TH E MICHIGAN D AILY SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 1944 I . Romantic Tenor Kullman Began Career as Medic To Sing in Fourth Festival Concert icut Yankee' Music Despite Objections Charles Kullman, who has been called "America's greatest romantic tenor," is a Connecticut Yankee, born in 1903 at New Haven, where he graduated from Yale in 1924 with a B.S. degree. Originally Kullman had planned a medical career, however when his experience as soloist with the Yale Glee Club was brought to the atten- tion of various musical experts, Kull- man was persuaded to abandon sur- gery for singing, despite parental objections. Awai ded Fellawship After winning a scholarship at the Juilliard School in New York where he studied for three years, he was awarded a fellowship to the Ameri- can Conservatory in Fontainebleau, France. Returning to the United Mates, he accepted a position on the music faculty of Smith College, later re- signing to join the American Opera company which presented music-3 drama in English. In February, 1931, Kullman made his European operatic debut in "But- terfly" at the Opera house in Berlin.. His performance was lauded so much that the opera was given 25 times during the .season. At Salzburg Festival In the spring of 1934 Kullman ap- peared in Covent Garden, the first of a series of annual visits to London. There Edward Johnson, general manager of the Metropolitan, first heard him sing. The Salzburg Festival, central Europe's crowning glory until the Nazi invasion, first invited Kullman to sing in Weber's "Oberon" under; Bruno Walter in the summer of 1934. Recognizing his talent, Arturo Tos-. canini engaged Kullman to sing in Verdi's "Requiem" at memorial serv-; ices in Vienna for slain Austrian Chancellor Dollfuss in November, 1834. Becamie Rad.Iio Star At last Kullman returned hoine to appear in the title role of "Faust," on Dec.-20, 1935, at the Metropolitan Gpera House. The cheers and ex- citement of the New York audience were affirmed in the critics' reviews next day. Within the next few weeks "Carmen," "La Boheme," "Rigoletto" and "Traviata" followed, assuring the artist a permanent and brilliant career at the Metropolitan. . During that first season home, Cullman also established himself in other musical fields, as recital artist on the Ford and General Motors Hours, as soloist with orchestra, as a radio star. At the Metropolitan Kullman is starring for the ninth season and at the San Francisco Opera last autumn he was acclaimed for the sixth year. During the past two summers the tenor toured South America for the first time, appearing in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. He has crossed the continent 14 times in contert tours. BIDU SAYAO World Famous Duo-Pianists Will Plav Luboshutz, Nemenoff Aim at Perfection' The appearance in Ann Arbor of Pierre Luboshutz and Genia Neme- noff, famous duo-pianists, will be one of the highlights of their return from a trans-continental spring tour from Cleveland to San Francisco. The tour included appearances in San Francisco, Los Angeles, where they appeared as soloists with the Janssen Orchestra and on the Behy- mer concert series, and stops through- out the middle west. Appeared with Concert Orchestra While on their fall tour in Novem- ber, Mr. and Mrs. Luboshutz appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Under the baton of Eugene Ormandy they played Mozart and McDonald concertos and introduced a new con- certo by Bohuslav Martinu. Martinu had dedicated his con- certo to the renown pianists after hearing them perform under Serge Koussevitsky in 1942. He was so in- spired by the performance that he spent a good part of the next season writing the concerto. Individual Careers Before Marriage Both of the Luboshutzes were fam- ous solo pianists prior to their mar- riage. Pierre Luboshutz is Russian born and appeared in recitals and with orchestras throughout Europe. Genia Nemenoff, Parisian born of Russian parents, had an enviable ca- reer as a solo artist. On the question of duo-piano play- ing, Luboshutz says, "the secret of good duo-piano playing is that it must sound like the performance of a single artist. "It's no easy task combining per- fect technical unity with complete artistic freedom. But that is neces- sary if duo-piano playing is to Dave soul," he says. Fifty Engagements a Season Mr. and Mrs. Luboshutz average 50 engagements a season. Since they have concertized as a team, they have made over 400 appearances in nearly 25a cities throughout Europe and America. "We never 'play down' to an audi- ence," Miss