mapton Institute. where she re- a good bit of time. You .just have cived her first vocal lessons. do it, there isn't any other way. "And when the time comes for per- Following he]' graduation she ac- formances, yoU have to go on, whether conpanied the Institute's famed Ne- you feel up to it or not. Sometimes 1r'o chorus in a European tour, and audiences forget this, and blame a,<1r studied at the Westmister singer for a performance not up to Choir School in Princeton, N.J., the poor devil's too whose directer, Dr. John Williamson, par when maybe turged her to study to become a chor- sick to be out of bed., _ al director. But she decided to per- sist in following a singing career, Pianist indi atcs and went to New York for three years to study under John A. Houghton. eiCelia -a C a i CBe t Critics have noted "the remarkable Irange of her voice, going from bril- Mechancal - mindei Jose Iturbi, liant and breath-taking high notes to who can repair his own piano or the dark deep ones characteristic of car, added a Howard five-seated her race". She is now able to sing plane to his personal belongings last with equal ease in both French and year and favors it as his fondest German. possession. "Some people like to dance, some I., like to swim or fish. I like to fly", ILII r1 s Ii si . 1i s eexplains. He iamed his plane "l i A s EsseIWC Turia" after the river which flows Aresr ' se c ization possesses overwhelming power Veteran of all 48 of the May Fes- and infinite variety by which it has tivals, the University Choral Union made for itself a position in the world will be heard-"under the baton of Thor of music envied by all. Johnson. Organized in 1900, it has developed The Choral Union has rounded out from a modest number of players to more than sixty years of activity and its present eminence under four con- has been heard each season during ductors. Fritz Scheel, the founder and this period without a break. Calvin conductor for seven years, was fol- B. Cady, who was the first musical lowed by Carl Pohlig, who in turn director, served until 1888, when he was succeeded by Leopold Stokowski was followed by. Albert A. Stanley, in 1912. Eugene Ormandy, who be- who was in charge until 1921. Earl The right is reserved to make such changes in the programs or in the personnel of partici- pants as necessity may require. Tickets are came co-conductor in 1936, and mu- sic director in 1938, has just accepted an invitation from the orchestra's governing board to preside over it for five more years. A youthful Ann Arbor touch in thej Festival of world-famous musicians will be furnished by the Youth Chor- i (#ar ej V. Moore served through 1939 when he was succeeded by Thor Johnson as conductor in 1940. This year the Choral Union will be heard in three works: "Alleluia," by Randall Thompson; Brahm's "Re- quiem," and "Eugene Onegin" by Tschaikowsky. 1 sold at purchasers' risks, and if lost, mislaid, burned or destroyed in any manner, the Uni- versity Musical Society will not assume re- sponsibility, nor will duplicates be issued. Concerts will begin on Eastern Standard time. Evening concerts at 8:30 and afternoon concerts at 2:30. Holders of season tickets are requested to detach the proper coupon for each concert and present for admission (instead of the whole ticket). Those who leave the Auditorium during in- termissions are required to present door checks in order to re-enter. Concerts will begin on time, and doors will. be closed during numbers. Late comers will be required to wait until admitted. Lost and found articles should be inquired for at the office of Shirley W. Smith, Vice- President and Secretary of the University, University Hall. Traffic regulations will be enforced by the Ann Arbor Police Department and the Building and Grounds Department of the University. For obvious reasons, notices will not be an- /; kulinian iiiIllor Star of Opera ands Stauge , . . sensation of radio and screen, CHARLES KULLMAN is in constant demand as solo- ist for major orchestras. He is now in his sixth year at the Metropolitan Opera. jij I i i i '; I ist changed the spelling of his name through his native Valencia. at that time to conform with the Iturbi