Oratorio Artists

              The Oratorio Artists
Reed Miller, Tenor
Florence Hinkle, Soprano
Lois Louise Davidson, Pianiste
Frederick Wheeler, Basso
Adah Campbell Hussey, Contralto
The Oratorio Artists
IT IS not often that lyceum patrons are given the op¬portunity of hearing four such voices in an evening as are brought together in this distinguished company. Everyone of its members is an artist of established reputation who, in the great musical festivals of America, and in innumer¬able concert and oratorio engagements, have called forth storms of approval from the most critical audiences. It is believed that this effort to present the best music by the best artists will not only commend itself to music-lovers, but will also be accorded their support and co-operation.
Miss Florence Hinkle, of Philadelphia, who is soprano of the West End Collegiate Church, New York, was a general favorite. She has a sweet and brilliant voice, fully capable of all demands of song, oratorio and opera should she choose, recently singing the soprano role in "The Messiah" in Easton, and soon to sing in "Hia¬watha. '' Her rollicking old English woodland carol and *' Love's Echo'' called forth an encore upon a still pret¬tier birthday song. Her ease and good-natured presence are exemplary.—Wash in (/ton Star.
Miss Florence Hinkle sang the soprano solos with splen¬did effect. She has all the qualities of a great singer; remarkable purity, beauty and volume of tone, coupled with distinctness of enuncia¬tion, and she makes a most happy impression by her manner and appearance be¬fore the audience.—Easton Sunday Call.
Miss Hinkle was by far the best vocalist selected for an Amphion concert in half a dozen years at least. Her first number wras "Elsa's Dream,'' from Lohengrin, and when she won the ap¬plause of last night's au¬dience, she won the ap¬plause of opera goers who have heard Eames and Nor-dica and other noted singers at the Metropolitan. It made no difference who had sung it before, Miss Hink¬le 's   interpretation    of    the
Wagnerian piece was at once enjoyable; it was more than enjoyable, for it was the song not only of a good voice, but of a thinking singer.—Jersey City Jour¬nal.
Miss Florence Hinkle, the young Philadelphia soprano, sang Verdi's aria, "O Don Fatale," with good feeling; also three small songs. Her voice is round and smooth, and her interpretation ex¬cellent. She received an en¬core after her third song, and responded with a catchy little love song.—Philadel¬phia Press.
Miss Hinkle's first selection was "Elsa's Dream," from Wagner ' s Lohengrin. She is a superb Wagner student. Her voice is of rare purity and her high notes were beautifully clear. For the time being she was really Elsa, falsely accused of the murder of her brother, Godfrey, and was singing to the assembled nobles of a dream in which Lohengrin appeared to her as her champion.—Pittsfield Evening Journal.
Miss Hinkle completely won the audience, and so pleased was it with her singing that she was in danger of being thoroughly tired by the num¬ber of encores to which she was forced to respond. Her voice is a remarkably sym¬pathetic, clear soprano and her enunciation is as near perfect as can be.—Hoboken Observer.
Miss Florence Hinkle, Soprano
It is true and stereotyped to say of Miss Hinkle that she has a clear, sweet and flexible soprano voice, and also true that to her vocal possessions she adds personal beauty and a charming vivacity of manner. Her appearance is all in her favor, so sweetly dignified is she in every pose, while for purity of tone and exquisite finish in every note and phrase, Miss Hinkle has few equals. She is the successor of Anita Rio, the matchless oratorio singer, in the West End Collegiate Church of New York, a position she has held with great distinction. Her studies were pursued under such well known masters as Armour Gal¬loway, Oscar Saenger, and George Henschel, all of whom have been most enthusiastic in develop¬ing the natural gifts of the young soprano. Madame Gerster, the famous prima donna, heard her sing and unhesitatingly pronounced her voice the most beautiful she had heard in America.
Miss Hussey showed the re¬sults of long and patient vo¬cal training. She sang, therefore, without apparent effort, and with true effect. We single her out because she was a conspicuous proof of the statement that even in a dramatic situation, it is better that the player should know how to sing.—Philip Hale, Boston Herald.
Miss Hussey looked the beautiful but exasperating 'l Carmen'f to perfection, and both her singing and ncting were of an excel¬lence that even a profes¬sional performer of several years' experience would have no reason to be ashamed  of.—Boston  Globe.
The chief attraction, in ad¬dition to our own local fa¬vorites, was Miss Adah Campbell Hussey. She has a splendid contralto voice, and completely charmed her a u d i e n c e.— Philadelphia Press.
Miss Hussey's contralto is rich in quality and large in volume, and she. sang sym¬pathetically, arousing the greatest enthusiasm of the evening by her spirited sing¬ing of Woodman's "An ()pon Secret.'' — Brooklyn Eagle.
