Open Microphone

New Zealand Listener, Volume 34, Issue 870, 6 April 1956, Page 18

Open Microphone

NEWS OF BROADCASTERS ON AND OFF THE RECORD

AKING over the 1YA Women’s Session from popular and capable Cynthia Dale was quite an undertaking for her successor, Cherry Raymond, but when we called to see ‘her at 1YA not long ago she seemed to be settling down happily-and successfully, too, if an exceptionally interesting half-hour interview with Googie Withers and John McCallum that we listened to was

‘anything to judge by. This isn’t, of course, surprising, for Cherry is no stranger to broadcasting. She has teen assistant to Marina on the 1ZB Women’s Hour for the past five years, and inaugurated the full-length Women’s Hour at 1XH two yeurs ago. English barn, Cherry came to New Zealand with her family in 1948. She‘ had already begun a career in the theatre, first as. a dancer, then acting in films and revues. Not long after she arrived in New Zealand she spoke in a Citizens’ Forum programme, and as a result received offers of work recording commercial radio "spots." This seemed to lead naturally to broaccasting in women’s programmes as a career. Cherry’s life is a full one. She is married and runs her own home, Uoes her own cooking and makes all her own clothes. And, her interest fed by a new programme she has begun, which includes visits to local gardens of unusual interest and interviews with their owners, she is becoming very fond of gardening. =

VIOLIN To VIOLA

ETTER known as a violinist until he joined the National Orchestra last year as a violist, Glynne Adams has been heard in some interesting broad- ; casts recently. In December he played works by Lennox Berkeley and Vaughan Williams from 2YC. and he will be

heard from the same ‘station again on April 9 and 16 playing, with the Auckland pianist David

Galbraith, sonatas by Bach = and Schubert. "Both sonatas. are unusual works," Glynne Adams told us. "The Bach was originally for the viol da gamba, an ancestor of the ’cello, and was rearranged by the eminent English violist Watson Forbes. The Schubert is known as the Arpeggione Sonata. A medieval instrument, the arpeggione was a cross between a ‘cello and a guitar," and, he said, "so far as I know Schubert’s is the only well-known arpeggione sonata heard today. The arrangement is by Kurt Platz." Glynne Adams studied under Albert Sammons at the Royal College of Music, London, from 1946 to 1950, and when

he returned to New Zealand became leader of the 4YA Concert Orchestra. He spent a year with the National Orchestra under Michael Bowles, and for another two years was leader of the Alex Lindsay String Orchestra. Last

year he toured the country with the pianist Janetta McStay and the clarinetist Frank Gurr, giving a series of trio and solo recitals for the Community Arts Service. Glynne Adams is married to the wellknown violinist Elsa Jensen, and they have one daughter, aged four. +

F any one man in the deep south deserves special credit for the decision to hold Centennial celebrations in Southland this year, he is the Invercargill barrister and solicitor F. G. HallJones. Twenty years ago Mr, Hall- Jones was appointed ‘chairman of the Southland Historical Committee, set up to compile a history of the former pro-

vince, and as a result of this committee's work four volumes were published from 1943 onward. The researches of Mr. Hall-Jones indicated that Southland should have its own Centennial apart from Otago, though the district had never celebrated a separate anniversary day or a silver or golden jubilee. When this was discussed with the Otago authorities they concurred, and the success of the Centennial year celebrations so far, and the enthusiasm with which it has been supported, has vindicated the efforts of Mr. Hall-Jones. Mr. Hall-Jones has brought together a large collection of Southland historical records which should be of great

value in the future, and he is contributing talks about early Southland to A Century in Southland, a series: of ‘talks which 4YZ is broadcasting at 7.15 p.m. every Wednesday. He is also responsible for listorical bulletins broadcast daily from 4YZ under the general title Pioneer Diary-a programme which gives listeners a glimpse of the past of Southland and is proving topical and interesting to thousands of listeners during the Centennial celebrations, A son of Sir William Hall-Jones, a former Prime Minister, Mr. Hall-Jones was born at Timaru and educated there

and at Victoria University College. During the First World War he served in the N.Z.E.F. He has been very active in Rotary, and was twice District Governor of Rotary International for New Zealand-in 1937-38 and 1942-43. Two years before the Second World War he visited Britain, Europe and the United States to study international affairs. Mr. Hall-Jones has been a member of the Invercargill City Council, and among his special local interests have been the Technical College, the Boy Scouts, the Art Gallery Building Fund and the Beautifying Society. His interest in the latter reflects his love of horticulture. He is also a keen angler. a

HE mezzo-soprano Flora MacDonald is bard to the Caledonian Society of New Plymouth, but she is not on that account a singer with a limited repertoire. Her range in regular broadcasts from 2XP goes all the way from English and Scottish folk songs to lieder

and art songs. In her next recital from the New Plymouth station on April 15 she. will be heard in songs by Dvorak, Vaughan Williams, Grieg and Britten. Starting out as a contralto soloist in Elijah in New Plymouth in 1947, Flora MacDonald has since sung contralto in

Messiah in-her home town three times. She has also been-heard as a coritralto in the light operas Merrie England and ) ) The Emerald tsle, Besides her concert | work and broadcasting, she has competed successfully in. competitions festivals at Hamilton,.Hawera and Wellington-in-cluding the Wellington Competitions Society’s vocal championship open to all voices.

A MEDAL FOR MAUREEN

* | LISTENERS who remember Maureen Jones, who visited New Zealand a few years ago as pianist to the Musica Viva Players, will be interested to hear that she and another young Australian

musician, the violinist Brenton Langbein, were recently awarded

medals in the section for Sonatas for Piano and Violin at the International Music Competition at Geneva-one of the most important

music competitions held in Europe. Though these two musicians knew each other in Australia and have both been specialising in sonata recitals in Europe for several years, they did not think of playing together till they met in Zurich. There Mr.

Langbein was studying with Professor Grummer when Miss Jones decided to study music interpretation with this distinguished teacher. Mr. Langbein was for four years a violinist in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.