learned to tune a piano when program by adding another "t" to only a youngster. His father was a Tibbet. piano-tuner by trade and from him Sang In 'Falstaff' lie learned the rudiment of music Early in his second season at the mechanics as well as of music ap- Metropolitan he scored his first great preciation. triumph in the role of Ford in "Fal-... staff" which was being revived after his dressing room. The commotion a 15-year period. Antonio Scotti, grew and cries o' "Tibbett" came then the leading baritone at the from all points of the house. But "Met" was singing the leading part. there was no response. In the second act Tibbett sang Finally the lights were lowered and Ford's noted monologue in which he the conductor raised his baton for was able to reveal his great ability the next scene to begin. He could and when the curtain fell, the house not go on, however; the audience was burst into prolonged applause. It determined to hold the performance kept it up many minutes and in re- until Tibbett came before them. Fin- sponse, various of the principals ap- ally he appeared and, after an orgy peared. Then Scotti and Tibbett of foot-stamping, hand-clapping, and came out together and received ova- shouts and whistles, the opera con- tions. Afterwards, Scotti, as the star, tinued. Tibbett had become a star. took several bows alone. But the ap- Since that date, the fame of Lavwr- plause continued louder than ever. ence Tibbett has become more and At last it was evident that the .aud- more widespread and every year sees fence wanted Tibbett and none other, new additions to his musical tri- but Tibbett had already retired to umphs. I~i.r !Continued from Page 1) his favorites is Jerome Kern's "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". Iturbi claims to have found happi- ness in America because he "is in sympathy with the Ambrican temper- ament". He found particularly en- thusiastic response in South America and Latin America.He was in Mexi- co City in the spring of 1933 play- ing 20 recitals in six weeks when his audiences were so completely attract- ed by his artistry that he decided to conduct for the first time a 1 1 Sixth (Concert ~;.7 ' 1' .7, Saturday Evening, May 10 MAY FESTIVAL .'I .7. .7 / 'N MWA -A it I r tro p I ' nounced from the stage. Rehearsals are strictly private, and auditors will not be admitted. An art exhibition will be conducted in Alumni Memorial Hall during the Festival. The Steinway is the official piano of the University Musical Society and of the Phila- delphia Orchestra. S EA SO N T ICKEET S for six concerts by "Stars," Choruses, and Or- chestra, are $3.00, $4.00 $5,00, for those holding "Festival" coupons; and $6.00, $7.00, and $6.00 for others. The prices of individual concert tickets will be $1.00, $1.50, $2.00 and $2.50. SEND COUPON TODRY ML ('hCbHARIES A. SINK, Presideut UN~iVlERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY. BURTON MEMORIAL TOWER, ANN ARBOR, MICH. I In In pera I: Concert O Gregor Pia tigorsk y "JC greatest 'Cellist of. our day." w--.-hUISSJ II ZY '1 z i ..W AM In the ten years GREYGOIJR PIA'Tll(,)RSKY has toured this country, the fabulous 'cellist has acliev- ed the unparalleled record of 104 appearances as soloist with Amwricaii ()rchesltras in addition to hundreds of regular concert engagements. He has brought hack beau.tiesof the 'clell that lud t c li , faruct America has found in Suzanne Sten a personality of vivid charm and a singer possessed of a magnificent voice trained in the great tradition of European vocal art. Acclaimed by the New York Times as possessing "one of the outstanding voices of Ithe time," she has enjoyed tremendous success both in concert and in operatic engagements with leading Euro- iiran Operai ho;sS u Enclosed find remittance of , , May Festival Tickets, as follows: for . Season Tickets (Six Concerts) at $8.00 each $..... . .....at $6.00 each $ . ....-. ......at $7.00 each $...... . Notice- -If Festival Coupon is exchanged, the above prices :u' i'd twed to $3.00. $'4.0 and Single Concerts Wed. Eve. at $...... . .....Thurs. Eve. at $ 4 ... .rFri. Aft. Fri. Eve. Sat. Aft, S*..Eve., at $ at $ at y' 1 Rsb a." 4 1 I EII I I IEi I I F _ _ __.