Of the soloists it is difficult to say who really filled the first place in the affections of the audience. Miss Adah Campbell Hussey seemed in all respects entitled to the honor. Miss Hussey's work has never been excelled in this city. Pure, even tones, a correct interpretation and an admirable stage presence made her a universal favor¬ite.—Trenton Daily Ameri¬can.
The contralto, Miss Hussey, possesses a voice inexpress¬ibly beautiful -and well suit¬ed to the touching, sorrow¬ful music Handel gives to the contralto. The aria, "He Shall Feed His Flock,'> was exquisitely rendered, with deep feeling and a realiza¬tion of the true import of the poetic words of Isaiah, in themselves a worthy in¬spiration for any composer. The aria, "He Was De¬spised," was sung most feel¬ingly, and the recitatives were given w i t h . artistic appreciation. — Frederick (Mo'.)  Daily News.
Miss Adah Campbell Hussey Contralto
A matchless contralto voice, coupled with a winsome face and a graceful style, have combined to make Miss Adah Campbell Hussey one of the most conspicuous figures in the world of music. Her voice is rarely beautiful, the quality rich, sonorous, eminently sympathetic and sensuous at times, and she sings with such ease and self-possession, and with such an entire absence of effort, that the effect of her work is doubled. Only artists of the foremost rank can achieve the success that has come to her. Miss Hussey's execution and musical temperament speak for themselves, and her splendid dramatic ability compares favorably with that of the most famous artists on the operatic stage. In her oratorio and festival engagements she has always created a distinct sensation,, and has been accorded the highest praise by the most discriminating critics.
Miss Hussey is a contralto with a range and compass exceeding those of any singer who has appeared in tins city in years. Her high notes were wondrously pure and sweet, and she sang with an expression that delighted her hearers. Her songs all demanded encores, which were given with the same spontaneity of feeling.— Khnira Daily Advertiser.
Miss Hussey showed how-emotion could be conveyed, and yet the voice be true and steady.—Boston Tran¬script.
Miss Hussey has a rich con¬tralto voice of great com¬pass, the tones of her lower register being exceptionally full and rich. The quality of the voice is sweetly sym¬pathetic, and she has excel¬lent dramatic powers.—Bos¬ton Record.
To the contralto, Miss Hus¬sey, fell a large share of the most beautiful music. That exquisite aria, "He Shall Feed His Flock,'' one of the tenderest and most lovely airs written, was entered into in a manner which made one realize how thor¬oughly she appreciated its beauty, but it was not her best work. She excelled in the sorrow and grief of the aria, "He Was Despised." Her contralto is of a thor-oughly musical q u a 1 i t y, smooth, flexible and reso¬nant.— Syracuse (N. Y.) Post-Standard.
In Dvorak's Requiem, with the Cecilia Society of Boston under the direction of B. J. Lang, Miss Hussey's work was of the best. Her voice and musical qualities brought to mind the fact that Boston will soon lose a singer who will be sorely missed.—Pltilip Hale, Bos-ton  Herald.
Miss Hussey developed un¬suspected dramatic ability. —Louis Elson, Boston Ad¬vertiser.
Miss Hussey sang admirably in the Dvorak Requiem. Her advance in her art is so marked as to make one re¬call the time, not so very many years ago, when she used to step out rather shyly from the ranks of the Cecilia contraltos to sing some small solo. — Boston Journal.
In Grand Concert
It was then that Reed Mil¬ler was first heard, and there was no uncertainty about his singing. Rich, full, sat¬isfying it was. The great note of supplication was beautifully interpreted by both tenor and chorus. There was nothing to be desired in Mr. Miller's singing of the passage, '' Watchman, Will the Night Soon Pass?" was beautifully done.—Wor¬cester Telegram. Mr. Miller has a sweetly lyrical voice suited to a nicety to "The Messiah" solos, and besides rendering his parts clearly and per¬fectly as to tone and enun¬ciation, he threw into his work sympathy. — Minneap¬olis Journal.
In Reed Miller I rejoiced to hear a tenor who sets the ominous tradition w h i c h clings to most tenors at naught. He is not only the possessor of a big voice, clear as a bell and of splen¬did timbre, but he is also a thorough musician and deals with Handel as he ought.— Milwaukee Sentinel. Tt was in the opening chorus that Mr. Miller had the first opportunity of showing what a splendid tenor he pos¬sesses ; the audience was unable to detect a flaw in his voice, which was smooth and well rounded. It was his first appearance in Wor¬cester, but he was easily voted one of the finest ten¬ors the Oratorio Society has engaged. — Worcester Gazette.
The next solo was by the tenor, Reed Miller, whose ex¬quisite diction and pure, limpid, lyric tenor voice4 charmed the musicians pres-ent. His is a timbre that delights the ear, and his method is splendid. — New Orleans Times-Democrat.
Reod Miller, who sang the tenor narrator's part, has a voice of exquisite quality, Miid one of exceptional size; indeed, he is one of the best tenors that have come to Troy in quite a while. The part allotted him in the oratorio called for artistic work and was a trying part to sing, but lie did excellent work with it and showed himself a splendid musician, and also showed a thorough ac¬quaintance with the work.— Troy Evening Standard.
