Omaha daily bee., 1918-12-08
MU 8 | 6
BY HENRIETTA M. REEFS

n MEETING OF representative
~ choral directors and members
of the musical fraternity was
held Friday noon at the Commercial
Club at the instigation OF Mr.. Hugh
Wallace, temporary chairman of the
music committee of the Victory
Christmas celebration.
This meeting was called for the
purpose of asking the corporation
OF the Omaha musicians in success
fully planning and carrying through
the largest community sing" ever
contemplated in this city. 1t is the
intention to have the choirs of Oma-
ma lead the singing during this cee-
bration and all members of choirs
and others who sing are invited to
participate. On December Is at 3 80
at the Auditorium this large COM
munity sing will inaugurate the 1918
Red Cross Roll Call week.
In addition to music by the choirs
the entire audience will sing commu-
nifty songs from the new War Camp
Community Service Song book
which will be distributed by Red
Cross girls in uniform. This prom
ises to be very interesting occa-
sion. The idea is to have the choirs
come in body, with their standard
if they have one, and to proceed
from the back of the Auditorium to
the stage, where it is hoped that
from 1000 to 1900 singers will be
massed to back up their patriotism
with their voices, and to use their
voices in material way to help
make this big organized Victory
celebration a success.
At the meeting Friday noon an
executive committee was authorized
to work in conjunction with the ex-
ecutive committee of the Victory
Christmas celebration in providing
music for community events Christ
mas week A chorus will also be
provided for the Red Cross MasQue,
December 10 and 20 at the Auditor
ium.
The Victory Christmas celebra-
ton will be all of Christmas week.
Monday night of that week it is
planned to have a big community
meeting with the soldiers as guests
and taking part. Choral and COM
munity singing will be featured and
other forms of entertainment. Tues
day evening there will be tree and
Christmas celebration more espe-
cially for the children. And Wednes-
day, Christmas day, it is planned
that the soldiers will be entertained
in the Omaha homes during the day,
ana it is hoped to form a group of
volunteer singers from this chorus
to go to the hospitals and other in
stitutions Of Omaha to bring ray
of pleasure and a thought of victory
to the inmates, during the remain
der of the week.
This is a big program, and while
the choir directors who were present
are busy with their Christmas music,
much of which preparation has been
delayed because of the "flu" and the
car strike, they promised to do what
they could in order to cooperate
and make this @ sing big success
But 1t Is not only the choirs who
must cooperate If this idea culmin-
ates as the executive committee has
planned. Burgess-Nash have
choir among their employees who are
capable of lending their aid and
helping to make the celebration
success. There are other stores and
factories in Omaha who could very
easily and quickly form a group Of
their employees who can sing and
who would like to sing with this
celebration. There are many indi-
viduals who have always sung who
could cooperate in this way now,
even though they have not kept up
their active interest in singing for
several years. The music will be
songs which every one knows, and
with a big choir on the stage a tre-
mendous stimulus can be given to
the audience to have their victory
gladness ring to the roof. As Mr..
Wallace suggested in his brief talk,
the army is singing army, let's
have a singing nation to greet the
boys when they come home. The
big chorus planned at present is
only temporary, but if everybody
who can sing will help, it is hoped
to form a chorus for other large
celebrations which will undoubtedly
come up in the future. With the
musical fraternity in back of it and
lending its support a strong inn
petus has been given the movement.
But it also needs the support and
active partici patton of every man
and women who sings, and the &C
tive and continuous support of the
business men behind it. A director
for the massed chorus will be
chosen by the executive committees
and will be announced later.
The Tuesday Musical club will
present Olga Samaroff, pianist, at
the Brandeis theater on Thursday
evening, December II. Nine. Sam
aroff has long been known in Amer
lea as a pianist of high rank, and in
addition to her many concert tours
she has appeared as soloist with
prominent orchestras. When Nine.
Samaroff was here several years
ago she made a profound impress
sion and all lovers of piano music
are anticipating a rare treat. The
program follows:
Chopin-Ballads, Q Preludes
Lszt, Sonata.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS c Sharp, Minor.
Busoni-Elegy No. untermezzo from
the Turandot Suite
DeBussy-Clair de Luns. Reflects dams
fEau.
Gabrilowitsch-Caprice Burlesque.
-
The next concert by local profess
sional artists given by the music
department of the Omaha Woman's