N.Z. CHORUS

Radio Record, 13 May 1938, Page 20

N.Z. CHORUS

NEEDS OF TOURING ITALIANS WILL there be New Zealand choruses to participate in genuine Italian grand opera? ‘That remains to be seen, -but Mr. John Hamer, manager of the Wuller-Hayward St. James Lheatre, Dunedin, who has just tefirned from a business trip to Sydney, told the "Record's" representative that there was a possibility of ‘this happening. Sir Benjamin Fuller has completed arrangements for a comprehensive tour of Australia and New Zealand of an Italian operatic company, the tour to commence at Melbourne on June 80. The company is not travelling with its own chorus, but will select suitable voices in leading centres. "Members of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Musie are training very hard," said Mr. Hamer, ") heard them, and I thonght they were really wonderful in operatic work. There is no doubt that in Melbourne at least the company will he able to find just the right chorus." The Melbourne chorus would not travel to Sydney with the company, but a chorus would be selected there. As for the New Zealand tour, Mr. Hamer was unable to advance any definite opinion. It seemed likely that the company would come over without a chorus and would attempt to find one in the Dominion. "But I doubt very much if we have the right voices here for that sort of work," he suggested. Possibly later on, when the dlfficulties are renlised, the company will bring with it an Australian chorus: or perhaps part of one, and augment it here,