TAIERI COMPETITIONS

Evening Star, Issue 22449, 21 September 1936, Page 13

TAIERI COMPETITIONS

FOURTH ANNUAL FESTIVAL The promoters of tbe Taieri competitions have every reason to be satisfied with the opening session on Saturday. This is the fourth annual event, and tbe response in entries has been so good that an additional day will be taken up this year. Saturday’s sessions—morning and afternoon—were for juveniles. In the afternoon Captain L. O. Jones presided, and in the evening the official opening was performed by the mayor (Mr A. F. (Quelch). The afternoon session included a schools’ choir contest as well as some 20 classes in piano, violin, vocal, and eocution competitions. The judges for the festival are as follow:—Vocal, choirs, violin, and piano, Mr L. S. Adam; elocution and playettes, Miss Leonore Mackenzie; one-act plays, Mrs F. Wakefield Holmes; national dancing. Miss G. Munro; stage dancing, Miss C. Potts; piping, Mr John L. Thomson ; brass, Mr K. Kerr. sen.; honorary official accompanist, Mrs L. B. Borrow; honorary official pipers, Pipers R. M'Kenzie and Chirnside. The following are the results:— INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC. Violin Solo, under 13. —Master Edmund Butler 1. The only entry. The tone was good and the performance enjoyable. Violin Solo, 13 and under 18. — Master Bill Borrow 1. The player showed good expression and feeling. Piano Solo, under 10. —Miss Clarice Wylie 1, Miss Phoebe Mitchell and Master John Bulger (equal) 2. The judge remarked that this class Jacked light and shade in all but one competitor. Performers should make their

pieces interesting, and contrasts were necessary to make it so. Piano Solo, 10 and under 12. Master Desmond Mann 1, Miss Esme L. Searle 2, Miss Esther W. Smith 3. Piano Solo, 12 and under 14.—Miss Margaret Bachop and Miss Marjorie Holdaway were recalled for to-night’s session, and Miss Margaret M. Gray was placed third. There was a wide difference in the competitors, some having had a short period of tuition and others longer, but the judge made awards on the merits of the respective performances of the competitors.- It was a very interesting section. Piano Solo, 14 and under 16.—Miss Hilda Crozier 1, Miss Gladys Langmore 2, Miss Thea Lindsay 3. Piano Solo, 16 and under 18.—Joyce Ford 1, Ainslee Conroy 2. Piano Duet, under 11.—Misses Phcebe Mitchell .and Clarice Wylie 1. Piano Duet. 11 and under 15. Misses Noel Borrow and Gladys Langmore 1, Misses Joy Wylie and Lorna Oliver 2, Misses Isobel and Alison Kirk 3. The judge classed the performance of these competitors as enjoyable. Piano Duet, 15 and under 18.— Misses Hilda Crozier and Joyce Ford 1. This was an excellent and musicianly rendering. VOCAL MUSIC. Song, Boys and Girts under 11.— Miss Beverley Swallow 1. This was a nice little performance. The intonation was not too true,- and the tone was breathy, but the enunciation was good. Song for Boys, 11 and under 16. Master Tom Mutch, 1, Master Jack Thomson 2, Master lan Hudson 3. The choice of some songs was too ambitious. Something lighter should have been chosen for children. Master Hudson’s ‘ The Holy Child ’ locked animation. Song for Girls, 11 and under 16. Misses Audrey Ramsay and June Donaldson (equal) 1, Miss Dorothy Mutch 3. School Cboir. —Outram 1, Wylie’s Crossing 2. The judge said both performances were good, but pointed l out some defects. Both choirs should watch their phrasing. Special mention was made of the winning choir’s seconds, but the Wylie’s Crossing choir seconds sang too loudly. Both choirs were inclined to lose pitch, and should pay more attention to crescendos and diminuendos. Vocal Duet.—Misses Kola Borrow and lona Livingstone 1. Misses Audrey Ramsay and Edith Gardiner 2. The judge mentioned loss of pitch and bad slurring of notes. ELOCUTION. Recitation, under 9. —Miss June Tregilgus 1, Miss Noeline Campbell 2, Miss Hilary E. Mann 3. Recitation, under 9, local, amateur, scholarship.—Miss Cora! Stevenson 1. In referring to this class the judge expressed regret that there should be only one entry when a scholarship was the award. Recitation 9 and under 11.—Miss Joan Gibson 1. Recitation, 11 and under 14.—The recalls for to-night’s session were Misses June Donaldson and Verna Williams. Miss Paulino Howell 3 and Miss Agnes M. Holland h.c. Recitation. 14 and under IS.—Miss Jean Malcolmson 1, Miss Ivy Williams 2 - i Recitation, humorous, under 16. The recalls for to-night’s session were: Miss Agnes M. Holland and Miss June R. Tregilgns. Miss Beverley Swallow 3. ... Referring to the competitions in general, Miss Mackenzie said the programme had been enjoyable. A compliment was paid to the teachers for their training of the competitors. There was not one bad item on the list. (Applause.) The class 11 to 14 years was of a higher standard than the younger ones.