The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-07-05
Nafiona! Music Clubs to Stage American
 Operas
61HE National Federation of
 Nf,,nin c1,,hr ..rhinh L.

1T7HE National Federation of
 Music clubs, which Is a
 S woman's institution that anal gamates all the important music forces of the country. not motlvated by mere man, has such wide influence in shaping the policy and guiding the destinies of amateur and profess s.onal music in this land of oppor- tunity that it's plans and prospects are always interesting. states the Cincinnati Enquirer in a recent is- sue
 Recently Mrs. Edgar stillman Kei- ley was made the chairman of the opera and orchestral section of sh.s important organization, and having a wide acquaintance and a great pop ularity throughout the United States where her distinguished husband Is one of the most acclaimed of Amer icas classic composers. she has been able to interest in her department none other than Mrs. Rockefeller Mc- Cormick, the fairy godmother of the Chicago Grand Opera, who last au- tumn returned to her home in Chi cago, after eight or nine years spent in Switzerland making a fetich of psychology, suggestion and auto-sug- gestion and otherwise sleeping her keen intelligence and virile imagina- ton in matters of interest in Flu rope. Mrs. Mccormick has consented to act as Mrs. Keliey's honorary chairman of the opera department, n ra,s0dtYce l11a 1arfCan a year during the next five years fact that has electrified the musi- cal world of America and given now hope to those identified with native compositions of this character. In collaboration with Mrs. Mccormick the foundation called The Opera In Our Language" is to stage two American operas in 1923, an epochal alliance of the muse of song. orchea- tration and acting. The aim of this foundation is to induce the Amor ican composer of high merit to live and labor in his own country; to build up a nation of musical masters, not one of musical borrowers, and so to enable them to publish and pre- sont their works in their native land.
 The two operas chosen by the foundation for presentation in 1923 are "The Echo," by Mrs. Frank Pat teIBOn or NeW IOTkt WnOSe WOrk IS indorsed by Lazare Saminsky, H. O. Osgood, Walter Golde, Adolf Tand- Ter, Theodore Stearns and George Polacco; and Castle Agrazant," writ ten by MT. Ralp Lyford of Cincin- nati and indorsed by Vincent q Indy, Eugene Ysaye. Edgar Stillman Kelley and John Alden Carpenter Another aspiration of the Opera in Our Language Foundation" is to es- tablish S1,000, ,000 opera house where native works and artists may be heard and foreign operas be pre- scented in English. Such institutions prevail in every other country of dts tirction, why not in the most power full of them all, the United States? A nationwide campaign is now initi- ated under the direction of Mrs. Ar ehibald Freer of Chicago, Mrs. Kel- iey's cochairman of opera in the National Federation of Music clubs and chairman of the Opera in Our Lan euage Foundation." to whom sub scriptions in any amount. may be sent to erect this first American opera house
 MIR. AND MRS. HARD ENTERTAIN
 BRIDAL PARTY
 MT. and Mrs. J. II. Hard entertained the members of the Skinner Hard bridal party last evening following tbe rehearsal for the marriage.