Nemenoff says. "The small towns demand the best we have to offer." Both pianists enjoy playing before audiences in small towns which make them work for applause. They be- lieve that it indicates a healthy in- terest in music. Besides being excellent piano per- formers they have added much to pressent-day two-piano literature by innumerable special arrangements created by Mr. Luboshutz. History... (Continued from Page 1) Violinist To Pkay in Fifth Concert NATHAN MILSTEIN Mine. Thorborg To Appear as Feature Soloist Versatile Singer Is a Metropolitan Favorite Of Worldwide Renown Appearing for the second time as a featured May Festival soloist, Ken- stin Thorborg is one of the outstand- ing contraltos of American opera today. A favorite with concert audiences ever since her Metropolitan Qpera debut in 1936, Mime. Thorborg has a range that enables her to sing both mezzo-soprano and contralto equally well. Since the retirement of Kerstin Flagstad, Norwegian contralto, she is the only first rank singer who has the range necessary to portray the heroines in the German operas. has Dramatic Ability Critics have attributed her success not only to her voice but to her dramatic talents as well, her portray- als being a far cry from those of the "vocal ability is the only requisite for an opera star" school of thought. During one week she often plays the part of two or three different charac- ters. Born in Hedemora, Dalecarlia, Sweden, where her father owned and edited the local newspaper, she skied, skated, swam and rode horseback with her two brothers, preparing her- self for the strenuous life of a singer. Debut in1Stockholm Her career, began when she was one of three schoolgirls selected from 1,200 applicants for admission to -the opera school of the Stockholm Royal Opera. Sheomade her debut at the Stock- holm Royal Opera in "Aida," follow- ing which she won great distinction in the opera houses of Europe and South America. Appeared with Toscanini In 1936 she created a sensation at Covent Garden. which ultimately brought her to. the 4etropolitan Opera, where she is ecognized as one of its most valuable members, ap- pearing in a wide range -of major roles. In the concert field she has also built up a great following, singing in cities all over the United .States. g o 'SINGING AMBASSADOR': Bidu Sayao, South American Soprano, To Appear at Festival INTERPRETS VIOLIN: All-Brahms Pro gram Will Be Given by Nathan Milstein Bidu Sayao, the sensational so- prano, is the only South American woman on the roster of the Metro- politan Operation Association, and one 'of the most effective agents of Pan-American good will.! One of her informal titles is "Bra- zil's Singing Ambassador," which President Vargas conferred upon her. As an individual she has all the spar- kle and charm traditionally associ-I ated with Brazilian women but be- cause she has made a successful ca- reer she is much closer to the North American women.' Born in Rio de Janeiro She was born into one of the old- est families in Rio de Janeiro where it has always ben considered bad form for a society woman to have anything to do with a career. Only when her music teacher convinced her family that he voice was worth cultivating was she able to continue her studies. After making her debut in Rio, Miss Sayao had many triumphs in Brahms' Concerto To Be Performed One. of the feature attractions of this year's May Festival will be the performance of Johannes Brahms' Double Concerto for violin, cello and' orchestra with Nathan Milstein and Gregor Piatigorski as soloists. Messrs. Milstein and Piatigorski, who will appear on May 7, have already achieved wide acclaim throughout the nation for their per- formance of this famous concerto. I the great music capitals of Europe- Rome, Milan, Turin, Lisbon, Buchar- est and Paris. However, it was not until 1936 that her voice was heard in America. Met Toscanini She arrived in New York on a pleasure trip and by chance met Arturo Toscanini at a party. The conductor introduced himself and thanked Miss Sayao for the pleasure he had had at her performance at La Scala several years before. "Have you ever memorized De- bussy's 'Blessed Damozel'?" Tosca- nini asked. The answer was no. "Then go home and study it," he replied. We are rehearsing it with the New York Philharmonic next week and I want you for that part." With N.Y. Philharmonic Her appearance stirred the critibs to high praise and led to a contract with the "Met" where she has starred ever since. Her roles have been the lyric and coloratura parts in opera. She has sung the title role of Manon, Mimi