Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 June 1907 — MUSIC AS A FEATURE [ARTICLE]

MUSIC AS A FEATURE

Summer of Unusual Enjoyment Ahead of Music Lovers Who Go to Winona. . . t l, -h' BANDS, ORCHESTRAS, SOLOISTS Theodora Thomas Orchestra at Winona Laka for a Week—Mme. Schu-mann-Helnk In' Two Concert*—‘Optional Choral Contest and Many Other Events on the Program. Music lovers who turn to the outdoors in the summer for enjoyment along the line in which they are especially Interested, will probably turn to Winona Lake in greater number during the coming season, for the reason that music Is to he one of the chief features of the Winona Assembly program. In other years the assembly has given a great deal of its attention to programs by pretentious concert bands, but during the coming summer the features In a musical way are largely for discriminating music lovers who care for high quality as‘ well as quantity. The assembly program goes in for band music to some extent, but the season will be made up largely of affairs along more ambitious lines.

The assembly program begins on June 30th, and'during the first week there are to be dally programs by the Rogers band, which has been appearing at Winona Lake for several years. The first week, too, will be marked by two concerts by the Ernest Gamble party, which is noted for Its musical recitals. One member of this company is Miss Verna Page, an Indiana violinist, who formerly lived at Montpelier. Since she left the public schools of that place she has had an extensive musical training. Another member of the company Is Sam Lamberson, one of a number of gifted pianist* who will be heard at Winona Lake.

Roberts Park Choral Society of Indianapolis is to give three concerts during the second week, which will Include several choruses, numbers by a quartette, and several soloists will appear. This singing society includes one hundred voices, and for ten years has been a force in the ipußical development of Indianapolis. During the Becond week, too, the faculty of the Winona Summer School of Music will give a recital. In the faculty is Brahm Vandenberg, a Belgian pianist who appeared at Winona Lake last year with the Thomas orchestra. Another member of the faculty is Lewis Blackman, a violinist of Northwestern University, Chicago. Metta M. Libia, a pipe-organist; Ada Wagner, H. H. Holmes, W. O. Meissner, H. W. Owens, a well-known trainer of singing societies, are also in the faculty. Charles Hansen, organist at the Second Presbyterian church, Indianapolis, is to give a recital at Winona Lake an July 11. In a musical way he is one of the wonders of the time. Although deprived of his eyesight, it is doubtful if he as an organist has a superior in the West. On July 15 the Indianapolis Newsboys band of fifty members will open a season at Winona Lake that is to continue through a week. This juvenile band has been heard in many places in Indiana and has always been received with marked favor. It has been at work on its Winona programs for several months. The Theodore Thomas orchestra of Chicago begins its seAnd engagement at Winona Lake on July 22, and it will be heard in twelve concerts during that week. The programs are being made up by Frederick W. Stock, who succeeded Theodore Thomas as director of the orchestra, and each program will be in keeping with the summer season. The orchestra was heard At Winona Lake last year by many thousand music lovers from many states of the middle Weet. Mrs. Thos. Wballon will be the soloist during Thomas orchestra week. She ranks aa Indiana’s moat talented contralto, and has been soloist at the Second Presbyterian church, Indianapolis, for nine years. She is a member of toe Indianapolis Matinee Musicale, has appeared a number of times with the Mannerchor soolety and the German House orchestra of her home city. The Dunbar Quartette, made up of lingers and bell-ringers, will give two concerts on July 29. The company includes an instrumental trio, and it uses a peal of more than one hundred English bells. The Winona national choral oontest will attract a large number of singing societies to the Lake, the total number of singers probably reaching 700 or *OO. The contest begins on Aug. 1 and continues through two days. The prize awards amount to a total of $1,200, and the fconteats will be for men’s and women’s choruses, quartettes, duets and soloists. Singing societies from Indiana, Ohio and other states will be heard. On the first evening, all of these societies will be { combined In one chorus, when they will sing Handel’B “The Messiah.” On the second evening they will sing Cowen’s “Rose Maiden.” William H. Sherwood, one of the leading pianists of America, is to give * recital at Winona Lake on Aug. 5. He’was thd first to play Griegs Concerto in this country, and he studied this composition with the composer. He has played with the Thomas orchestra, the Boston Symphony orchestra, with the Philharmonic orchestra of Hamburg, and he is aa well known jin the musical centers of Europe M I he to In this country.