The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-05-12
The Approaching Festival.

and made addresses.
The Approaching Festival.
The brief time remaining before the grand
musical festival, to which repeated reference
has been made in these columns, makes it
seem desirable that extended notice should
be given of the object of the festival and the
plans which have been made relative to it.
The primary object is of course the pleas
ure and profit to be derived from the render
ing of classical music by the large chorus,
orchestra and soloists who will be present.
The pleasure experienced will OF course be
shared by audiences and chorus alike and,
while the benefit will perhaps be greatest to
those who take active part, it cannot be
denied that such conventions in Montpelier
will, as elsewhere, do much towards culti-
waiting an appreciation and understanding
of the better class of music. This festival,
too, will afford the people of Central Yer
mont, almost at their own DOORS the oppor-
ttnity of hearing the best of solo talent in
New England. That such festival can be
given in Montpelier and made in every way
success has already been demonstrated,
and it is the duty and privilege of every one
in the vicinity to support the one soon to be
given The Central Vermont Musical
Festival Association has been formed for its
management, and the names which appear
upon its board of officers ought. to be
sufficient guarantee of its success. They
vice-presdent, A. j. Sibley; secretary, James
I. Sabin; treasurer, ID. A. Guptil; executive
committee, J. G. Houghton, A. w. Ferrin
and Z. +. Pltkin; reception committee. l..
Bart Cross, Frank III. Putfer and j. j. Pratt;
programme committee, III. G. Blaisdell, ID.
A. Guptil and w. A. Briggs. Besides these
there is a large invitation committee having
representatives in all the neighboring towns
| and in ST. Albans, ST. Johnsbury and West
! " ,dolph Next to efficient business man
! mt mt n ha mo IaGi ira h a than
that the foreign talent engaged to assist at
the festival be as good as can be obtained,
and the greater the variety of entertain
ment offered the better will the general
public be suited. Excellent judgment has
been displayed in the choice of talent for
this year, and it can safely be said that it far
| surpaSses any ever made for any convention
in Vermont, five except, perhaps, those held
at Rutland, which are annually conducted
on very grand scale. OF course it is a
matter of regret that it is impossible to Sc
cure the services of the great conductor,
| Carl Zerrahn and of the well-known ac-
companist, Mrs. Martha Dana Shepard
Both are engaged for the Rutland festival,
which occurs the same week as that to be
held in Montpelier. This will not how
ever, prove such an insurmountable obstacle
to the success of the affair here as it might
seem at first thought The board of man
agement have determined to engage Mr.. II.
| G.. Blaisdell as conductor, and the choice
has seen seven years of service in preparing
choruses for Mr. Zerrahn and in conventions
under his direction, and besides this has had
four years of experience in conducting sym
phony, and has been for two years a director
| of English opera. Those who attended
the rehearsals under him one year ago know
that he is thoroughly competent to perform
all the duties which will devolve upon him
as conductor. Mr.. 7. p. Ryder, one of Bos-
toms most distinguished organists, will be
tl,. mia Of t1,a on1A
be Mrs Jennie Patrick Walker, soprano;
Miss Gertrude Edmands, contrato; Mr.. j.
G. Bartlett, tenor, and Mr.. ID. M. Babcock,
basso. Mrs. Walker is one of the best
sopranos in Boston, and is highly spoken OF
by the press of every other city in which she
has sung. Miss Edmands and Mr. Bartlett
are pleasantly remembered here as the
contralto and tenor of the Mariana English
Opera Company, and the announcement that
they are to appear here again so soon will
be source of great delight to their many
friends in Montpelier and vicinity. Both
are artists of great ability and both will
contribute their full share to the enjoyment
of the festival. The basso, Mr.. ID. NJ. Bab-
cock, has never been heard here and it is
safe to say that he never will be after next
month. He is without doubt the leading
oratorio basso of America to-day, and his
offers for strictly oratorio work in seasons
to come make it highly improbable that he
will ever visit any but the large cities after
tElS year. Ills voice is one Oh immense
power and of great compass, but at the same
time is perfectly smooth and flexible, and
his powers of execution are wonderful. We
have heard him and predict that he will
completely win the admiration of audiences
here almost before he has sung a single
strain. The Schubert Ladies' Quartette
have been engaged for the festival, and will
do their full share towards making it sue
cess. Laughable selections by Mr.. John
Thomas, favorite humorist, will lend
variety to the concerts. BlaisdelPs famous
orchestra of sixteen pieces double the size
of that used for the festivals of the Philhar
monc Society of Burlington) will accom-
pany the chorus and play several selections
besides. The organization is too we'll
known here to need any words of com
America. To all this splendid array o
talent from abroad are added the names o
Mrs. f. |, Pitkin, Miss Alice Lowe, Miss
Edith Adams and Miss Jane Kimball o
Montpelier, who will appear in solos during
the festival week, All will be heard witt
pleasure. The festival will begin Tuesday
June lst, and close Friday evening, June
4th. There will be two matinees and two
grand concerts, besides the rehearsals, some
of the last of which will be about as enjoy
able as the concerts. Concert tickets viii
be fifty and thirty-five cents each; matinee
tickets, thirty-five cents each TO all parts o.
the house and rehearsal tickets fifteen cents
each. Season tickets will be sold at 81 5(
: each. These will admit to all the enter
tainments of the week and the rate is ex
! tremely low. Holders of season tickets will
} be entitled to first choice of reserved seats
, Concert and matinee tickets will be placed
on sale at the Phinney bookstore May 24th
and may be ordered by mail or telephone
,, Season tickets, too, may be ordered by out
| of-town parties of any of the officers of tn,
festival association named above. Full par
ticulars relative to the running of specia
: trains and reduced rates on the railroads
, will be given later,