The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-25
When Miss Rowley And Edyfhe Walker
 We're Students in Dresden.


 tralto who will return to this country this winter after several years absence in Europe. was a student at the Royal Con- servatory in Dresden at the time that Miss Daisy Rowley of Birmingham was also student at the conservatory. These two American girls became great friends and while they have not seen each other in several years they have corresponded with the regularity of school girls. Miss Walkers debult in America will be under the auspices of Heinrich Conried, who succeeded MT. Grau as imperssario of the Metropolitan Grand Opera company. Miss Rowley, who intends spending the holi- days in New York as the guest of her friend chatted yesterday in her studio of the days when she and Miss Walker were students in Dresden
 q have sung for the Czar of Russia, the Emperor of Germany, the Emperor of Austria, the King of England the Queen of Holland and other royalties with great success, but I dread New York" Is what Miss Walker recently wrote Miss Rowley about her coming season in New York.
 "One can readily appreciate her feel ing" said Miss Rowley because, as she further states, she comes to sing Madam Schumann-Heinks roles and it makes no ullItTtnce nOW BredL may De the art1St l who takes her places Schumann-H eink Is the contralto darling of American
 hearts and her successor will indeed be strictly criticized,
 | Miss Walker" continued Miss Rowley,
 has spent her entire vacation studying I She passed the summer on the seashore | eight miles from Hamburg and lost no | time preparing for her New York debut
 In fact she never loses a moment of her FQ lA tf,,a. IIa..v while we were both students at the Royal | Conservatory in Dresden after we had la bored assiduously all day and In the even- l ing would have a little chat or read over the letter from home, there was even | then no idle time. As she chatted can almost hear her jolly, merry laugh, but 1 even then she was either sewing on but | tons or mending her gowns.
 When she had practiced her voice as | long as Orgeni permitted, she was either
 pouring over her German (which she | speaks so beautifully, French Italian or | reading some classic work which would | give light on the history or character of
 the role she was studying. It was work, | work, always work, and therein lies the
 great secret of her marvellous success.
 She has received the title of "Kam- l mersaugerin' and has been twice deco | rated. If l could only tell you of her
 voice, that wonderfully beautiful voice. l but that 1 can not do
 Miss Walker went to Dresden to study | piano and voice. After taking her plano l diploma, Orgenl begged her to drop her piano work and study only voice. This | she did and entered the opera school | She sang the Tides Aria from Never | beer Prophet" at an opera evening"
 The criticisms were so fine that the di-
 rector of the Imperial opera, in Berlin | nnt faa Bat- t.
 For long time he had been unable to
 get singer whose voice was powerful enough to sing this aria. that also re- | quired the colorateur quality for the Cavatina For a number of years the Cavatina had been 'cut." After sing ing for the director, he asked her if she would come, 'as a guest" and sing the role of F1des when they gave The Pro- phet' the next winter. She did. Now imagine young American girl barely out of her teens making her debut in a grand opera at the Imperial Royal Opera in Berlin.
 Again, she received only the best of criticisms. One paper stated, '1t was said in the foyer that the performance last evening was Miss Walkers first ap- pearance, but. of course. that was not true" It was, however true. After her debut there, she was called to Vienna to sing fer the director of the Imperial Royal Opera. She was engaged, and has never since left Vienna, except for her vacation. Grau has several times tried to persuade her to come to New York, but without succeeding.
 When Schumann-Heink was i'll some time ago, Miss Walker went during her vacation to England to fill her place in | the Grau Opera company. Of course now she has reached the top of the lad | der of success and stands before us as one of the worlds most glorious grand opera singers. But her fame has not | changed her at all, and she will always be just simple. merry, sweet industrious | Edythe.
 Did I ever tell you of the first time l she ever sang for any of the royalty? | It was while she was yet studying in | Dresden that the Princess von Eisenburg l sent Orgeni word that she wished to en- | gage the American girl, of whose beauti- | ful voice she had read. for a reception Orgeni was delighted, of course, and sent | for Edythe to begin her preparations l First she must learn court etiquette,- she must address the princess just so.- must bow just so,-and if the honor was allowed must kiss the hand of the princess l just so!
 Now. that was all very we'll to tell | German girl, but, a well-educated,