The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1921-06-29


{, knocking at its doors, be they gran
e opera singers or persons who neye
: had day of voice training in thei
lives.
{ 1--WE have no voice test for admis
n sion" said Gus b. WOllan, organize
e and president of the chorus. IAN
0 one who wishes to sing is free t
h come and join with us. You know
D people like to sing. Some of then
! never had an opportunity to get an.
! training, and here is chorus wher
they can start out on an equality will
, men and women who have beer
trained in grand opera. So, they
jump at the chance.
"Only a very small per cent Of
those joining the chorus have haC
special voice training. Some who
come have little ability to sing, but
we never turn anyone away. To one
who likes to sing, there is a pleasure
in taking part in chorus work of this
kind. A great many came at first
who couldn't sing, but those who
cannot sing usually drop out. You
see those who can sing are the ones
who get the greater enjoyment out of
their work, and they are the persons
who will stick through the year. But
anyway, we never turn anyone away.
That is che of the objects of the
chorus, to give an opportunity of ex-
preston to every man. woman or
child who likes to sing. So, however
poor may be the efforts of any mem
ber he is never turned away from
the chorus.
"The singer gets enjoyment out of
the work, even if others may not ben
eft so much. To many, the chorus
may be the only means of recreation,
and we don't want to deny this means
of expression to anyone. Rather, we
have tried to encourage all who like
to sing to join the chorus. However,
those who cannot sing so well usually
do not remain in the chorus very long,
and the chorus has been able to obtain
some unusually fine results. We
have singers of almost every grada-
ton of ability in the chorus, suggest |
i've of the popular appeal of the or
ganization. We have five members
who have sung in grand opera che
ruses. One member of the chorus
was a member Of the Chicago Grand
Opera Company before coming to st.
Paul, and another was with the Met
ropOlitan Grand Opera Company in
New York. Another was a member
II the Boston Ideals. Others sang
II church choirs, and some never had
my training whatever. But here in
he chorus they all get together on a
common basis and they all enjoy it.
even the former grand opera singers,
hough accustomed perhaps to the
more finely trained voices of the pro- ]
essional chorus, like the work and ,
he results. They marvel at the
Kings our director is able to accom-
lish, taking a mixed group of vary
ng capacities this way, and so they
inter- intellectually into the work,
elping along where they can those
mo are just learning to sing. Incl
entally, we have in the chorus men
nd women who are getting their first
'ssons in singing. You cannot inn
CINE how much people like to sing
Mess you have had an experience y
it'll public chorus Of this kind. We p
ave one Civil War veteran in the p
lorus. He is seventy-two years old, a
ut he is just as enthusiastic as the v
irl of sixteen, who represents the n
her extreme. In several cases, hus- t
inds and wives are members of the il
lorus. In quite a number of in Il
ances, mothers and their daughters c,
I'd fathers and their sons belong to II
e chorus. Nearly half of the wom- n
in the chorus are married women,
vi most Of these are women with r
.ildren. So great is the interest in /
e work that the chorus keeps up its !
hearsals even through the summer !
onths. When other activities lag or |
op with the coming Of hot weather |
e members Of the chorus object to (
opping the weekly rehearsals or |
lding them less frequently. r
Besides affording opportunity Of :
preston TO singers, and entertain
ant in a musical way for the pub r,
I, the chorus is worth while as a
lnicipal project in that it helps
lterially to elevate musical STAN al
rds. We gave three performances
Handles The Messiai, which r,
npetent musical critics rated as the NJ
st ever given in the Northwest.
The chorus has given other per- -
that one might not expect an
I'm a public chorus Of this kind.