Evening star., 1938-03-20
TRADE BOARD AIDS.
CAUSE OF CULTURE
Music Committee Makes
Rapid Strides-'ChiIdren's'
Concerts Cited.

In q comparatively short time the
Music Committee OF the Junior Board
Of Commerce has made q definite con-
tribution to Washington's musical de-
velopment.
At the same time 1t has emphasized
this one fact-that the young business
men Of Washington are not too busy
trying to make successes Ct themselves
to forget about developing the cul-
tural side of their lives as we'll as that
Of the community.
Under the leadership Of John Row.
land Hill, who works for an invest
ment banking firm when he isn't do
ing something to further understand
Ing and appreciation of symphonic
music, the Music Committee was Or
ganized little more than a year ago.
Recently the committee sponsored
a series Of three "children's concerts
for adults" Those who attended or
read about them know of their great
success.
Concerts Well Attended.
Approximately 900 persons attend
ed each of the concerts to hear the
National Symphony Orchestra and the
interesting and informative talks by
DR.. Hans Kinder. the conductor The
most important angle about the at
tendance. in the opinion of the COM
nllttee, however, was the fact that
two-thirds Of the listeners wer., per-
sons who had never attended a SYM
phony concert-persons who came to
find out what symphony concer5 was
like
The committee says that nine
tenths of those who attended the COLI
Certs. given in Roosevelt High School
auditorium. had bought season tickets
for all three
The novelty o. the series appealed
10 all DR.. Kinder intersrersed his
orchestral selections with what he
termed IAN outline of an outline of
the development 1f symphonic music
His explanations were not. however, of
the cut-and-dried textbook variety,
and he held his listeners from be-
ginning to end.
Many even stayed "after school" to
jot down the historical outline DR..
Kinder had placed on blackboards in
front of the stage.
Series May Be Repeated.
The success of this venture has led
Mr.. Hill and his committee to hope for
another series next year-possibly in
cluding five or six concerts instead of
three. If feasible, the committee hopes
to make it an annual SERIES If held
next season they probably will be held
in the fall.
That the concerts met with wide
spread approval was shown time and
again in the recently closed campaign
of the orchtstra for its sustaining fund
for the l93839 season. Many con-
tributors called attention to the con-
certs as one OF the outstanding ven-
tures of the symphony orchestra.
The Music Committee expects to put
its strength behind any worthwhile
musical activity. Outside of another
series of "children's concerts" it has
no definite program for the future.
Mr.. Hill has an idea, however, that
something might be done to stimulate
interest in chamber music, and that
may be the next thing on the COM
mittee's program.
Among those who have worked with
Mr.. Hill and are members of the COM
mittee are the following:
Joel H. Bowen, c. Oscar Berry, Oil
yer Gasch. Robert Lee O'Brien, 'jr.;
William H. Courtney, Philip Gore,
Herbert S. Costain, James d. Mann,
James Owens, John NJ Billings, E.
Jerome Howell, Harold Fangboner,
Lyle O'Rourke, Victor H. Sutro, Jack
Hayes, jr., and David r. Isen.