ROYAL CHORAL SOCIETY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2619, 15 November 1915, Page 3

ROYAL CHORAL SOCIETY

MR. SIGURD LESTRUP ENGAGED FOR "THE MESSIAH."

1 The Eoyal Choral Society has fixed on December 14 as the date for its annual performance of "The Messiah." The society has engaged for this performance the services of Mr. Sigurd Lestrup, the talented Danish bass-bari-tone, who is at present resident in Wellington. This artist has only been resident in New Zealand for a few months, having left Europe., some months after tho outbreak of war. when it became obvious that he could not follow up his work on the grand opera stage. Mr. Lestrup was born at Christiania, in Norway, his mother being a Norwegian and his father a Dane. 'When ho was five' years of age the family removed to Copenhagen, in Denmark, where he was educated and received the early stages of his training for tho operatico stage. Later, he went to Germany, to study the Wagnerian roles', and spent five years there Under skilled masters, absorbing the subtlo spirit _of these great operas. He was playing at Kiel when the war broke out, and on all oontracts being broken, he left for his home in Copenhagenwith his wife, who is also a very charming singer. So far, Mr. Lestrup has not sung in oratorio, though naturally he knows the works in a general way, but with his splendid vocal capacity and sound musicianship, he can hardly fail to make an impression. Mrs. Bosowarne will sing tho contralto music, and Mr. Martin Duff, of Dunedin, will bo entrusted with tho tenor role. '