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Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 60, 4 December 1926, Page 30

Mr, Alfred Hill, of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, who returned re cently from a trip to Europe and America, comes back with a definite im pression that no place he has visited has a higher standard of music, educationally, than Sydnev. “But,” he add ed, “Australia is one of the last civil tsed countries on the earth to be withrut permanent opera and a permanent orchestra on a satisfactory financial footing. They are doing wonderful things in America in maintaining sym phony orchestras Every town of any size at all thinks it essentai that it should have such an orchestra. It is considered to be a part of the culture of the community, and the feeling is that no one is a good citizen unless he supports this orchestra. Here in Syd ney we ought to have a similar publu opinion ” Mr. Hill, however, was not impressed bv what he saw of musical training in the American schools in one city, Minneapolis. While these buildings were exceedingly well equipped, he considered ihat the orchestral training of the children frcw a tnusi■lan’s point of view did not show sat isfactorv results In London, on the •thei hand, he.; heard -om? channrnv Maying bv a small orchestra in St Paul's School where the work is under •he charge of Gustave Holst, composer >f “The Planets ’’ In Minneapolis, he ■net Mr Henri Verbrugghen. just then -ecovering from a severe illness. After one year’s successful run, ■Mercenary Mary” concluded its Lon don season on September 18. The musical comedv, which was staged in the Hippodrome, reached a total of 480 performances. It is still being played in Australia,