IT 11 E '-. MJCH I GA N'-,D AJ LY AT, Till: MI~HIGA~4 JiAILY Z~uE~AY, M.~i1~CR 9. 1941 Norm Cordon Was Revealed In Glee Club1 Bass-Baritone Sang First In University Of North Carolina Ensemble Although operatic artists are not usually associated with mint julepsr or "Dixie", Norman Cordon, one of1 the Metropolitan Opera Association'ss leading bassos, was born in Washing- ton, North Carolina. Mr. Cordon's bass-baritone was first revealed in the Carolina Glee Club of the University of North Carolina.i After continuing his studies at Salem College, he came to New York, and1 sang for a season in the Shubert pro- duction of "Love Song". But he rea- lized his need for further training,; and he spent four years in the Nash-" ville Conservatory of Music before in- vading the North again in 1930. This time he sang over the air waves,1 and seemed slated for a long career in toothpaste and breakfast cereals. But one night Mr. Cordon, after be- ing dragged to a party, sat down at the piano to sing some spirituals. Nobody laughed, and one member of his audience introduced him to Gia- como Spadoni of the Chicago Opera Association. Mr. Cordon first sang opera in 1933, and earned a regular engagement with the Chicago Grand Opera Company. Since then he has been reading rave notices for his work in opera and on the air. He has appeared with the Detroit Civic Opera, the Philadel- phia Grand Opera Company, New York's Hippodrome Opera Company, the St. Louis Opera, and the Canad- ian Grand Opera Association, and has taken part in nearly 1200 broadcasts. His New York debut in 1936 was so successful that the Metropolitan sign- ed him to a two year contract for the regular season.' Mr. Cordon's constant study has gained him a large repertoire of con- cert songs and arias. He has recently sung with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and with the Boston Sym- phony Orchestra at the Berkshire festival in Lenox, Massachusetts. j Like a growing number of his con- temporaries in operatic circles he has never sung in Europe. He gives a typically American reason for his failure to cross the Atlantic. "Some day," he admits, "I'd like to go over there and sing. But that will have to wat-until I have time." Pianist Iturbi Was Born Into Music-Mother Iturbi Jose Iturbi's mother has her own explanation of her artist-son's amaz- ing talents in music. The story is told that Senora Iturbi attended a performance of "Carmen" in Valencia despite the fact that her! baby was expected any minute. In Spain, performances usually be- gin about ten o'clock. It was almost midnight, in the second act during the Toreador Song, that Senora Itur- bi was seized with pain. Papa Itur- bi rushed her home and little Jose was born just about when the smug- glers' scene of the third act began at the opera house! /Iet Tenor Kullman Was Persuaded To Trade Surgery For Music Gareer Enid Szantho, Noted Contralto,t Owes Eairly Tra ining To Mother The story of Charles Kiiman iis a tale of an American in the epic of modern music. It is a story of which Americans can be proud. Born in New Haven, Conn., of German parentage shortly after the turn of the 20th century, this new- comer to the May Festival scene has the dual advantage of a New England boyhood and a continental back- ground. He attended the local public schools, sang in the church choir, graduated from nearby Yale and launched into study abroad in 1924. He originally planned a medical? career, but success as a soloist with the Yale Glee Club, brought him to the attention of various musical ex- perts. They persuaded him, despite parental objections, to abandon sur- gery for singing. He applied for, and won, a scholar-: ship at the Julliard School in New York where he studied for three years. Then he won a fellowship to thef American Conservatory in Fontaine- bleau, near Paris. After a short per-{ iod of study, he returned to New England and accepted a position on the music faculty of Smith College. He took part in the production of{ several old operas at the school and his performances once again broughti the attention of New York and Bos-' ton critics. They convinced him that he should resign his position, and in 1930 he joined the American Opera Company. Modern Americanism played an im- portant part in his first steps to- ward success. At the time, Vladimir Rosing began experimenting in or- ganiaijon 1to give iusie-ti-ama "i English. Kuilman scored in such roles as Faust, Don Jose, and Pinkerton as well as in the premier of Clarence1 Loomis' "Yolanda of Cyprus". The next fall he went to Europe,1 made his debut in Berlin at the Kroll Opera, and later apeared in two state1 opera houses in "Butterfly". He en- joyed great popularity in Germany.1 "Butterfly" was presented 25 times# in one season, for instance. He ap- peared with the outstanding con-+ ductors of the period.+ After Berlin came a period of sim- ilar successes at Vienna. In 1934 he Singing of National Anthem Wins, Joh When Charles Kullman, then a1 striving young tenor who had given, up a career in surgery for music only' a few years previously, first appeareda for an audition before Otto Klemp- erer in Berlin, ,he had been in Ger- many just two months and was not solidly grounded in the language. Klemperer was looking for a tenor for "Butterfly." The American was lost -until he sang the introductory fragment of "The Star Spangled Ban-+ ner", Pinkerton's song of praise of the1 Yankee who goes all over the world. Kullman's ringing voice brought the best out of each language and Klemp- erer heard all that was necessary. Kullman learned the introductory; part and made his debut at the Kroll Opera on Feb. 24, 1931. became a ieuluai membe of tle Vienna Opera Company. Then he was recognized by the Salzburg Fes-1 tival, international center of the mu- sical and fashionable world. He sang, there three successive summers -. 1934, 1935 and 1936. In 1937 a con- tract with a Hollywood movie firm prevented his return and the privi- lege of appearing under Arturo Tos- canini. Kullman sang for the first time , under the Maestro in the Verdi Re- quiem, a special performance given, in November,. 