NEW STRING ORCHESTRA

New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 510, 1 April 1949, Page 20

NEW STRING ORCHESTRA

Alex Lindsay Group Will Broadcast

NSPIRED by the Boyd Neel String Orchestra’s performances here in 1947, several young amateur instrumentalists suggested to Alex Lindsay (Wellington violinist) that he form a string group. Encouragement was. given by the NZBS by way of the loan of music from the string library, and rehearsals were started with a membership of eight players. More enthusiasts for string music joined in and so the Lindsay String Orchestra was formed. It made its first public appearance when one of the original members, Bernadine Wood, gave a farewell concert before leaving for London; on that occasion the group was helped by three: members of the National Orchestra of the NZBS. Mr. Lindsay told The Listener the other day that the group hopes eventually to reach a standard of performance that will make outside professional assistance unpecessary, With this end

in view an examination of the structure of the orchestra was made and it was decided to form a senior group and a training group to ensure as nearly as possible a uniform standard among the individual players. ; Soon the Lindsay String Orchestra will be heard in broadcasts from 2YA. Its first, on Sunday, April 24, at 8.5 p.m., will include items by Handel, Bach, Walton and Purcell. The members are: Conductor, Alex Lindsay; first violins, Ron Backhouse, Judy Edridge, Roy Westen, Tom Gannaway, Loretto Cunninghame and Seth Harris: second violins, Shirley Marment, Peter Green, June Patton, Lois Bognuda, Mary Byrne and Nathlie Wimsette; violas, Margaret Campbell, Verna McDonald, Wendy Lindsay, Edna Lavin, and Len Schwabe; *cellos, Russell Bond, Arnold McKee and John Hyatt; bass, John McNeilly. (A photograph of the Lindsay String Orchestra at reheatsal appears on the opposite page).