Evening star., 1923-02-05
BRILLIANT THRONG
WILL HEAR OPERA
Cosmopolitan, Audience As
sured for Presentation of
"Aida" at Polls Tonight.
SING "TOSCA" TOMORROW
Many Citizens Hope to Make Visit
Of Singers Annual Event.
Leave Wednesday.
SING "T0sCA" TOMORROW

washington's operate season opens
tonight.
Today members of the Chicago Civ
ic Opera Company. who are to appear
in Aida" tonight, are secluded in
their rooms at the Washington Hotel
preparing for the production. and
members of a genuinely cosmopolitan
audience which will attend the first
night" are completing preparations
for the greatest event Washington Is
to experience since the appearance
here. fourteen years ago, Of the Met
ropolitan Opera Company.
The aida" members of the opera
company will tonight appear before
an audience that Washington alone
can produce. Its far-famed society
members Of the diplomatic corps. off
ctals of the government, officers OF
the Army. Navy and Marine Corps and
personages high in city life. as we'll
as those who have devoted their lives
to music alone, will greet some of the
worlds best singers when the cur
tain rises at Polls Theater.
Requested by Citizens.
The Chicago Civic Opera Company
is here at the request OF many
citizens. bent on making Washington
better In music In every way. And
1t is the desire. the aim and the
ambition Of Washingtons leaders In
music to make this an annual
occasion.
Firmly supporting this movement
today was Cyrena Van Gordon, who
is Amneris tonight in Aida"
The opera" she said. "is the center
of interest in every city in the United
States. Washington Is the capital
of the country and Is endowed with
many forms of culture, but / do think
that music Is the very top of culture.
And Washington does need an opera
to bring this culture to the highest
degree. II it cannot support an opera
of it's own, 1t should. at least. have a
season"
Miss Van Gordon. whose name Is
familiar to the musical world. suffer
ed a severe cold in Boston when the
company was there two weeks ago
for several days. There is still evil
dence of the illness. she said today,
but at no time did 1t affect her voice.
Orchestra of Eighty Pieces.
One OF the features of tonight's
performance will be the orche stra
which accompanies the opera COM
pany. 1t numbers about eighty pieces
music, Is simply wonderful" Giorgio
Polacco is the conductor. He former
ly held the baton at the Metropolitan
Opera Company and has appeared in
the role of leader in South America
and In countries of Europe. He Is
an American citizen of italian
descent.
Tomorrow night Puccini's "Tosca"
will be sung in Italian as will Aida"
tonight. Numbe red among the
singers are Mary Garden, GiuIio
Crimi and Georges Baklanoff. The
season" will close Wednesday night,
with Snow Maiden" by Rimsky-
Korsakoff. with Edith Mason, Miss
Van Gordon. Irene Pavloska and Mr..
Bakianoff.
The company will then fill a short
engagement in Pittsburgh. after
which IT will return to Chicago and
disband for the season. Several of
the foreign members of the company,
which Is so per cent American, are
planning tours abroad. With them
will go Mary Garden. who sails March
Is for Monte Carlo, to appear in
several solo concerts.
Officers Of the company say the
present tour is short one, but ali
indications for next year point to
one that will last much longer.