ST. MATTHEWS' CHURCH CONCERT.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 27 September 1911, Page 3

ST. MATTHEWS' CHURCH CONCERT.

A very enjoyable programme was presented,to a full house on Friday evening last in the Foresters' Hall— the proceeds being in aid of the funds of the above church. Two performers from Auckland, Messrs O. E. Farrow and Allan McElwain, and some of the best available local talent appeared in turn on the platform, Mr Farrow, who was accorded a very hearty reception on this, his first appearance in Helensville, was bass prize medallist at the musical competitions held in Auckland last year. He has a very pleasing voice, tpiite free from any trace of roughness, or hardness, and his interpretations and enunciations leave nothing to be desired, but his voice lacked volumn and resonance. Mr Farrow also raises his shoulders while singing; ibis may be merely a stage attitude, but it makes him appear stiff and awkward. His first number was " Ailsa Mine " (Newton),

and in response to a_recall he gave ,<My Old Shako." His second item was:" King Charles " (M. V. White), followed s by "Rip van Winkk " for an encore. 'MissF. Donovan sang "The Roso," one of Johnson's " Two Songs " and as aneucoie gave " My little ex.' quisiteLove" (D. McGeogh). The charm of Miss Donovan's singing is in the sweetness of her voice, but it is enhanced by her admirable choice of only those songs that suit her. Miss •* Little sang "Lilacs" in which' her , vocal training showed up to advantage. Mr Drower was hardly at home in his number l< I seek for thee in every flower ;'' the song is a lovely one, but was rather beyond Mr Drower's range and he was peiceptively flat on one or two of the upper notes.. He has a very pleasant voice, which is, however, somewhat muffled and lacks the clear ~ usually associated with a pure ;f tenor. Mr Meredith gave a very good semi-humorous recitation named Patrick and Bridget/ and as an encore piece recited " Lascar." The He^ens- . ville Glee Club contributed two items, both being well given and showing the result of careful practice. •Last, but not least, Mr McElwain was billed for two items, but needUss to say, he was recalled several times. Mr McElwaim is in the front rank of Atickla^d^humorists, and is a firm -^■iavarMte with Helensville audiences. ' pPp-ve.among other things, "The "'"old student," " Cohen at the telephone" v " Mrs Brown goes to the party," and ► "The 1159." The last named is a skit on the fast and furious Kaipara railway express, and if the Minister for Railways had bf*en present we might have been one step nearer obtaining the much needed increase of speed on our section. The accompaniments were played by Miss Rinim'er; the vocalists had therefore the best of attention in this very important respect. Unfortunately during some of the items, the younger members of the audience made considerable noise, making it irksome for the performers, and almost impopsible for the rest of tho audience to hear. One man came in late and walked noisily up the stairs to the gallery during the singing. It seems a pity that better order could not be kept in the hall during a good performance such *as this one was. The concert concluded with a dance, to which the majority of the audience