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Herbert WitIierspoon, niewly appoint- ed artistic director of the Chicago Civic Opera company, sailed this week j on bis flrst trip to Europe on behaîf of the conpanyr. Mr. Witherspoon plans to0 visit nmusic festivals at Bayreuth, Munich and Salz- burg, and to hean promising artists, in Paris, -Berlin, Milan and' other Euro- peannmusic centens,. He: wiil return about the flrsî of Septemfber.. Althoughi the nepertoire and singers have been decided upon, hie stililihopes, to make itrsigaddition --to .both for, the Çoining season, giving added zest to tbe opera season of 1931-32. Mr. Witherspoon basflot before been connected with the company, but lie is well known to the opera public as a miusician. of esbablished reputation, a singer of high achievement, and. a teaclier of mucli experience. 1-leis sea- soned . in b is contact with, bbc' public anid bis selection for the position, as successoe to (Giorgio Polacco, vbo ne- gives assurance tblat the artistic sie of the compan\', affairs, wili be weii, handled. ChicaL'oland Singers. Will Be in Audition Approximnîatelv tbne.e hundreçi Chi-. cago singers froul, everv section of be beard during the week of Jilv 20. in the Iargest audition ever held ir, the middle wvest, it is anîîounced by Mrs. Edmutnd J. Tyler,, clbairmian--ot- the J. L. Kraft Chicago auditon Chicago's five best voices wili I)c chosen fnom tlesé .entrants by judgeo. representing ev'ery major musical in- le heiçi july 20. and 21. ý'TheJetiv'Linds. and Carusos of the fu'ture should come from the mid- dle, west," Mrs. Tr-ler savs."Chi- cago' artists are unsurpassed in, mii- sical talent,' and, the Chicagkoland area is- rai)idly becomi ng knowvn a on e of the music and, radio ceîîters of the w'orld. "Applications for the J. I. Kraft frst apnal audition hav.e poutred iin froniail sections of tlie ciby andlsub- urbs, . iidicating. that' our musical talent is widelv and generously dis- Miss Lolita Bèrtling, daughtcr of Dir. and Mrs. A. E. Berbling of Wil- mette, won first place amnîg sopranos in the Chicago Atwater Kent contest last Wcdnesday at Kimbaîl hall. Stabe contests will be held in the f aIl, and the national contest during the winter. ïMiss Mary Livingstoil of Detroit was given second place. Robent Burns won first place in bhe teiior division. ,Miss Bertiing is a pupil of Frank Laird. Waller, and bas appearéd as, soloist with several sympbony orclies- tras, and over th1e radio a niumber of times. Shie sang "Depuis le Vour," an aria f rom Charpentier's opera, "lou- ise," and La Forge's -TO a Messenger" in the rment contest. Her voice is iyric', with a fulil, richi quality. After bbe necenit commencement pro- gram of tbe Guîîni Scbool of Music, wbiere Miss Bertling studies, one Chi- cago critic said of. ber, "Lolita Berblig is one of the most talented singers, that ýj The operas for this week-end a Ravinia. are "Manon Lescaut," b3 Puccini, on Thursday night, July 9 with Lucrezià Boni in the titie role Giovanni Martinelli as the Chevaliei des Grieux, Desire Defrere as Les- caut, Louis D'Angelo and Ina Bours- kaya.. Gennaro, Papi conducts.. 'On Fridlay night, July.10, "'Tosca, by. Puccini, will be sung by Yvonnc *Gali in the, titie .role, Edward John- ýson as Cavaradolssi, Giuse.ppeDanisE as Scarpia, Vittorio Trevisan as th< famocus Sacristan, and Aifredo Gan- dolfi, as tbe, fugitive. Gennaro, Papi will conduct. OnSaturday evenoing, "The Bar- tered' Bride,", a merry opera by Smetana, will be heard for the lirst time this- season, with Elisabeti Rethberg as, the chartning- Marie, .Mario Cham 1lee as the bargain-driv. ing suitor, Hans., Mr.. D'Anigelo as the mierry marrig 1ge broker,. Kezal, and'Marek Windheim as the addled stutterer. The opera is sur.g in Ger- man, and will be conducted by Louis 'Hassetlmans. Ruth Page, Blake Scott