Around The Nationals

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 98, 9 May 1941, Page 24

Around The Nationals

eT | REES McCONACHY is a Timaru violinist who, encouraged by Jascha Heifetz’s comment that he had "fine musical feeling." went to New York to study under Arthur Hartman, the Hungarian master. Mr. McConachy will be heard from 4YA on Monday, May 12, in a studio recital (with Olive Campbell at the piano) of Franck’s Sonata in A Major. He was a pupil of great promise and won competitions in the leading centres of the Dominion before going to New York, where his talent gave him entry, despite a long waiting list, to the American. Orchestral Society. The experience gained there was followed by four years of solo, trio, concert and radio engagements. He also played with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under Alard de Ridder, the Dutch conductor, %* % * ]F Larry Adler came to New Zealand he might have to look to his laurels against the competition of F. J, Woodham, champion mouth-organ player for New Zealand in 1935 and champion for Australia in 1936. Mr. Woodham who will present some items from 2YA on May 15 in the Home Town’ Variety session, has been playing the mouthorgan for 35 years and out of his large family he has trained at least five of his children to play the mouth-organ with him, making up the Harmonica Band heard regularly from 2ZB. None of them can read music, but all play from ear and memory. He has also trained 100 boys to play the instrument for. the Musical Army. The Woodham family of mouth-organ players are well known throughout the Waikato for their work at Red Cross, R.S.A. and other patriotic concerts and at Scots nights, On one tour of the Taranaki district Mr. Woodham raised £200 in one night. * % %* "THE Poetry Hour from 2YA on Fri- _ day evenings has moved on to new ground recently with a series entitled "The Lives of the Poets," following on the series on elegies. The first poet whose life story is to be told, with representative excerpts from his works, is Robert Herrick (on May 9). The following Friday the story of Thomas Moore will be reviewed, followed by Marvel and other. The session already has a wide following among poetry lovers, and this series of eight lives should do much to enhance its reputation. * * % "DAD and Dave from Snake Gully " continue on their conquering way. They are now being heard from no fewer than eight separate stations in the NBS network, and in some cases more than one episode is given each week, so "Dad and Dave" would have some justification for claiming to head the list for popularity among features in New Zealand. There are probably still hundreds of people in N.Z. who think them vulgar, but at least it can be said that they are racy, of the Australian soil, and the laughter they bring each week must arise from the realisation that Snake Gully is not so very far from Waikikamookau,