Evening star., 1932-04-24
Bicentennial Music Week
To Be Celebrated in May
Sponsored by Music Clubs
National Federation of Music Clubs to Present
Programs of American Folk Music-Directors
Meet Here for First Time
By E. de S. Melcher.

THURSDAY night of this week
the District of Columbia
4 branch of the National Fed
Grafton of Music Clubs will
meet in the Sears-Roebuck Gal
lerieS to see who will be who dur
ing the coming year. This is only
one of the near excitement of
this group which is sponsoring
Bicentennial Music week from
May 8 to IS. For the first time
in the history of the Federated
Clubs the National Board of Di-
rectors and the National Council
will hold a meeting in Washing
ton. This will take place during
Music week.
Mrs. Elmer James Ottaway,
national president of Federated
Clubs; Mrs. John P. Buchanan,
chairman for American music,
and Gertrude Lyons, District of
Columbia president, together with
the District of Columbia George
Washington Bicentennial Com
mittee, have arranged a program
of American folk music, to be
given by Virginia mountaineerS
during this week. John Powell,
composer pianist, will assist Mrs.
Buchanan with the program.
Hoxie'S Harmonica Band will also
give concert on Tuesday, May
10, and on the following Thurs
day Vladimir RoSing, director of
American opera, will give 10 epi-
Sodes with musical score based
on the life of Washington. An
other important event will be
the presentation of the cantata
Washington" by Edward c. Pot
ter and R. Dean Shure, which will
be given by a maSSed chorus, as
sisted by the Marine Band Or
chestra, with Capt. Taylor Bran
son conducting.
Another feature of Music week
will be the luncheon at which DR..
F. A. Moss OF George Washington
University and Nine. Samaroff
will be the guest speakers. Four
national contest winners will sing
at the luncheon, arrangements
Tor which are being completed by
members OF the Chaminade Glee
Club.
THE following letter has been
received by this department:
My Dear Mr.. Melcher: Will
you kindly permit me to correct
an impression gained from
your signed article in last Sun
days april I'D Star, in which
1t was indicated that an effort
Is being made to obtain Lily
Pons, the Metropolitan Opera
coloratura, and Jose Iturbi, the
Spanish pianist, as well as
other concert artists of promi-
nence, for appearance here
next season as orchestral solo,
lists?
In SO far as Lily Pons and
1turbi are concerned, l would
like to state that neither these
artists nor any other artist or
attraction to be presented To-
cally In concert by me next
season will make any other
COllCtII dppSdTdIlCe III wash
3ngton during the 1928 sea-
son, and this applies to Rosa
Ponselle, the Metropolitan
Opera soprano, who in past
seasons has made two concert
appearances, as well as an ap-
pearance in opera, with the
Metropolitan
The fees demanded by artists
of the first rank make it ex-
tremely hazardous to present
them in concert unless a man
ager can be assured that such
artists will make no competi-
tive appearances locally in any
given season. For that reason
I have booked this season only
those artists whose manage
ments are willing and able to
comply with this condition. I
trust you will favor me by
making this point clear, as I
could not undertake to present
PonS, Iturbi or any other of
the splendid artists signed for
next season If they were to ap-
pear more than once during
the season.
Very cordially yours,
MRS. WILSON-GREENE.
Somehow the feeling of compe-
s-L- ~&,