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New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 921, 5 April 1957, Page 11

Sir,-With reference to the article in a recent Listener and to the letter from "Ex-Chch," I feel that, as an original member of "Everybody’s" orchestra, I can recall some further matters of in-. terest to many of your readers. "Everybody’s" orchestra was founded in 1922, and was the first of its kind in New Zealand. The director and conductor was W. J. Bellingham as stated by your correspondent, and the members consisted of 16 talented musicians. The original leader was Dorothy Baker, who was brought to Christchurch especially for this position, and who also played with Dorothie Bellingham at the "Rendezvous," at that time a fashionable and up-to-date tearoom. The orchestra became notable throughout New Zealand for the wonderful nightly performances, a special feature being the Entr’acte. This took the form of an arrangement or composition by the conductor, and many novel items were the result, notably the first movement of the Schumann A Minor Piano Concerto, the solo part played by Bonnie Young (now Mrs Scott, of Hamilton). The library consisted of many hundreds of compositions and was kept constantly up-to-date and housed in an "office" at the theatre. The new films each week would be watched and timed by the conductor at the first showing of the day. (Pictures were continuous at this time, and began at 11.0 a.m., and were accompanied by a day pianist.) Then a suitable choice of music was made from the immense catalogue, and finally the orchestral parts sorted out for the various instruments. This work would only be completed in time to begin the evening programme at 7.30 p.m. Your correspondent "Ex-Chch" is well informed on the musicians of Christchurch at that period, and all of them were well known to me. I have played with most of those mentioned, and many others. PLAYER IN THE DARK (Auckland).