Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-28
HOOVER SUPPORTS
DRIVE FOR OPERA
lndorses Plans of American
Opera Co. in Letter to
LongWorth.

President Hoover heads q distin-
9lshed group which is supporting the
plans of the American Opera Co., &C
cording to an announcement just issued
by the directors Of that organization.
A Nationwide drive to subsidize the
American Opera Co. for a period of five
years Is announced simultaneously. A
letter sent by the President from the
White House to Speaker Of the House
nicholas Longworth is quoted as saying:
MY Dear Speaker:
II am glad to learn of your interest
m the American Opera Co. 1t is a
vital movement to establish national
organization for young American sing
ers, composers and writer's.
AZ wish to take this opportunity to
indorse so fine an effort and to urge
all music loving Americans to lend their
support in making 1t q permanent ma
tional institution.
yours faithfully,
HERBERT HOOVER"
The American Opera Co. has as its
prime aim the presentation Of opera
in the language of It's audience. The
company first became noted three years
ago for its revolutionary production Of
Gounod's Faust" which made excel
lent, colorful dramatic entertainment
that won the approval of American au-
diences all over the country.
Similar Treatment for Others.
The company has given similar treat
fnent to Puccini's Madame Butterfly"
Mozart's Marriage of Figaro" Bizet's
Carmen" and couple of other stand
ara operate works. vladimir RoSing,
s2eratic director, also has followed the
am constantly Of producing works by
American composers. The latest was
"Yolanda of Cyprus" by LOOMS Of
Chicago, given In the season of four
Capital last month. It is understood
that work by a Washington composer
Is being given careful consideration for
production by this company.
In this recent announcement Mr..
Rosing includes the initial statement of
the repertoire for the company for
1930-31. New productions will include:
Merry Wives Of Windsor" II Pagliac-
CT" Blanca" by the American Henry
Hadley, and another work to be decided
shortly. Operas retained in the active
repertoire are to include the five works
previously mentioned in this article.
Some Of Sponsors Are Named.
The group of rs prominent men and
women actively behind this movement
sponsored by President Hoover includes
Mrs. Edith Rockefeller Mccormick, Mr..
and Mrs. William T. Carrington, Mrs.
Christian r. Holmes, Alfred Schoell-
kopf, Mrs. Dudley Blossom, Mr. and
Mrs. Charles Swift, Ira Nelson Morris
Mrs. Charles Dana Gibson, Mrs. Joseph
Letter, Mrs. William l.. Hardness, Mrs.
William Osgood Field, Otto H. Kahn,
Felix Warburg, Thomas MacInerney,
Mr.. and Mrs. Clarence Wooley, Theo-
dcre Steinway. Chester Bolton, George
Eastman and Nine Marcella Sembrich.
With this group as the nucleus a
drive Is about to begin to substitute the
opera company. Plans call for $780,
600 year. Contributors are divided
into the following groups: Founders,
those who contribute at least IS, 900
annually; guarantors, those whose an
nilal contributions range between 81 900
and $4,000: patrons, those who give
between $500 and $1,000 year, and
1ixlaiuing members, who pledge them
nssees for from 500 to $500 year.
The company's new season is to open
m late September In Boston. They
viii tour the Middle. West before the
Christmas holidays and then resume
the season In New York In early Janu-
airy. The schedule as 1t now stands
would bring the company to Washing
ton the week Of January 10. They then
are to 60 South, then to Canada and
end the tour in early April in Rochester.
As usual, next seasons tour will be
preceded by IL weeks Of intensive
Summer rehearsal at Magnolia, Mass