NATIONAL OPERA COMPANY DISBANDED.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 395, 2 January 1909, Page 7

NATIONAL OPERA COMPANY DISBANDED.

-The news ■ that- the Opera_ Conn ; < ' pany:is to.ba disbanded will be read with x<y- - gret -in many quarters, for apart : from tin, • -'lack -of {high-class'ability ..displayed by som«' : of-tho'. ;must;be recol- . lected that Mr. - John Wren, . tjx> promoter, :. had in Ins.mind the eventual organisation of a purely Australian company, for the-pro-duction .ot opera—an inspiration that :> do- •. . served bettor success;, But the unfortunate y. part was t)iat; mth.tho exception, of tw0,..0r . , at tKo" most three, of the imported artists, ; tjiey'fell below .tho standard looked forward : to by Australians,--.and, • the inevitable result folloiyed, poor patronage. New life was put into tho company in Sydney by tho acquisi- -~ • tionof somo local'artists of brilliant talents, and the productions with theso membera .: were of. a very ,hno scalo. A tepressntativoi ■' of -Mr;r Wren stated that Mr., Wren would . not alloyr his, object to be. dropped, but when the occasion.ollored a national opera -company would again como into existence, and .let 'us hope, with every measure of success. . Miss Buckmann, tho New Zealand soprano, achieved great succoss with the company,— . . : "Refereo." - ------- .