The New York herald., 1922-11-05
Opera This Year Has 6 Amer,
lean Stars Among Its 21
Newcomers.
Newcomers.

r n these advanced days of system
in the big business Of grand
= opera, the newest members OF
Giulio Gatti- -Casazza's operatic fam
lily find themselves not only singers
but photographers. Each must tell
in stipulated brief form his or her
own personal story in his or her own
words for the official files of the Met
! ropolitan Opera Company and thus
help themselves into the historic rec
ord.
There is humor in everything, even in
the very serious and sometimes almost
lugubrious side of making grand opera
possible. This saving grace showed
itself one forenoon last week when
one of the new feminine members of
Mr.. Gatti's augmented cast stepped
into the smoky. hospitable corner
occupied by the publicity Cerberus
at Broadway and Fortieth street. Will
liam j. Guard.
Unfolding himself, Mr.. Guard held
out to the visiting singer a freshly
dipped pen while with his other hand
he waved before her a sheet of paper.
Madame" he said, your obituary,
il you please"
my obituary? Thus early?" replied
the astounded songstress.
Madame" answered the Cerberus.
'Your pardon for my want of strict
construction of the vernacular. /
should have said, your autobiography"
"Ah," she sighed. Then there still
Is hope for me. For a moment pic
tured myself among the living dead"
ITO the contrary" answered tho
philosopher of the press room. SIT
here at my desk and place yourself
in the record of those who live for
ever" and thus her art life story was
written "in not more than $50 words,
If you please"
Most OF the twenty-one new members
OF the Metropolitans cast of lead singers
have written their terse autobiographies,
revealing that six are Of American birth
and five natives OF the United states.
Edmund Burke, Canadian, confesses that
after graduating from McGill University
he contemplated the law, actually be-
coming a bachelor OF civil law. or the
natives Of the United States two were
born in New York and one of the two Is
a graduate of Barnard College. Ofthe
others one was born in Newark, N. j.,
and another in Missouri. The nationali-
ties OF the others are: Teutonic extrac-
tion. z; Italian, 2 /: Greek. Armenian
Bulgarian, English. Swedish, Russian
and French, 1 each.
Following are their autobiographies
PAUL BENDER, bass-barytone. has
been a prominent figure on the Euro
pean operatlc stage for dozen years.
He has been member of the Munich
Grand Opera since his debut in Bres-
lau lie is native of Weilburg. Ger
many. where his father and grandfather
were Government officials. He was the
first 20 sing the role Of Hans Sachs in
German In Paris when Die Meister
singer" was given at the Champs Elysee
Theater, two months before the war be-
gan. He also sang n season at Covent
Garden, London, and Is known in all the
leading opera houses OF Continentai Eu-
rope. His roles include Wotdn. NephiS-
tophcics. Hagen, Gurncmdns and Baron
Ochs in der Rosenkavaller" He would
have come 10 the Metropolitan in 1915
had not the war prevented his leaving
Germany.
INA BOURSKAYA, mezzo- soprano.
was born in Kef, Russia. of a we'll to
do family. She studied singing in Pc
trograd and was touring with an opera
company in the Caucasus when the war
ended It's activities. Later she Joined a
company or Russian singers who hiked
out n precarious livelihood IN Japan,
China and the Dutch and British East
Indies. In 1921 the wanderers came 10
the United states, and Mime. Bourskaya
made so good an impression that she
was engaged for the Metropolitan.
EDMUND BURKE. barytone. was
born In Toronto and was gradus ted from
McGill University OF Montreal a bache-
lor OF civil law. He made his operatic
debut In the south Of France and has
sung in opera ih the Royal opera OF The
Hague, Holland Covent Garden, Lon
don. and with Nine. Melba in Australia.
During the war he served with the Ca
madam forces IN France as Captain. Ee
was decorated and mentioned In dis
patches three times.
MICHAEL BOftNEN, bass-barytone.
is q member OF the Dresden Opera who