THE MICHIGAN DAILY
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4H
I ~lBRMUSIC, FETIf4
Three Concerts in Rackham Auditorium
February 17,18,19,1956
JOSEF ROISMAN, Violinist MISCHA SCHNEIDER, Cellist
ALEXANDER SCHNEIDER, Violinist Assisted by
BORIS KROYT, Violinist ROBERT COURTE, Guest Violist
SEASON TICKETS
$3150 -$2.504_______
*4G
SINGLE TICKETS x
$1.75 -2$1.25 f
On Sale Beginning October 15
at
. UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY '' .
BURTON MEMORIAL TOWER
R- --I4EAA ~-
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2,1955
AQUACADES AND SACRED MUSIC:
Shaw's Conducting Career Varied
If Robert Shaw, founder and
conductor of the Robert Shaw
Chorale, had his way, he would
doubtless try to establish a minia-
ture edition of the Chorale in
every city visited on his tours.
Since Shaw first attracted at-
tention in choral circles, he has
been invited to conduct and take
part in discussions at choral cli-
nics in many parts of the country.
He feels that because of its
inexpensiveness and flexibility,
choral singing is an aspect of
music particularly suitable for the
enjoyment of musicians in small-
er cities and towns.
No expensive equipment is
necessary, Shaw points out, mere-
ly a conductor who knows his busi-
ness, any number of people inter-
ested in making music, and a
generous amount of enthusiasm
on all sides.
Robert Lawson Shaw was born
April 30, 1916 in Red Bluff, Cali-
fornia. His first ambition was to
be a minister, like his father, so
he studied theology at Pomona
College, Claremont, California.
To earn his way, he wrapped
bread inha bakery, wormed in the
steel mills, washed dishes, waited
on tables, corrected examination
papers and did occasional preach-
ing on the side.
While Shaw was still an under-
graduate, the director of the Po-
mona Glee Club took his sabbati-
cal leave. As a temporary meas-
ure Shaw was drafted to lead the
club. He did so to such good pur-
pose that he was awarded an
assistantship for the rest of his
stay in college.
In Shaw's junior year, Fred
Waring came west to make a
movie on the campus. The glee
club had a small part in the film.
Waring was so impressed that he
told young Shaw if he ever came
to New York a job would be wait-
ing for him.
In 1938 Shaw took Waring at
his word and assumed direction
of the Waring glee club, which
soon became an outstanding fea-
ture of the five-nights-weekly
Waring Show. He also trained
choruses for Billy Rose's Aqua-
cades and three Broadway shows.
In his spare time, Shaw led
amateur singing groups in con-
certs of sacred music on the radio
and in performance in New York.
His first group, the Chapel Choir,
was formed in the summer of 1941.
In November of that year he or-
ganized the now famous Collegiate
Chorale.
Soon after the formation of
the Chorale, Shaw branched out
as an orchestral conductor. In
1943 he was named Outstanding
American-Born Conductor of the
Year by the National Association
of American ComposersandCon-
ductors.
In 1944 Shaw was guest con-
ductor of the CBS Symphony.
Since that time he has conducted
the NBC Symphony, the ABC
Symphony, the Boston Symphony
Orchestra and the Philadelphia
Orchestra.
Following his discharge from
the Navy, Shaw was appointed
Choral Director for the Berlshire
Symphony Orchestra Boasts
MTI,'il eni pntv-Frnr Years
The Boston Symphony Orches-
tra came into being through the
efforts of Henry L. Higginson, a
young Bostonian banker in love
with the world of music.
From modest beginnings in
1881, the orchestra moved into.
its own auditorium, the newly
built Symphony Hall, in 1900.
In all, the various series in and
out of Boston, together with
Pops and Esplanade concerts and
the Berkshire Festival in the sum-
mer, add up to a 46 week season.
The tours too have been ex-
tended. The first trip west of
the Mississippi was in 1915 when
the orchestra played at the San
Francisco Exposition.
Since then, they have travelled
widely and in 1952 gave concerts
in France, Belgium, Holland,
England and Germany.
T h e Symphony's conductors
have been chosen from the ranks
of Europe's well known musicians.
Charles Munch, the present con-
ductor, follows in the footsteps of
Koussevitsky, Monteux, Muck and
Paur.
Sixty-three year old Munch is
the personification of the double
culture of Alsace, the province ly-
ing between France and Germa-
ny.
His father, of Alsatian descent,
was an organist, string player,
leader of the St. Guillame choir
in the Strasbourg Cathedral and
Munch's first violin teacher. His
mother, of pure French blood,
was the daughter ofra Parisian
minister.
At the age of 21, Munch con-
templated a medical career and
went to Paris to study. But soon
he was devoting all his time to
the violin, studying under Lucien
Capet.
After serving in the First World
War, he became concertmaster of
the Strasbourg Orchestra. From
Music Center at Tanglewood. In
1946 he was appointed Director
of Choral Activities at the Jul-
liard School.