1934, in Vienna, dedi- cated to the memory of the slain Chancellor Dollfuss. In the summer of 1936 he was; chosen by Toscanini to sing the young hero Walther von Stolzing in "Mei- stersinger" in Salzburg. December 20, 1935, probably was the most exciting day of the Kullman career. It marked his debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in the title role of "Faust". 1,765 residents of his" native New Haven came en masse to the Metropolitan, arriving in New York on special cars-the "Charles Kullman Opera Special". Only in America could a success story be marked by such an incident. Kullman rose to the occasion. His masterful handling of the role brought tumultous applause from his vast audience and the following day reviewers and critics heralded the performance with columns of com- pliments. In the next few weeks he showed to American audiences the dramatic and musical versitality which won his continental listeners. tr5-1T {"1 of it- (If UpCd .5- socialloit) , M It c 1roli a wi't?3iii Ml liance of Ireland and Hungary. Her mother, who was born in Sligo, Eire, was responsible for her earliest mu- sical training and her fluent knowl- ledge of English. Miss Szantho first studied voice at the Royal Academy of Music and Dra- matic Arts at her native Budapest. It was here that Franz Schalk dis- covered her and immediately offered her an engagement with his renown- ed Vienna State Opera. She had only been two years with this company be- fore Siegfried Wagner brought her to Bayreuth where she sang for five seasons. Miss Szantho came to America in 1935 at a request to sing with the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. Glowing reviews resulted in important engagements all over the country, including her appear- ance before President and Mrs. Roose- velt in a musicale after the Diplo- matic Dinner at the White House. .a_ :Szanto retuiil.d to Amercna the following season and scored iher '1t tiitunph in the role of Cly- temnaestra in - the New York Phil- harmonic Symphony's performance of Strauss' "Elektra". This concert earned her a contract with the Metro- politan Opera Assocation for the fol- lowing season. In 1938 she made her Metropolitan debut as a leading con- tralto in the role of Frick in "Die Walkuere". 1941 marks her third season with this organization. Miss Szantho has appeared in re- citals throughout North America. She has sung in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Chicago, Philadelphia, and even Puer- to Rico during her tours of this side of the Atlantic. Her linguistic talents allow her to sing oratorios in the original lang- uage, and she particularly enjoys singing with the great conductors. Richard Strauss, Franz Schalk, Ar- turo Toscanini, Eugene Ormandy and Leopold Stokowski are some of the maestros who have conducted at her concerts. Carilloneur Price To Play Before Lending off-stage at,, osPihie 14) the May Festival evenings will be Percival Price, University carillonneur who will present short programs each evening preceding the concerts from the Charles Baird Carillon Tower. One of the oustanding carillonneurs in the musical world, Mr. Price re- ceived his musical training in Canada and Europe. In 1927 he obtained the diploma of the Mechlin Carillon School and was the first carillonneur from outside of Europe to be accorded this distinction. Before coming to Michigan, Frank Percival Price was carillonneur at the Massey Carillon in Toronto; at the Rockefeller Memorial in New York and at the Peace Tower in Otta- wa, where he played for the Canadian government. Beginning Sunday, March 23, Mr. Price will play formal carillon pro- grams each Sunday evening at 9 p.m.- and each Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. I I 11 .r -.A It LAWRENCE TIBBET i SIXTH MAY FESTIVAL CONCERT 'MACK IARRELt Famous Fimerican Baritone ' 1 , I a, i r I t i t t t c-7 i J.afl-otti.jIAmerican 2aritone woo Ma ei a... Otlap' N//uic (/aica an ICiamica/ %/6c Popular This great singer continues to be America's beloved interpreter of the rapture and beauty in song ... intuitively communicating to people the inspiration they are seeking. "Lawrence Tibbett is one of the most amazing musical phenomena of our time" wrote a leading newspaper about him not long ago. And indeed this native son of California is just that. MACK HIARRELL, one of the outstanding young stars of the Metropolitan Opera Association, is new to the May Festival. Widely acclaimed in both Europe and this country his voice has been hailed as one of the outstanding American contribu- tions to musical art. He will appear Saturday evening, May 10. ,lirt Concert: VMAY. We c1nejc3la y veninq, rn6V 7tM HILL AUDITORIUM F ESIY AL I a 7 Iz -'9 44 J' T t !I J The University Musical Society presents the forty-eighth annual May Festival, to be held May 7-10. For almost fifty years the May Festivals have presented the outstanding Music Personalities, and this year have again attained the same high standards. Soloists: Lawrence Tibbett ... . . Baritone Jose Iturbi... . .... . .... Pianist Dorothy Maynor........Soprano CHORAL WORKS Jarmila Novotna. .". . ... . Soprano Norman Cordon ...........Bass ORGANIZATIONS Gregor Piatigorsky Suzanne Sten .... .... Violoncello . Mezzo-Soprano Jascha Heifetz . . Enid Szantho..... Charles Kullman. .......Violinist ..Contralto ....... Tenor Mack Harrell ........Baritone The Philadelphia Orchestra The University Choral Union The Youth Chorus "ALLELUIA" Thompson "EUGENE ONEGIN" Tschaikowsky "REQUIEM" Brahms Prices: SEASON TICKETS: (Six Concerts) MAY FESTIVAL COUPONS from INDIVIDUAL CONCERT TICKETS may be ordered at the offices of the Uni- Season Choral Union Tickets entitles orig- will be taken from the unsold season versity Musical Society, Burton Memorial inal holders to price reductions to $3.00, tickets and will be offered'over the coun- Tower. Prices are $6.00, $7.00 and $8.00. $4.00, and $5.00. ter" later for $1.00, $1.50, $2.00, $2.50. .. .- mIu m . . - * - | 11 1 a 11