PAGE TWO THE MICHIGAN DAILY -
SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 1946
METROPOLITAN STAR:
Baccaloni, Basso Buffo,
To Be Featured Soloist
Salvatore Baccaloni, one of the
Metropolitan Opera soloists who will
appear here during the May Festival,
is known in the musical world as a
basso buffo.
A basso buffo is a singer with a
deep, sonorous voice who specializes
in the great comic opera songs and
roles.
Born in Rome
Baccaloni was born 42 years ago in
Rome, Italy. He made his opera
debut in the Opera House of Bologna,'
Italy and sang in the United States
for the first time in 1940 at the
Metropolitan. He has also sung lead-
ing roles with opera companies in
Milan, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro
and London, and in this country with
the Metropolitan, Chicago and San
Francisco Opera Companies, in ad-
dition to making orchestral appear-
ances, concert tours and recordings.
Choir Boy at Vatican
In his childhood, Baccaloni was a
choir boy in the Sistine Chapel Choir
at the Vatican. Before becoming an
opera star, he studied and received
his diploma in architecture.
He was intent upon continuing in
architecture and singing only as a
hobby, when in 1925 Guiseppe Kasch-
mann, a celebrated baritone of the
time, heard him sing at a friend's
Artists' Photos
Decorate Walls
Great performances of the past
still live in the headquarters rooms of
the University Choral Union at the
base of the towering Baird Carillon.
Cream of the musical greats of the
last quarter-century still in their con-
cert primes, look down from a huge
collection of pictures which stud the
walls of two of the big rooms where
the Choral Union has its offices.
Each autographed, in most cases
inscribed, the four hundred or more
pictures all were personally collected
by Dr. Charles A. Sink, President of
the University Musical Society. His
office walls, completely covered with
pictures of great performers whom
Sink has known intimately, are a
museum of modern musical greats.
In adjacent frames, Dr. Sink will
point out Fritz Crisler, Lily Pons,
John Philip Sousa, Nelson Eddy, all
who have entertained at Ann Arbor
in the last quarter-century. At ran-
dom from the. other side of the room
he can select Helen Jepson, Enrico
Caruso, Walter Damrosch.
home and was so impressed that he
advised Baccaloni to make singing
his career.
Concentrates on Comedy Roles
At first Baccaloni sang straight
bass roles, but, with the encourage-
ment of Toscanini, he began to con-
centrate on the comedy roles which
he usually sings today.
Jussi Boerling
Will Be First
Festival Soloist
Tenor To Sing Four
O eralc Selections
Featured soloist at the first con-
cert of this year's May Festival will
be Jussi Bjcerling, tenor, who will
sing selections from four operas:
"Carmen," "La Boheme," "Tosca,"
and "Manon."
The thirty-four year old leading
tenor of the Metropolitan Opera re-
cently celebrated his twenty-fifth an-
niversary as a concert artist. Born
in Sweden, Bjoerling (who pronoun-
ces his Bee-url-ing) received his vo-
cal training at Stockholm Conserva-
tory and began his musical career
with father and two brothers as part
of the Bjoerling Male Quartet tour-
ing the United States in 1920.
He returned to this country 17
years later to make his debut at the
Metropolitan Opera in the role of
Rodolfo in Puccini's "La Boheme".
In succeeding seasons he also appear-
ed with the Chicago and San Fran-
cisco Opera Companies, and toured
in recital from coast to coast. With
the spread of the European war, his
return to America was deferred until
HILL AUDITORIUM-Scene of the 53rd annual May Festival concerts.
SALVATORE BACCALONI...
to sing at final concert
KID STUFF:
Special Youth
Concerts Given
By Orchestra
The "Youth Concerts" are a unique
series given by the Philadelphia Or-
chestra exclusively for the young
people of that city.
The Concerts are run entirely by
committees of young people, and are
attended only by those from 13 to 25
years of age. They cooperate with
the conductor in selecting the music,
write the program notes, design the
posters, handle publicity, and act as
doormen to keep out all adults - un-
less they are accompanied by ten or
more children. Audiences average 16
years of age. More than 70 schools
and colleges in Philadelphia and the
suburbs are represented in the aud-
iences.
The taste of today's youth audien-
ces shows a broad appreciation for
the finest music. Beethoven's Fifth
Symphony is a favorite, as is the
Tchaikowsky "Nut Cracker Suite.
The Unfinished Symphony, of Schu-
bert, is a close runner-up. Ravel's
"Bolero," first played five years ago,
is now a perennial favorite.
Soloist at these concerts are select-
ed from among the city's young mu-
sicians. Auditions are held at regular
intervals, and the competition is in-
tense. Occasionally, national-known
soloists are engaged, as when Jose
Iturbi, pianist, appeared in recital re-
cently. This season, the Monte Carlo
Ballet Russe will give a special Youth
Concert performance.
this season, when he returned for
another transcontinental tour.
Bjoerling has a repertoire of over
40 different opera roles and a concert
repertoire in six languages. A great
lover of sports, he is especially fond
of swimming and sailing with bil-
liards and the Swedish sport known
as "hand wrestling" as other favor-
ite diversions.
-11~7
Carilloneur Wl
Give Concerts
Prof. Percival Price, distinguished
University carilloneur, on leave of
absence from the University until
May 1, will highlight the fifty-third
annual May Festival Series with
special short programs while the au-
diences are assembling before each
concert.
A graduate of the Mechlin School
in Belgium,. Prof. Price studied at
the Toronto Conservatory and at
King's College of the University of
London.
Philadelphia's
i1t'1siians Are
Good at'Sports
Many of the men in the Philadel-
phia Orchestra are good sportsmen
as well as talented musicians.
Diving into the Honolulu harbor
for pennies gave William Kincaid,
first flutist in the Orchestra, the kind
of training that makes the world's
champion swimmers. Sailboating,
paddling an Indian canoe, and a stiff
trek in a speedboat provide off-season
relaxation for the tall, muscular
musician.
Trombonist C. E. Gerhard turns
slipper in the summer, p'iloting the
S.S. Beach Haven through Atlantic
waters. Another trombonist, Charles
Gusikoff, believes sports the best kind
of preparation for an orchestra play-
er. "Play handball, swim and lift
heavy weights," says Gusikoff, "if
you want to stay upfront in the sym-
phony business."
Hamnes "@0*
good. It is often a question of brute
force, he said, pointing out the ex-
ample of the German conductors of
the last century who came to this
country and insisted on playing the
works of Wagner until the audience
grew to appreciate his greatness. "I
remember when Debussy and Ravel
were considered something very new
in music," the young instructor
added.
Bernard Rogers, whose composi-
tion, "Solilogy," will be performed
during the festival, had trouble get-
ting performers and audiences to
understand him at first, Haines said.
He is 49 now and has just begun to
be accepted. "Solilogy" is one of his
earlier works. He recently won a
Metropolitan Opera Company award
for an opera which will probably be
performed next season.
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SUNDAY. MAY5, at 2:30
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