AUSTRALIAN ORCHESTRA.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 November 1919, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN ORCHESTRA.

PROPOSED VISIT TO NEW PLYMOUTH. GUARANTEE OP £3OO WANTED. The possibility of the New South Wales State Orchestra paying a visit to New Plymouth during its tour of the Dominion has every- prospect of materialising. Steps were taken yesterday with a view to this when a number of representative citizens met the manager of the tour, Mr. H. Gladstone Hill, who came to New Plymouth to see if a visit from the orchestra was desired, and whether the necessary guarantee for a one-night concert would be forthcoming. The meeting, which was somewhat hastily convened, was presided over by the Mayor (Mr. James Clarke), It was a representative meeting, and those present were enthusiastically in favor of an invitation being given to the orchestra to come here, confidence being expressed that there would be no difficulty in securing the guarantee. Mr. Hill, who was introduced by the Mayor, explained the cheme for bringing the orchestra to New Zealand, which is in no sense a money-making undertaking. It is a venture of considerable magnitude, but is being undertaken solely in the interests of fostering a love for good music and giving the people of the Dominion the chance of hearing what is perhaps the finest cembination of its kind ever organised in the Southern hemisphere. The scheme is a Dominion one, and all the arrangements are on that basis.

The estimated cost of the tour is something over £9OOO, and to provide against all reasonable contingencies a guarantee of £IO,OOO is being secured. Arrangements have been practically completed in the South Island, and with what has been done up to the present in the North Island, the guarantee at present amounted to about £BOOO. All the expenses will be pooled as will also the revenue, and should there be any deficit to make up, it will be born proportionately by the whole of the guarantors. If there are any profits (and there are many interested in the tour who confidently anticipate that there will be) they arc to be allocated is follows: 50 per cent, to remain in New Zealand as the nucleus of a fund for the establishment of a conservatorium of music or some such object; 30 per cent, to the funds of the New South Wales Conservatorium Fnnds, and 20 per cent, to the organiser of the tour, who, it should be said,- is> at present merely guaranteed an amount to cover his expenses. The chief centres have eacn guaranteed £2OOO for four concerts, and the amount asked for in New Plymouth is only £3OO for a one-night season. The orchestra consists of 80 performers, and the proposed date for the concert in New Plymouth is January 15th. next. Mr. Hill gave an outline of some of the worlc of the orchestra in the Commonwealth _ and stated that ordinarily they practise, four times a week, and give four or five concerts each week. They, include some of the leading players of the world, and the conductor, Mr. Henri Vesbrngghen, who is a native of Brussels, is probably the finest conductor that has ever resided south of the equator. Ho was recently offered the position of conductor of' the Boston Symphony Orchestra, but declined the honor in favor of continuing his present work. , ' ■

After fully discussing the matter with Mr. Hill it was resolved to invite the orchestra to visit New Plymouth, and the following general committee, with nov.-er to add to the number, was set mi: His Worship the Mayor (Mr. .las. Clarke) chairman, and Messrs C IT Burgess. 0. H. Weston, J. Bailie, P. W. G. McT.eod, E. Humphries, W. H. Webster T Avery, Val. Duff, H. H. Skelton. w! Ambury, R. Day, A. M. McDiarmid. F. T. Bellringer, F. Jackson, S. H. White, A. Humphries, S. Teed, J. Paton, L. Hoffmann, R. N. Renaud, J. Milne, R. C. Hughes, W. C. Nixon, A. J. Morton, R. L. Cooper, T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., Dr. Ft B. Le.atham, the Ven." Archdeacon Evans, and the Rev. F. G. HarvieSeveral of those present, and at least one gentleman who sent an apology for his absence, offered to become guarantors. Mr. Cooper was appointed to convene the next meeting of the general committee.

Mr. Hill thanked the Mavor for convening the meeting and giving him the opportunity of meeting the citizens, and said he would go away feeling quite confident that New' Plymouth would never regret having invited the orchestra to come here. He stated incidentally that he was going to Hawera to arrange a_ concert there, and he believed the citizens there were practically ready with their guarantee