The Washington times., 1922-10-01
REFUGEES
HAPPY NOW AT
HIPPODRONE
Long Trail of Two Young
Women of Means Who Lost
All Ends in Big Gotham Play
house in important Roles.
"HE trail Of the Russian refu.
gee has led from Petrograd
across Russia and Siberia TO

THE trail Of the Russian refu'
gee has led from Petrograd
across Russia and Siberia TO
Manchuria, through Shanghai,
Hongkong, Japan. the Philippine
Islands, to Seattle, and finally
across the North American CONT.
nent to New York and the Hippo
drome' for Claudia Ivanova and
Olga Miha ailovakaya. two of the
principal singers in Better Times
Charles Dillingham's spectacle.
Their story is that of thousands OF
other Russian girls, independently
wealthy in the days of the old
regime, who have been forced 10
find a way to earn their own living
with their own talents. thousands
of miles from home. as a result OF
the reign of Russian disorder.
The father of Miss Ivanova had
been a civil official before the war
in Tobolsk in western Siberia, while
Miss Mihailovakaya's home had
been on the Amur river, where her
father commanded a regiment of
Cossacks. Both girls, according to
the Russian custom, had been sent
to Petrograd to be educated. Miss
Ivanova became a thorough pianist
and studied voice for a time with
Prof. Ange. before the revolution
regarded as the foremost of the
Russian opera coaches.
Miss Mihailovakaya dabbed in
music and then in art, taking up
the study of painting largely TO
crafty her father, who, aside
from his army life, had found
time to do considerable landscape
painting. They remained in Pet.
rograd during the early period of
the war as they were but fifteea
and sixteen years old, respectively.
and too young even for relief
work of any nature with the Rus-
sian armies.
When the revolution came, tie
girls who had been friends for u
year in Petrograd found them
selves suddenly cut off from their
homes, with their only friends as
helpless as themselves. Their first
thought, of course. was TO make
their way homeward. Thes
chanced to possess considerable
money in banknotes, and they
were discreet enough to hide theh
jewelry. They started across Rus
sia by train, and although tn,
trains were crowded and they raI
infrequently, they crossed Russt.
into Siberia without molestatio<
They went to Tobolsk to find
that Miss Ivanova's family had
been forced to leave and they were
unable to find any traces of them.
They decided to continue their
tourney and finally arrived at
Vladivostok, after they had aban-
doned their attempt to reach the
Amur river. From here they later
decided to 90 to Harbin, in Man
churia. after they had learned that
Miss Mihailovakaya' parents had
also disappeared.
They were now virtually with.
out funds. and they Joined the
remnants of a Russian opera com
pany in Harbin. With the com.
pany they went to Shanghai. from
Shanghai to Hongkong, and event
ually into Japan and on to the
Philippines. For the better part
of three years they wandered
through the Orient with the opera
company, which finally came TO
the United States, landing at
Seattle. Last spring the COM
pany reached New York and pre-
sented a season of Russian opera
at the New Amsterdam Theater.
where Miss IvanSva sang in Boris
| Godonoff" and THE Tsars Bride"
and Miss Mihailovakava in "Piqus
Dame" "Pastorale" and The
Snow Maiden"
Three years of singing had de-
veloped their voices to such an
extent that they were told they
were justified in seeking opera
careers. They We're offered con
tracts for the Russian opera com
pany's forthcoming tour, but they
declined and obtained engagements
at the Hippodrome, and will be
able to study with competent
American teachers while they are
appearing at the big playhouse.