Seventy Piece Orchestra for Radio

Radio Record, Volume VI, Issue 42, 28 April 1933, Unnumbered Page

Seventy Piece Orchestra for Radio

Finest -in Australia SS a result of a conference between the Australian Broadcasting Cone inission and delegates from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, an agrees ment has been reached by which it is hoped to present the finest symphonic orchestra in Australia. The orchestra will be composed entirely of professional musicians, aud will perform in the studios of the Broadcasting Commission, in the Melbourne Town Hall, and e:sewhere. The chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Commission (Mr. C. Lloyd Jones) announced that the sers vices of Dr. Malcolm Sargent, the emis nent English conductor, wotld be avuaile able to conduct this musical combinittion, The terms upon which a workeing agreemeut has been arrived at are as follow :- An orchestra of seventy performers is to be -constituted for broadcasting purposes, and also for public performances... The orchestra is to be built up from thirty permanent professional musicians from the Broadcasting Come mission's staff, and forty professional musicians from outside sources, the latter to be chosen after n conference between Messrs, W. G. James and J. Code (representing the commission), and Professor Heinze and Mr. Sutten Crowe (representing the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra). When the orchestra plays in the stue dios if will be known as the Austradinn sroudcasting Conumission's Symphony Orchestra, and it will be conducted by the commission’s conductor (Mr. PP. Code) or any guest conductor whom. the commission may decide upon, When the orchestra plays in public performances it will appear as the Melbourne Syinphony Orchestra, and will he eonducted by Professor BB. Ieinze, Mr. Fritz Hart, or any guest conductor Whom the orchestra may decide upon. AL performances of this orchestra, under whatever title if may appear, are {o be available without charge for broudcasting by the commission. The instrumentalists at present retained by the University Conseryatorjum will be available to join the siaft of the Broadcasting Commission, and, together with other players, will be nade available to the conservatoriwn for teaching purposes when not required by the commission. The conserva torium will bear the financial respousibility ef these instrumentalists when they are in its employ. For studio. performances the conunission will be responsible for the total cost, including rehearsals, For performances in the. Town Ilall or elsewhere, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will pay both the performing and rehearsal fees of ihe forty players from outside sources, vod it will also be respousible for the rehearsal fees paid to the commission's instrumentalists, The Melbourne Symphony Orchestrit Will, as early as possible, present to the commission a roster of its projected public performances for the season, so that they ean be embodied in the broadcasting programmes,