in "Boheme," Rosina in "The Barber of Seville," Violetta in "Trav- iata," as well as many others. Typically Latin in looks, Miss Sayao is slim petite, chicly dressed and charming in manner. In addi- tion to her native Portugese and Spanish, she speaks Italian and French fluently and her "American" is progresing rapidly. Jewels are one of her passions be- cause so many precious stones-em- eralds, sapphires, amethyst, and dia- monds- are found in Brazil. She is the possessor of one of the fabulous emerald necklaces in the world. It is valued at $80,000. Her wrist watch is one of the smallest ever made, less than one quarter of an inch in diam- eter. Earrings, brooches, rings and bracelets make up the rest of her rare collection. The glamor and fame that she has obtained is still not enough as she still insists that a successful ca- reer does not bring a woman ulti- mate happiness. "If a woman works all her life for a career she will die lonely and disappointed. I myself hope to finish my career in five years and then live some," she says. Nathan Milstein, one of the na- tion's top musical attractions, willF be among the guests of the Univer - sity Musical Society to play during May Festival. He is scheduled to apear with Piatigorsky and Eugene, Ormandy; during the Sunday afternoon con- cert of the Festival. To Play All Brahms He will play an all-Brahms pro- gram including the Academy Festival Overture, the Violin Concerto in A Minor, and Symphony No. 4. Milstein made his debut in the United States in 1929 when he played with the Philadelphia Orchestra un- der the direction of Leopold Stokow- ski after which he was hailed with enthusiasm by critics both as a tech- nician and interpreter of the violin. On Concert Tours In 1930 he appeared as soloist with the New York Philharmonic Sym- I phony under John Barbirolli, and since then he has been heard throughout this country and Canada on concert tours which has included over 100 performances with 20 or- chestras including the Chicago, Bos- ton, Cleveland, Cincinatti and Min- neapolis Symphonies to mention but a few. He has also made frequent radio broadcasts and recorded many favorite phonograph discs. Russian born, Milstein first studied the violin in his native city of Odessa, ''"because my mother made me,'' he says, and later he worked with Leo- pold Auen in Leningrad. There is nothing of the 'child prodigy' about his career, although he made his first public performance when he was ten. Recital with Horowitz Milstein embarked upon his first concert tour at the age of nineteen- it was a joint recital with his friend, Vladimir Horowitz, who has since become one of the leading pianists of the day. In 1925, following the revolution, Milstein left Russia for Paris. Dur- ing the following years he gained a world-wide reputation as a violinist, while he toured the continent, Egypt, South America and Mexico. He reached the United States in Octo- ber, 1929, where his home has been ever since. An Amateur Painter a When not on tour, recording for Columbia or broadcasting, he divides his time on his Vermont farm be- tween practicing on his invaluable Stradivarius 'Dancla,' and indulging in his hobby of painting. As an ama- teur painter Milstein has shown some of his work in the first annual exhi- bition of "Art by Musicians" with See MILSTEIN Page 3 , . ,. .., . r them -ay Festival S . .1 i i 3 t 1 r s s 0 f s 1 festivals. For 31 years afterwards the Chicago Symphony Orchestra participated annually. For the past six years, the Philadelphia Sym- phony Orchestra has performed at all festival concerts. Choral Union Grew During the years that the May Festival has been presented in Ann Arbor, all the oratorios and operas adaptable to concert performance as' well as many - smaller works have been performed. The University Choral Union, or- ganized in 1879, and which at first consisted of about three dozen sing- ers, soon grew into an organization of 350 voices. It is one of the largest and oldest permanent choral groups in existence. In many cases students -who have paixicipated in the Choral Union have later carried on in their own fields of endeavor SU NDAY, Thelma Vn Eisenhauer mammmm MAY 7 at 8:30 Soprano of the Chicago MAY FESTIVAL Opera Company John Brownlee MAY 4, 5, 6 and 7 I Ba ri tone M etr opoIitac n Oper ' I 'I ~" :Har in Van Deursen Conductor SATURK DAY, LUBOSHUTI a 4' NEMENOFF RECITALS FOR TWO PIANOS MAY 6t 2:30 « ^ 4 Harl McDonald will conduct his Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra PI ATI GQ RSK Y SMarguerite Hood wil leadI r- . - I . I r I #I fl ilI i III