Evening star., 1933-04-02
New Music Group Studies
Problem of Idle Talent
American Choral and Festival Alliance Makes
Nationwide Survey In Seeking Permanent
Solution for Overproduction of Musicians
By Alice Eversman.

to sing for President and Mrs
Coolidge at the White House and
the invitation was extended fol-
the three years following. At the
Inauguration of President Hoover
the A Capella Choir was the only
choir asked to participate in the
celebrations and by request of the
late Percy Foster, chairman of
music of the Inaugural Commit
tee, pre-inaugural concert was
given by the choir. Last May an
invitation was extended for the
choir to give a program at the
meeting of the National Board of
the Federation of Music Clubs and
last December it was chosen to
represent vocal ensemble music"
before the National Convention of
Music Supervisors held at the
Willard.
Mrs. Stahl has succeeded in
building up a unique organization
in the nine years of her director
ship and one in which spiritual
tone and feeling are predominant.
With technical proficiency made
subordinate to the deeper musical
objective, the choir has developed
a perfect medium for the express
sion of high religious sentiment
in which the outward form is in
complete accord with the
thoughts to be interpreted.
WELCOME news for the public
of Washington as we'll as for
artists and managers, is the an
nouncement of the reorganization
into a new bureau, under the
management of Dorothy Hodgkin
Dorsey of the Wilson Greene con-
cert management. Through the
carrying on, although in an en-
tirely new guise, of this bureau to
which Washington is indebted for
so much good music, a concert
series of the same excellence is
assured.
With the recent concert of
Paderewski, the Wilson-Greene
management definitely ceased to
be. Two other attractions adver-
tiSed on that series, that of
Yehudi Menuhin on March Is and
Lily PonS on March 81 were can
celed by order of the adminis-
traitor of the Wilson Greene
estate. 1t was curious coinci-
dent that the last concert and
the first concert which began
Mrs. Wilson, Greene'S career as a
manager should bear a rela ton
ship to each other. The fir15 i'm
portant professional artist which
the deceased impresario brought
to Washington was Nine. Lillian
Nordica in 1905, and Mrs. Theo-
dore Roosevelt, then First Lady of
the Land, was present. Twenty
seven years later another RooSe-
velt-Franklin Delano Roosevelt
came to the White House and an
other First Lady of that name at
tended the final concert under the
well known management. Mrs.
Franklin Roosevelt not only was
present, but permitted the use of
her name as sponsor for the
charitable purpose for which the
concert was given.
The new lease of life that has
been given the famous concert
bureau promises not only to keep
up the high standard of the old
organization, but to advance it
whenever possible. The desire to
put these excellent concerts
within the reach of everybody has
led to the decision to form a new
scale OF prices so that there will
be seats available for whatever
sum can be expended. The old
patrons will receive the same at
tention as in the past and their
Iavorlte seats held in reserve for
them. The list Of artists already
promised makes thrilling reading
for none better can be had. This
knowledge Of what the public likes
to hear is the link between the
old and the new bureau, but there
the connection ends.
Mrs. Dorsey has had a thorough
training in the business of concert
management during the IL years
in which she assisted Mrs. Wilson,
Greene and which eliminated in
her assuming the entire reSpon-
Sibility of the bureau in the last
year Of Mrs. Wilson, Greene'S life.
During this time she has become
thoroughly acquainted in a truly
personal way with the local music
lovers who have been patrons of
the concerts for many years. The
artists themselves are well known
to her and their standing and
ability accurately catalogued
In Droop'S Music Store, which,
for rs years has been the musical
headquarters of Washington, the
old Wilson, Greene Offices are be-
ing remodeled. Directing the
new establishment will be young
woman, strenuouSly trained in the
art of concert managing, COM
pletely in touch with the chang
ing musical conditions of today,
alert and up-to-date and anxious
to outdo the record of supe-fine
concerts that had made her
aunt'S name famous. Nav her