and the ballet will be seen. French National Concert The French national concert is on Sunday afternoon, july 12. Eric DeLamarter will conduct the Chi-. cago Symphony orchestra, ami Daniel Saidenberg, first 'cellist, wi111 'be the soloist, playing the Saint- Saens concerto for violonceilo. Thew orchestra will play "Le Carnival Romain," by Berlioz; suite froin "Dardlanis,"_ Rameau, edited and or- chestrated by 'Debamarter; 'Phae- ton," by Saint-Saens; "Danse Maca- bre," by Saiiit-Saens, with violin obbl.igato. by John WVeicher;. and dances from "Le Cid," by 'Massenet: "La Boheme," by Puccini, -,iil be. sung for the second time on Sun- day.nighit, .Juiy 12, with Lu 'crezia Boni again ini the role of Mimni, . but this time Frederick 'Jagel wtill* be' heartd as Rodolfo. The rest. of. the cast, is the: same as. before, .With M argery Maxwell, Mario Basiola , Virgilio Lazzari, Desire Deirere and 'others.. Mr. Papi conducts.. Bueos ~ ;"" -in Chicago. *zari. - -"No applications for entrance will Colon in Beo Aires as Fdliin - Thle conductorsneîeawilb *be accepted later blian Monday." Beethovcn's only1 opera. Madame EmlCoer hre La wers, Rbe * rturScnael fmos eranLeider, who also is -t sing Lsolde, at thc Paris opera in the role, of to Moranzoni, Egon Pollak, and F'rank *pAritu pedaogue ad teacer wti Bruennhilde in the Ring cycle, Kun- Bruennhîlde ini Wagncr's "Die Goet-S.Ler.Ilowonwrc itth piaist peaggueandteche, wlldry in "Parisfal," and other roles at terdaemmerung." Prom South SAmen- company ltfseason. Iaa Van Grov visit Amer ica for the firsttime next the Colon, was, warmly recei%red by ca, where she remains until late Sep- has also been engaged as conductor, and *fali, and i scheduled to1 e gve, concerts the Argentine public. Just previons tember, she plans ýto sail immcdiately tb stage director, Dr. Otto Erbardt, * in N4ew rôrk. bo saîling she had appeared.as guest for the United States. bas been, re-engage<j. y~ jý4 By Rutiieda 1-Pretzel C, ,'Tosca," .which makes its bow at Ravinia on Friday evening of this -week, july 10,' again brings Yvonne -Gall, French, prima donna, and .Ej- ward* Johinson, the American tenon who is. thoroughly at ease in the eFrench school, piaying vis-a-vis. In "Louise" and 'in "Faust'" Miss Gall. and Mr. Johnson est'ablish a emood which h olds the audience ini -sustained attention throughout the *Performanlce. Leon Rothier, .a vet- eran -of- French operati, tradition., -was the other memben of atrio which neyer fails 10 fuse inusic, and drama so artistically that one is bard- ly aware of. the, artificiality of the- vehlicle. As in ail fine presentations. opera is lifted to sucli heights that *the listenen is enchanted int believ.. ing that the only perfect expression of one's self is through nusic. Each, of these *artists .is alwaysý en- !irely. submerged in character, colon- E ang sing4flig and az'tioji so sensitïvely that the. illusion of actuality is created. The story assumes an imi- portant place, andi the true personalii. tics of the, stars fade behind the ass umfed personalities. ,One becomes absorbe.d.in.the motives.,behiind the. actions'of a Louise or her ,veary philosophical fatiier,é or au ardent. rejuvenated Faust, and 'after.thie per - forniance is over -more thani the eciî) of mîusic remains.. I n "Tosca," Miss Gall and Mr. Johnson %vili have Giuseppe Danise as the third member of the trio. H-e is to be heard in the' noIe of the vil- lainous Scarpia, which he acts and si4igs i a rnastenly mnannen. He is considered one of the greàt Scarpias of the age. Puccini has achieved greater uniuty in musical forni ni *Tosca' than ini any other opera hé bas written. Trhe orchestration is ric1ly simple, and t is-brought out ini ail its singing beau- t~by (,?eîlnaru Papi, %Nlio*is, undoubt- edly týhe greaitest conctuctor of opera In our countrv. Ciuic Opera Roster