THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Began Cereerr
Pla, ying Violin
Outstanding Singing Star
Relinquished Medicine
To 'Become Vocalist
Strangely ehough, Jan Peerce, one
of America's foremost tenors, relied
on his violin rather than his voice at
the outset of his career.
It was his violin playing which
helped him work his way through
niedical school. But neither violin
playing nor medical practise was
destined to shape Peerce's career.
Although he actually finished med-
ical school, Peerce decided against
spending his life in the medical pro-
fession. The call of music was too
enticing
First Chance
His first real break came when he
was offered a singing part in the
opening of Radio City Music Hall.
His number was cut from the show
twp hours before curtain time, but
he had a spot arranged for him to
sing at a later performance-from
behind the curtain. The next day
he finally sang in front of the stage,
where he became a feature for nine
years.
Peerce has appeared regularly on
a number of popular radio broadcasts.
One of the most popular of these is
the Music Hall of the Air tabloid
opera broadcasts conducted by Erno
Rapee.
Toseanini Enthusiastic
Arturo Toscanini, hearing him sing,
cried out enthusiastically "Bella
Voce!" and immediately signed the
tenor to appear as soloist in the
Carnegie Hall performance of Bee-
thoven's Ninth Symphony which the
European maestro was to conduct.
Peerce sings in five languages-
Enid Szontho, European-Born
Contralto, Will Sing At Festival
After participating in two succes- York Philharmonic, she was engaged
sive May Festivals and conducting by the Metropolitan Opera.
music classes here .at the invitation M
of the University last summer, Enid Miss Szantho has sung with al-
SoathoUniworlitrenownsinger, Ewillmost every famous orchestra and in
Szantho, world renown singer, will most of the large cities in the United
again return to AnntArbor to add States and Canada. She has sung
{her rich contralto to the many Fes-rpael ihaltewl nw
tival.stars.repeatedly with all the well known
tival. stars.cotnnaorhsa.
Miss Szantho has always received continental orchestras.
an enthusiastic response from the Versatile Contralto
music lovers of Ann Arbor and was One of the most versatile and
greatly praised for her role as De- beautiful of the present day contral-
lilah in the 1940 Festival. During tos, Miss Szantho sings opera, ora-
the Summer Session of 1941, the torio and song with great success.
Univer ity vias very proud to have the Through her ability in mastering five
famous contralto conduct classes in languages she is able to sing all
German Lieder and Opera Reper- operas and oratorios in the original
tory. languages.
Born In Budapest A person of simple tastes, Miss
Born in Budapest, Miss Szantho Szantho loves outdoor sports. Every
studied in the Royal Academy of summer she spends some time in the
Music and Dramatic Arts there, She mountains to train for her winter
inherited ' her' musical talent from season and keep her voice fit through
her mother who was a brilliant pian- outdoor living.
ist. It was at the academy that Miss Miss Szantho is unusually suc-
Szantho was discovered by the great cessful in interpreting the works of
conductor of the Vienna State Opera, great composers and seems to project
Franz Schalk. the very essence of the music to the
The fame of the blonde contralto listener.
spread throughout Europe and she Since her activity as opera and
was invited to sing everywhere on concert singer, Miss Szantho has
the continent. Miss Szantho did sung repeatedly under the leadership
not come to America until 1935 when of Arturo Toscanini. Richard Staruss,;
she sang with the New York Philhar- Frederick Stock, Leopold Stokowski,
monic Symphony Orchestra. Due to Eugene Ormandy, and numerous
the success she scored With the New other prominent conductors.
Harrell Began
With Records
Caruso, Gigli Were Early
Inspiration To Sintger
Imitating, just as a parrot would,
the voices of famous artists as they
came to him from recordings was
Mack Harrell's first attempt at sing-
ing.
When only eight years old the
Metropolitan Opera star began his
imitative singing. He- tried to sing
songs in arias in French, German
and Italian as dicq Caruso, Gigli and
John McCormack.
Harrell's early vocal career was
short lived, however. He took up the
violin. After graduating from the
University of Oklahoma, he went to
Philadelphia for further training.
It was there that he decided to be-
come a professional singer.
Shortly after arriving in the
Friendly City someone who liked his
voice asked him to sing a short in-
dental solo with a boys' glee club.
The results were so successful that
he was induced to cultivate his voice,
taking lessons with Robert Lawrence
Weer. Almost overnight Harrell
changed his mind about what he
wanted his career to be.
Harrell made his first major solo
appearance with the New York Phil-
harmonic-Symphony Orchestra.
r
PRIMA DONNA SOPRANO
Al-ot ' i l O~if p oera Ass cial1W/i
Friday Evening, May 8th
l--LLEN TRAUJBL emerged in a single scason as one of the triumphantly
great sopranos of all time, and today the whole musical firmament is
ablaze with- the splendour of her Olympian art, the glory of her per-
sonality, so warmly and nobly human.
"For sheer vocal glanour no such voice has been possessed by any native
singer since the days preceding the first World War. -NY. TIMES
Mf4 Y FC STIVI1 L
11
i- v________
-- =-
Italian, French,
and English.
German, Spanish
1111
Rabb Brickner
To Be Narrator
In'King David'
A noted liberal and distinguished ra-
dio speaker, Rabbi Barnett R. Brick-
ner, Rabbi of the Euclid Avenue
Temple in Cleveland. O., has been
especially brought to the May Fes-
tival to take the role of narrator in
Honegger's "King David," a part in
which he won great praise with the
Oleveland Orchestra.
Not unknown is Rabbi Brickner to
the American radio audience either,
for during the past 15 years he has
made weekly addresses, sometimes
over national networks.
In addition to his strictly religious
duties he has travelled frequently in
Europe and the Near East and has
been one of the leaders of the Zion-
ist movement in America as well as
a frequently-called arbitrator in
labor disputes.
Among his recent arbitrations are
included one between the Employ-
ing Bakers of Cleveland and the
Bakery and Confectionery Workers
Union, and another between the
Cleveland Railway Co. and the Car-
men's Union. Rabbi Brickner is also
chairman of the Central Conference
of American Rabbis.
I
III!
Judith
Of European Operas.
AN OUTSTANDING SOPRANO
MERICA has found in Judith
x
_____._ _ _.._ __ ___ __ _ ___. _. ._ t
Hellwig a personality of
vivid charm and a singer possessed of a magnificent voice trained
in the great tradition of European vocal art.
Acclaimed in every
performance on the concert and opera stage, she has won a firm
place in the hearts of all music lovers.
SIXTH CONCERT, SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 9t
SECOND AND SIXTH CONCERTS
I'4
MAY 7/h ANl 91h
J=
f
The
PH DELPI
ORCW ESTR
C
i
Under the baton of Eugene Ormandy
Associate Conductor: Saul Caston
111
I
I
Eugene Orrnandy
This thrilling orchestra, for the seventh consecutive Festival, will participate in all six concerts.
Music-lovers know the fine work of this orchestra both here and abroad. The-May Festival is
proud to present them in Ann Arbor again this year.