PEOPLE IN THE PROGRAMMES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 67, 4 October 1940, Page 7

PEOPLE IN THE PROGRAMMES

Back Home ACK tothe peace and quietness of New Zealand last month came Cara Hall (above) after two years of musical study in London at the Royal Academy. Back with her came the Eric Brough Memorial Prize for her playing of Bach’s Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor, the item she played from 2YA in the evening programme on September 19. But the necessities of war, which had already stolen from her a year of her three-year Associated Board Scholarship, very nearly stole this prize from her too, After examinations this year: she was ready to leave England for New Zealand. On the last day she went to the Academy Offices to leave her change of address and was told that she would be recalled for the Prize. Nothing could be done, and she had to leave; but three days later was back again, "at the Admiralty’s expense" as she explained it, was able to play for the Prize, and won it in time to bring it back here. When the war ends, she has permission to take up the remaining year of her scholarship in London. However, Miss Hall is not taking the risk of looking too far into the future, and her immediate plan when she was in Wellington was to travel as fast as possible into

the Mackenzie Country of the South Island, where she would absorb the peace of the high country as well as its mutton, butter, milk, and cream. She plans to widen her repertoire during her rest and come out about Christmas or New Year for recitals. Miss Hall was known to listeners before her broadcast last month. One of the first people she met in the NBS at Wellington was "Uncle Alan," an acquaintance remembered from the days when she played for 3YA in the Children’s Hour. She had heft first lessons in Christchurch with Althea Harley Slack. There followed two years in Wellington with Gordon Short, then the Scholarship, then London, and now home, greatly relieved. She is now only 17 years of age and has prospects of a brilliant musical future,

EDNA HENDERSON (mezzo-soprano) studies under Cecily Audibert. She has been a keen competitor at competitions and has won two of the Christchurch Society’s scholarships. She began to learn sirfging at an early age and has sung in 3YA’s children’s sessions. In sport Miss Henderson has also been successful, She was athletic champion at primary and secondary school

Musical Martins (CHARLES L. MARTIN, Mus.Bac., A.T.C.L. (above) will conduct the newly-formed Christchurch Junior Orchestra sponsored by the Primary Schools’ Music Festival Association at the association’s annual festival, which 3YA will re-broadcast from the Civic Theatre at 9.20pm. on _ Saturday, October 12. Mr. Martin is also secretary of the association, which is directed and was set going by another musicianly Martin, George M., Mus.Bac., F.T.C.L., L.R.S.M. (right) who is also a schoolmaster. G. M. Martin initiated this movement in Canterbury in 1939. This year he will see 30 schools taking part, each with a group of 30 to 45 children. Ten schools will contribute groups for mass singing on each of three nights in choirs of more than 300 voices. Individual schools will give choir and instrumental items. Other features will include items by a flageolet band trained and conducted by G, M. Martin, and by a quartet of flutes trained by him and G. Pope, of Shirley. Preliminary work with the flageolet opens the way for the young musicians to take up more advanced woodwind instruments like the flute.