The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-02
Mrs. Bdchelder Talks About the Boston Grand Opera
 Which She Represents and the Birmingham Season
By DOLLY DALRYMPLE

M
 work" like that which is done by MT. ~ and Mrs. Edwin A. Bacheder, with the Boston National Grand Opera com pany; not that there is anything so un- usual about team work in any line, but in this instance the great success that MT. and Mrs. Bachelder have achieved, places them in a class all to themselves-a class which has them for it's best exponents-a class which requires not only tact and diplomacy, but broad, musical education as well as knowledge of people and things.
 MT. Bachelder representing the Boston National Grand Opera company is re- membered with a great deal of pleasure by Birmingham people who met him when he was here during the season which MT. Max Rabinoff, the managing director, arranged for this city, and he made host of friends by his genial, cordial manner and his real ability to see and do things in big way; now Mrs. Bachelder comes on a similar mission, namely, to meet with committees here from the different music clubs and plan the season of grand opera for Birming ham which this year will occur early in the fall.
 Mrs. Bachelder is as pretty as a picture; she is young and full of enthusiasm over her work; she has had quite a bit of experience in newspaper work and in her attractive way says that after she mar ried she quite determined not to be just a piece of "excess baggage" travelling xuit bor hue 1fo1u nothing to do; she might have added, except to sit still and look pretty"
 Mrs Bachelder had achieved some ex- perience in her chosen profession before the little romance began back in the Panama Pacific exposition days, when MT. Bachelder, who had always been con- nected with big musical and theatrical ttractions-notably ''The Spring Maid" with Mitzi Hajos, '"The Chocolate Sol dier," ''Sweethearts." with Christie Me- Donald and other big attractions
 East and west met contrary to all of MT. Kipling's theories,' Mrs. Bachelder said charmingly as she told me of how MT. Bachelder, a Boston man, graduate of Harvard found her way out in Cali fornia, riding horses, living in the open. and then writing some news paper stories "Of course, it is not really the east of the orient, that MT. Kipling talks about, but it is long, long way from Boston to California, and so I make the comparison. Any way, really didn't expect to get into the business end of the game after I married, and I didn't until MT. Bache,der was connected with the Pavlowa Ballet Russe a season or two ago. In fact, it was after MT Rabi- :Iok IL ID Csro~. ov~Ny and the Pavlowa Ballet Russo that I en- gagged in the work. MT. Rabinoff, who is the most wonderful man, the greatest genius, the most artistic creature I ever saw, asked me to take charge of the publicity work in connection with Mr. Bachelder and the first my husband knew of it was wire I sent him saying I was starting for Chicago.
 T have been steadily working all the past season." Mrs. Bachelder continued, with only three days vacation, when the season ended two weeks ago and those three days I spent in New York, hardly long enoubh to buy new suit or a bonnet; I did manage to invest in a pair of shoes and we had chance to run in to see Mitzi Hajos in 'Pom-Pom;' she is a great favorite with us because MT. Bachelder was, connected with her on her first American tour MT. Rabinoff laughingly said we might have vaca- tion little later-but at present we were too busy booking the opera for the com ing season to stop a moment"
 "The past season then was encourag- ing enough to establish the Boston grand opera as permanent institution?" l asked.
 'The conclusion of the longest grand opera tour on record (35 consecutive weeks, during which were given 300 of the most elaborate performances possi- ble) demonstrated conclusively two things Mrs. Bachelder said.
 First, that there is a genuine and large demand for the best grand opera and ballet, and, second, that the Boston Grand Opera company and the Pavlowa Ballet Russo won an artistic success never before equalled by any similar or ganization. Another remarkable result of this coast-to-coast 12,0O0-mile journey in behalf of art is that not one adverse newspaper criticism was forthcoming. Neither was it necessary to draw on any of the guarantee funds pledged to secure the organization against financial loss; the patronage paid every expense out of this triumph (made possible largely through the cooperation of the various local grand opera committees) there has come new order of things which means annual enjoyment of grand opera for the future It has required such. an unexam- pied triumph to convince the public, and public-spirted citizens, that the time has arrived wherein there is available a really distinguished organization that can be obtained for ful1 week ar less each