Community music, Shaw thinks,
suffers from a lack of trained
musical leaders. He believes this
shortcoming will be gradually ov-
ercome through America's music
schools, like the Julliard in New
York, the Curtis Institute in
Philadelphia and the New England
Conservatory in Boston, which
each year turn out hundreds of
excellently trained young musi-
cians.
These may be counted on to ex-
ert powerful influence on the na-
tion's musical life.
Shaw is married and lives with
his wife, the former Maxine Far-
ley and their two children, Johan-
na and Peter, in Scarsdale, New
York. When his concert, broad-
casting and touring commitments
permit him sufficient spare time,
Shaw enjoys puttering about the
place, indulging his hobby of
woodworking.
Trace History
Of MacMillan;
Toronto Group
Since its founding, the Toronto
Symphony Orchestra has become
one of Canada's great institutions.
The present Orchestra dates
back to the Conservatory Sym-
phony Orchestra formed in 1906
and conducted by Frank Welsman.
In 1908 a charter was issued in
the name of the Toronto Sym-
phony Orchestra and it continued
under Welsman's direction until
1918 when financial problems cur-
tailed operations.
Von Kunits Directed
In 1923 the New Symphony
Orchestra was formed under the
direction of Luigi von Kunits. Von
Kunits, a graduate of the Vienna
Conservatory, had been concert-
master of the Pittsburg Orchestra
under Emil Paur.
Inthat first season three con-
certs were given. Because the
majority of theaplayers were em-
ployed in theater orchestras the
concerts, called Twilights, were of
one hour duration, beginning at
5 p.m. and finishing at 6 p.m.
When von Kunits died in 1931,
several conductors were suggested
to replace him, but the unanimous
decision of the Orchestra's Board
of Directors was Ernest Campbell
MacMillan.
During Sir Ernest's first year
as conductor, the idea of full-
length evening concerts was in-
augurated. The advent of sound
movies, which greatly reduced the
number of musicians employed in
theater orchestras, helped make
this possible.
Most of the world's eminent
living musicians have been guest
artists with the Orchestra. It has
encouraged the development of
Canadian music and musicians.
Through children's concerts and
in cooperation with the schools
it has been developing apprecia-
tion of music among the rising
generation.
Musical Knight
Sir Ernest, Canada's only
musical knight, is an excellent ex-
ample of a man of many interests.
He is a musician, conductor,
musicologist, organist and com-
poser. He possesses the degrees of
Bachelor of Arts and Music, Do-
tor of Music and two LL.D.
degrees.
MacMillan is also an honorary
member of the Royal Academy,
a Fellow of the Royal College of
Music, and Fellow of the Royal
College or Organists.
As a teacher of music, Mac-
Millan has been outstanding, and
as an administrator he is widely
recognized.
He was a concert organist at 10,
composer at nine, has played
many sonata recitals, piano re-
citals, has been a member of string
quartets and accompanist for
many artists.
H"
C0
CERTS
CHARLES MUNCH
... Boston Conductor
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Saturday, Dec. 3 at 8:30 P.M. and Sunday, Dec. 4 at 2:30 P.M.
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Strasbourg, he joined the Kewand-
haus Orchestra in Leipzig.
He returned to Paris and was
connected with several small or-
chestras until 1937, when he was
made conductor of the Paris Con-
servatory Orchestra.
His first appearance in this
country was as guest conductor of
the Boston Symphony in 1946. He
succeeded Serge Koussevitzky as
regular conductor in 1949 and
took the group on its first tour
of Europe in 1952.
Munch gives Berlioz, Debussy
and Ravel prominent places in his
programs. He also gives equal'
consideration to the German mas-
ters and includes a representation'
of music by American composers.
LESTER McCOY
LILLIAN CHOOKASIAN
HOWARD JARRATT
TICKETS ON SALE AT
BURTON TOWER NOW!
CHORAL UNION SERIES-Season Tickets:
$17.00-Block A. Few remaining UNCLAIMED seats in the three
center sections on both Main Floor and in First Balcony,
front and rear.
$14.00-Block B. Two side sections on both Main Floor and in
First Balcony, front to rear.
$12.00-Block C. Top Balcony, first 8 rows.
$10.00-Block D. Top Balcony, rear 13 rows.
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Performers
THE UNIVERSITY CHORAL UNION
N FAULL, Soprano DONALD GRAMM, Bass
IAN CHOOKASIAN, Contralto. MUSICAL SOCIETY ORCHESTRA
rARD JARRATT_ Tenn MARY McCALL STUBBINS. Oraanist
EXTRA CON CERT SERI ES-Season Tickets:
$ 8.50-Block A. Three center sections on both Main Floor and
in First Balcony, front to rear.
$ 7.00-Block B. Two side sections on both Main Floor and in
First Balcony, front to rear.
$ 6.00-Block C. Top Balcony, first 8 rows.
$ 5.00-Block D. Top Balcony, rear 13 rows.
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