University of Notre Dame - Dome Yearbook (Notre Dame, IN)

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55. ual jn- His Beatitude Maximos IV, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, received an honorary Doctor of Laws de- gree, awarded by Father Hesburgh, October 20, 1955. The ceremonies took place in Sacred Heart Church. Under the Holy Father, Maximos IV is the spiritu shepherd of approximately 150,000 Milkites of the Byzan tine Rite of the Catholic Church. The Milkites use the Arabic language in their liturgical functions. The juris- diction of Maximos IV extends to all the faithful of his church living in the lands of the old Turkish empire (as of 1894) and Egypt. Approximately 20,000 Milkites have emigrated to the United States. They are served by priests subject to the local American bishop. For the seventh straight year, the Juilliard String Quartet occupied an important posi- tion in the Notre Dame Concert and Lecture series. On January 31, the group appeared in Washington Hall and featured string quartet compositions by Mozart, Beethoven and Bar- tok. Quartet-in-residence at the Juilliard School of Music, New York City, the ensemble is composed of Robert Mann and Robert Koff, violin, Raphael Hillyer, viola, and Claude Adam, cello. The Quartet has been acclaimed unique among groups of its kind because of its consistently youthful and fresh approach in chamber music interpretation. In addition to playing the traditional chamber music, the Juilliard String Quartet has brought to the fore the contemporary composers whose mas- terworks had remained inaccessible due to their immense technical difficulties and new- ness of musical language. 28

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Zelma Watson George, Ph.D., famed singer, | lecturer, actress, and educator, presented a program of Negro Spirituals in Washington i ! Hall on December 2. Mrs. George illustrated in song the importance of the Negro Spir- ituals in the historical, cultural, and sociologi- cal development of the Negro as a person. Mrs. George graduated in voice from the Conservatory of Music in Chicago. She also holds degrees from the University of Chicago, New York University, and the University of Southern California. She played the title role in Gian Carlo-Menotti ' s The Medium in Cleveland in 1949, and was invited by the composer to play the role on Broadway. She has had experience as a case worker and probation officer, and was Dean of Women at Tennessee State University. Mrs. George is now Secretary of the Board and Executive Committee of the Council on Human Relations, and Treasurer of the Uni- versity of Chicago Alumnae Club of Cleve- land. Players, Incorporated, of Washington, D. C., presented Shakespeare ' s King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing in Washing- ton Hall on January 8 and 9. The Players, a drama troupe composed of former students of the speech and drama de- partment at the Catholic University in Wash- ington, are now in their seventh season of touring the country. All of the members of the group have had professional experience in the theatre, television, or films. Their present tour includes 150 performances in 30 states and Canada. The Reverend Gilbert V. Hartke, O.P., founder of the group, who directed Much Ado About Nothing, is the head of the speech and drama department at the Catholic Uni- versity. The president of Players, Incorpo- rated, Robert B. Moore, who directed King Lear, is resident director at Saint Michael ' s Playhouse in Winooski, Vermont. Dr. Jose- phine McGarry Callan is the group ' s drama coach. Visitors

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The International Repertory Ballet Com- pany presented two nights of extraordinary ballet entertainment on the Washington Hall stage Friday and Saturday, February 3 and 4. The Concert and Lecture Series sponsored the performances, which included such works as Swan Lake, the Pas de Deux from Blue Bird, Americana 1861, Village Mazurka, and the ever popular Nutcracker Suite. A highlight of Friday ' s performance was the premiere of Pas de Trois, an abstract ballet choreographed by Joseph Carow, a guest star with the company. In addition to making tours throughout the country, the International Repertory Ballet troupe has frequently presented all of the bal- let in Pittsburgh Opera Company productions. On February 17, the Concert and Lecture Series presented the internationally known pianist. Grant Johannesen, in a concert staged in the Navy Drill Hall. Mr. Johannesen se- lected a program of classical and semi-classi- cal works for his appearance at Notre Dame. The young piano virtuoso, a native of Salt Lake City. Utah, made his debut in New York in 1944. Since then he has toured successfully in North and South America and in Europe. He played at the International Piano Festival in Belgium in 1949, and became the first American to win first place at the festival. During the current season he was heard again coast-to-coast by his ever-widening musical public. Mr. Johannesen also composes music. He has written music for voice, piano, and sev- eral other instruments. Several of his latest compositions were recently featured by the Piano Playhouse. Visitors