The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-29
GRAND OPERA SEASON
CONES TO AN END
iw0 Brilliant Performances yesterday CnMed
Forth audiences That Filled Eyery Seat
in the Nesv A4dit0,ium- Gross Receipts
Were Ogey $30, 000-Alinveabolas on the Con-
11ed Itinerary Hereafter. -

The all too brief season Of grand opera
Is over. The feast Is done. The great
artists who charmed and thrilled us have
gone and there is only memory left to re-
create what we nave seen and heard
It was a most brilliant and successful
the new Auditorium, filling practically
every seat at each performance. The
gross receipts were more than $50, 900, de-
rived from about 5000 paid admissions.
What Herr Conried's net profits will be
no one outside Of his organization knows,
but it is an expensive business to carry
a grand opera organization about the
country. The great artists receive all
the way from $3.50 to 81, OOO and some
times more, every time they sing. Con-
ductors like Hertz and Frankie and Vigna
are artists worthy of their hire. There
are the chorus people and the great or
chestra to pay and transport There ara
the massive scenic effects of "Parsifal,"
and the scenery used in the other bills, to
provide and to ship from city to city.
There are thousand and one other items
of expense. And Sc, while the profits are
no doubt considerable, they are not excess
sive.
The new Auditorium has made all this
possible for Minneapolis. It has made this
the musical mecca for the northwest and
has put this city among the comparative
ly few cities in America that are privi-
legged to hear grand opera properly
staged and sung. It is a great achieve
ment for the city-and yet it is but one
item in the benefits conferred upon us by
the completion of the Auditorium.
Whether Minneapolis will have an an
nual season of opera hereafter depends,
| Of course, on whether Herr Conried takes
his company on the road or stays in New
York. But it Is at least fairly certain
that whenever the Metropolitan Opera
company goes on it's travels, Minneapolis
will be on it's itinerary.
Manager GoerIltz Makes a Statement.
Ernest Goerlitz, general business mana
ger and personal representative of Mr..
Conried, made the following statement
; today:
"On the eve of our departure from
Minneapolis, wish to say on behalf of
Mr.. Conried and our company, that our
stay in your city has been a most pleas
| ant one While a tour of such an Or
! ganizat1on as that Of the Conried Metro
politan Opera company is a tremendous
undertaking, involving untold work, diff
culties and risks, yet it is at least graf
flying to see the public of Minneapolis
and st. Paul respond so generously to our
| offerings. We have played to the ca
pacity Of the new and beautiful Audito-
rum at all three performances of our en-
gagement, and have met with spirit of
fairness and assistance from all con-
cerned in the local management.
81. F. Conklin, as manager Of the
Auditorium, has extended to us all the
accommodations for giving our perform
ances that we asked for and more. We
desire also to heartily thank the press for
its corporation in making the engage
ment here a brilliant success. =
! whether our company will ever return
to Minneapolis I cannot say, as Mr.. Con-
ried, when I saw him last, was very much
opposed to any extensive travelling of the
company. I can, therefore, only thank
the public for its generous support and
state that we shall have the pleasantest
recollections Of our stay in Minneapolis. y