University of Miami - Ibis Yearbook (Coral Gables, FL)

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Concert artists for the year were Mlscha CIman. Harold Bauor. Eugonia Honeywell. Sgt. Bella Urban, and Madame Kurenko. of relief when the season was over. But he liad done it before. Before coming to the University of Miami, he had conducted the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music orchestra and organized and directed the Cincinnati Municipal Band. During the first world war, he was in charge of music at Camp Devens, Mass. He came to the United States from Belgium to play first trombone with the Boston symphony orchestra. In Belgium he had served as professor of music at the Bruges conservatory, from which school he won his doctor's degree. All the worries of the music school, from what to do for classrooms to where Karl Kruse left his trombone, are taken to Miss Foster, superintendent of the entire Music personnel. In spite of yearly resolutions to cut down on her activities, she's still the busiest woman on the University campus. Aside from her endless duties in the school, she teaches organ. 14 leads a choir, and plans weekly entertainment for the armed forces. Under her supervision are classes in piano, voice, instruments for hand and orchestra, theory, and education. Head of the string department. Joel Belov, assistant conductor of the orchestra, is largely responsible for the bowing, phrasing, and interpretation of the stringed instruments. Author and composer of several hooks on violin instruction, Belov studied under Auer and Bloch, and for a while was instructor at Curtis institute of Music. Young Alan Collins teaches 'cello for the string department, and conducts freshman classes in musical theory. Head of the theory department ami director of the Twenty-Seventh Avenue Center division of the University is Tom B. Steunen-berg, at least six-feet-two of pure musician. A graduate of the Michigan school of music, he has taught all forms of theory orchestration, counterpoint, and harmony—for the past five years at the University. Mrs. Hannah Spiro Asher. Ralph Roth, and Joe Tarpley compose the piano department and combine the influence of their varied personalities on piano students. Mrs. Asher, artist pupil of Leopold Godowsky and instructor in Europe, offers individual instruction ami conducts forums in interpretation and accompanying. Mr. Roth has taught most of the beginning piano students enrolled in school, and Mr. Tarpley has continued to give lessons while holding a heavy war job. The vocal department is headed by Arturo di Filippi, director of the Miami Opera Guild, who offers his students operatic experience in the Guild's productions. Robert Reinert. youngest of the group, is director of choruses and aided in the installation of Miami's first successful choral society. It was out of this society that the production of “Elijah grew. Enthusiastic Sarah Folwell completes the department staff. Herself a soprano, she teaches voices of all ranges and types. Part-time instructors of the clarinet, flute, and drum include three University graduates.

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Ashe, pulled from its mysterious silk hat six concerts, including five famous soloists and something new for the University — an oratorio. A few changes were made. Because of idackouts and the dimout, Monday nights were not as convenient for concerts, so tradi-tionally-musical Sunday afternoons became the time. As soloist for the first concert, Sgt. Bela Urban, the Hungarian-American violinist who was stationed with the Air Forces on the Beach, gave the audience Mendelssohn—and they loved it. Modestly he smiled and played their requests. Eugenia Honeywell, pianist, headed a program of music ranging from Bach (by the orchestra) to the Saint-Saen piano concerto. An all-Hussian concert, complete with Tschaikowsky’s Fifth Symphony, presented Maria Kurenko, the ’’Russian Nightingale. Kurenko sang more Tschaikow-sky and lilting Russian folk songs. Harold Bauer, who’s really at home at the University, having taught master classes here for several seasons, was star of the fourth concept, and his friends—his audience—kept him playing encore after encore. Mischa Elman, first guest artist ever to appear with the orchestra, just after its founding, returned for a third appearance with his violin. This time lie played the second Bach concerto. Ending the season on an entirely experimental note. Dr. Alloo and the orchestra, with a chorus directed by Robert Reinert, offered Mendelssohn’s “Elijah. Based on verses from the Old Testament, the oratorio is the first of its kind—complete with orchestra. chorus, and soloists—that the University orchestra has ever attempted. After drilling the chorus. Boh Reinert stepped into the baritone role of “Elijah, and delivered the prophet’s stirring words, while Arturo di Filippi sang the tenor solo role, Marian Mc-Crecdy the soprano, and Beatrice Hunt 'lie contralto. A special chorus of six University girls — Rebecca Jackson, Victoria Bennett. Betty Cole, Thelma Sackman, Ethel Newkerk, and Phyllis Schulman—sang the “Lift Thine Eyes sequence. Before the beginning of the season, the orchestra had its difficulties. Last year saw musicians called, one hv one, into various branches of the armed forces. Finally John Bitter, conductor for the previous two years, was also called to the army. Dr. Modeste Alloo, former associate conductor of the Cin-cinatti symphony orchestra, had just joined the faculty of the University Music School last spring. He took the group in hand, and, during the summer, began to reorganize. By the beginning of the school year, key positions had been refilled by men in uniform as wrell as regular University students and other Miami musicians. Five men who had left the orchestra and were stationed with the Army at Boca Raton had obtained permission to come to Miami for rehearsals and concerts this season. These former University students. Herbert Blinn, trumpet; Leland Rees, horn; William LebedefT, horn; James Politis, flute; and John Caputo, clarinet, were all key men in the orchestra. Ami hack of it all was the man who worried. The man who tore his hair and got results. Dr. Alloo breathed the deepest sigh 13

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Conductor Alloo koopi hi oyo on tho scoro. Laurence Tremblay, Charley Stallman, ami William Bennett. Only rival of Franklin Harris in the musical quality of his swearing i l)r. Carl Buggies, instructor in composition. 11 i “Men and Mountains and “Men and Angels are recognized as pioneers in the field of modern polyphony and have been played by the country's foremost symphony orchestras. Henry Gregor, composer of music both vocal and instrumental, spends his winters at the University teaching song literature. Edward Clarke, between music lectures for the layman, lectures on aesthetics to senior music students. Completing the faculty list is Frances Hovey Bergh. teacher of music education in all of its phases, choral leader, ami advisor to the music sorority. Sigma Alpha Iota. Former students who are now in the service as well as regular students took part in Sunday night informal get-togethers. At the same time. Miss Foster began a series of musical programs for men in the armed forces on the beach, offered at the Recreation pier. Dramatic Basso, E. Frank Edwinn was first of the student artists to appear on these pro- grams, then came Carmen Monserrat and Irving Laibson with special piano tricks. Betty Cole, Ruth Davis Lejon, Gladys Gaff and Douglas Brenner sang for several audiences. Jimmy Politis and Lewis Eley came down from Boca Raton, and in their uniforms starred in several of the informal concerts. Ruth Wolkowsky did her share with piano music. Dean Forthman Kirton. deep voiced and starry-eyed, offered her talents, and Ruth Schnapper appeared at the piano on several occasions. Many students took active part in outside concert work. Frank Edwinn and Don Littlefield. along with faculty members Reinert and di Filippi. sang leading roles in the Miami Opera Guild's presentation of “La Traviata. The chorus of that production held more than a dozen University Music school students. The service flag on the wall of the Workshop now shows 93 stars, hut with all those students off to war the Music school still carries on. Just walk down Ponce de Leon boulevard during practice hours this afternoon, ami see if you can tell the difference. —BARBARA NEBLETT, RUTH WOLKOWSKY Chorus rohoarsal lor prosontatlon of Di|ah.‘-