Arizona republican., 1921-05-29
By Frederic J. Haskin.


 panies in all of the principal Ameri- can cities, at prices which will make it possible for the general public to attend, is the object of the National Opera association which has been or ganized recently by Edouard Albion, director of the local opera company. In Europe. opera is leading pop ular amusement, and MT. Albion be- lieves that it can be made so in America as well.
 The people of America, he says, are as musical as people of any oth- CT country. The huge number of mu sicians introduced to the public by music schools every year bears this out. And if we have no work for many of them to do. no audiences organized to listen to them, that is a lack to be supplied.
 In three years, MT. Albion has shown that a resident opera company composed almost entirely of local musicians can give grand opera to the taste of fastidious audiences. This is an achievement for one city. and it has been repeated in other places but these scattered projects are only a beginning for the country.
 It is no exaggeration to say that grand opera is almost unknown in the United States. We have wondeful productions in New York and Chica- go at large prices, and we have sew eral travelling companies, and few resident companies, handicapped by lack of opera houses But the mass of the people know opera only through the photograph which re- produces the voice but gives no idea of the story or of the acting.
 In Italy, 246 opera companies are supported by a population one third the size of ours. The famous operas can be heard there by every one. Equally important. musical talent finds an outlet The student direct from his conservatory, can go into a small opera house and begin his operatic career. There is enough de- mand for his art so that he does not have to spend tiresome years wait ing for someone ahead of him to die or to retire. as he would have to do in this country.
 Here finished artists. some per fected in as many as 90 roles, crowd into New York, eager for a chance to be heard by an impresario. And suppose they do achieve hearing One operatic official says he hears every week young singers with prom ising voices, but he has no room for them Tn his company. There are enough singers in New York to ere ate ten good grand opera organiza tions. But altogether the operatic institutions we have use not more than perhaps 1000 voices.
 A Chance for Native Talent.
 Mir. Albion points out that if these singers. who want dramatic careers could be scattered among the smaller cities, and could work with local op- era companies, they would be doing the thing for which they were trained
 A resident company gives iron
 
 rehearsing mainly at night. For sucf a company to make a satisfactory record, the performances put on mus be professional in standard, arranged by a competent director, stage man ager. dramatic coach nd conductor.
 Members who show ability are giv en a chance to take prominent part and to appear before the same crit iCal audiences that greet the stars O the stage. and the experience ant publicity resulting from such appear ances are of indirect financial value even in cases where a company get ting its start cannot at first pay it singers.
 The practical possibilities of a res l ident opera company have been show in number of cities. Here in Wash ington Aida. Carmen. Faust, Pagli | acci, Secret of Suzanne and other l operas have been produced in tn 1 past three years. To put on singl performance of one of these opera would be regarded by many peopl as an eXtraVagant financial under taking, and one sure to end in heav indebtedness. Considering. however that the resident company has II ! important stars under expensive con tract and no travelling expenses tn production of an opera is not so eX pensive Averaging losses on a fe1 i performances and gains on other the Washington company has man aged to break even.
 Occasionally expenses are mad heavier by bringing in two or thre professional opera singers for a per l formance when necessary. Mir. Al bion holds that locaI singers shoul be given a chance to appear in inn portant roles whenever they are ( a high enough standard. But if tn community cannot furnish a satis factory singer for any part then it better to import a professional an keep the work up to a safely pro ficieut standard. MT. Albion has aIs tried the method of alternating th best local singers with hired pro fessionals at different performance of the same opera. This is an inter esting test of the local singers an it is instructive for the company.
 The Cooperative Spirit | The spirit of a resident opera con