Community Singing Leader Retires

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 28, 18 January 1935, Page 19

Community Singing Leader Retires

Mr. Owen Pritchard, Leader of Wellington’s Community Sings, and Programme Organiser at 2YA, Leaving Wellington-Attractive Programmes From 2YA Next Week.

(COMMUNITY singers in Wellington are to lose their ‘popular songleader, Mr. Owen Pritchard, who is retiring from city life at the end of this month. He has resigned his positicn as programme organiser at 2YA in order to take over property he owns at Gisborne, and also because his ‘health has been indifferent for some time past. Mr. Pritchard has had a most interesting and varied eareer. After serving with

the New Zealand Forces in the Great War, he organised the Te Koa Concert Party, which toured New Zealand. After visiting the. United States and touring the Pacific Slope he served for six years with the Western Union Telegraph Company. During that time he studied the violin with such success that he left the company to take the position of leader of the orchestra on the Matson liners Sonoma and Ventura, trading to Sydney. He was three years on the Ventura, which went to the help of the Tahiti when she was sinking in mid-Pacific. . ME. PRITCHARD later returned to -,the stage as comedian with the Phillip Lytton Company touring Australia. When in Auckland, about to return to America, five years ago, Mr. Pritchard was offered an oppointment by the Radio Broadcasting Company, and remained in the same employ when the Government took over that company’s. interests. Mr, Pritchard will be missed by many: friends and countless acquaintances in Wellington to whom he has endeared himself. a Miss RUTH MANN, who is to be heard singing from 2YA on Monday, January 21, at 8.10 p.m, is the young woman whom Madame’ Elsa Stralia, the Australian prima donna who. visited New Zealand last September, described as being the most promising singer she had tested since her previous visit to New Zealand.

This was saying a great. deal in favour of Miss Mann, because Madame has heard scores of promising singers both in New Zealand and overseas. Madame said that she hoped New Zealanders would interest themselves in Miss. Mann, as she should go a long way if given a chance. At present this young singer is working in a Wellington hospital. She is tall and well built, after the type of Madame Stralia’s’ friend, Clara Butt. Those who tune in to 2YA on Monday evening will have an opportunity of judging for themselves the qualities of Miss Mann’s voice. . LL those who are enjoying the unusually fine series of "Diamond Dramas" which’ 2YA is presenting from time to time during the evening presentations, will be interested to know that "The Kohinoor Diamond" is the centre of attraction for the next presentation which is to be broadcast on Friday, January 25, at 817 p.m. These dramas are presented in the same manner and by the same company of performers as employed in those thoroughly alive and entertaining "superstition" sketches which ‘are broadcast by the national stations. HW first of a new series of broad--east trials in the form of a ‘dramatic episode, "We Await Your Verdict?’ is guaranteed to give a half-hour of first-class and decidedly novel entertainment to those who tune into the uational stations on Saturday, January 26, at 9.30. The case is an action for malicious prosecution brought by Mrs. Emma Templing against Mrs. Jane Midderson, following a friendly © game of poker at the house of the defendant, ‘ " A FANTASY IN BLUE" 1s to be presented by Fred Hartley and ‘his Quintet on Wednesday evening at 9.54 from 2YA. After these enterprising jolly fellows have produced "The Birth of the Blues," and continued with eleven other "blue" songs, concluding with "My Blue Heaven" and "Good-bye Blues," there really

‘ shouldn’t be any blues left for anybody who listens in to them. ‘ LISTENERS will be pleased to see that Mr. Victor §S, Lloyd is on the programmes once again next week, when he is producing from 2YA two one-act radio sketches, specially adapted for radio by MJllis Price. whose name is well known to listeners

to the Australian stations. Mr. Lloyd’s productions are always well carried out, and this alone would make the programme on Thursday, January 24, worth listening to, but added interest will be given to the productions by the reappearance of Mrs. Elsie Lloyd, who has just returned from a visit to England. Mrs. Lloyd was very popular With listeners before she went away, and many old friends will tune in again on Thursday.