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.