Mr. Reed Miller, Tenor
The golden tones of Caruso are echoed in the clear, far-reaching voice of Mr. Reed Miller. His singing is a delightful revelation to all who hear him for the first time, forcing upon them the realization that they are listening to one of America's greatest tenors. Not only does he possess a voice of extraordinary quality, pure, mellow, strong and exquisitely modulated, but he is also a thorough musician, and deals with the work of the great composers like a master. The advantage of natural gifts, conscientious study, years of experience as soloist at the Newr York Calvary M. E. Church, where oratorio is rendered each month with a chorus of one hundred voices, and the fact that he was chosen from hundreds of applicants to fill the important position of soloist at Plymouth Church, Brook¬lyn, have sufficed to place this excellent artist in the front rank of oratorio and concert tenors.
Mr. Miller created an excellent impression by the agreeable quality of his tenor and by authoritative style in sing¬ing. He was particularly successful in his interpre¬tation of the air, "Onaway! Awake, Beloved \" and his work in the third part, in which his voice rang out with inspiriting effect, and the genuinely artistic char¬acter of his performance gave much satisfaction to discriminating hearer s.— NeivarJc Evening News. Reed Miller's tenor voice is one of the most beautiful quality imaginable, pure, mellow, strong and exqui¬sitely modulated. His sing¬ing of "Thy Rebuke Has Broken His Heart,'' and the following aria, "Behold and See,'' was movingly beauti¬ful. — Minneapolis   Tribune.
But the feature of the even-in g was Reed Miller, for¬merly of Birmingham, and now of Xew York, where he is recognized as an artist of high rank. Mr. Miller pos-esses a beautiful tenor voice and his style is manly and dramatic. It is safe to say that never have the Mendels¬sohn numbers which he sang on this occasion been so ar¬tistically delivered in Bir¬mingham. H i s selection from "Elijah" was indeed a revelation. When Mr. Miller was the solo tenor at the Advent three or four years ago his voice was ap¬preciated, but with study lias come that matured qual¬ity which belongs to the artist.—Birmingham (Ala.) Age-Herald.
Reed Miller, the tenor, has a voice of beautiful color, and his phrasing is excel¬lent. His is just the style of voice we should look for in oratorios, not too power¬ful, not too passionate, but with all the calmness and smoothness required, ren¬dered in a fashion betraying at once fine intimacy with his subject and careful study of the part.—New Or¬leans States.
Reed Miller, the tenor, sang what approached a recital program in dimensions and made an excellent impres¬sion. He has a voice of* good quality, pure and sono¬rous, and his enunciation is excellent. — Rochester Post¬er press.
Mr. Frederick Wheeler re¬peated his former conspicu¬ously fine singing of the part of Christ.—.New York Herald,
Mr. Frederick Wheeler, bar¬itone, so captivated the au¬dience that he was honored with three recalls. Mr. Wheeler has a voice of won-derful power and compass, and afforded great pleasure to his listeners. Utica (N. Y.)  Press.
The words of our Saviour were sympathetically done in the unusual bass voice of M r. Frederick Wheeler.— New York Evening Sun.
Frederick Wheeler made his first appearance here and literally captured his au¬dience. He has great dra¬matic action and his enun¬ciation w a s particularly fine. Mr. Wheeler sang three songs which were gems.—Concord (N. H.) Pa¬triot.
Mr. Wheeler sang a group of songs—'' The Rose," by .Johnson ; Huhn 's ' ' Song of Clou nan,'7 and Damrosch 's " Danny * Deever. M Kip¬ling's popular poem brought forth, as usual, a great out¬burst of applause. Mr. Wheeler sang it witli un¬usual breadth of expression. which was indeed a revela-t i o n. — Elizabeth (N. J.) Daily Journal.
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Not for years have the mu sic-loving people of the town listened to a voice like that of Miss IIinkle.—Providend Evening Tribune.
Miss Hussey's full, rich contralto rendered "Fac ut portem" most delightfully. and her sustained notes and crescendos were most effec¬tive.—Frederick (Md.) Daily \'< ws.
Mr. Frederick Wheeler 
Bass-Baritone
It seems almost incredible that so young a singer, however gifted, could have accomplished so much in so short a time as has Mr. Frederick Wheeler. His magnificent voice, which is a bass-baritone, together with great temperament, artistic taste and scholarly interpretation, has won for him some of the most sought-for laurels in the concert field of America, and placed him in a leading position among the baritones of the world. Mr. Wheeler was engaged for the first production of Elgar's "The Apostles," given by the New York Oratorio Society, and his success in the interpre¬tation of the part of JESUS in this oratorio was so decided that he was engaged immediately for the second performance of the same work, given later by the same society. Mr. Wheeler's uniform success in these and other important engagements stamps him as an artist of exceptional ability.
The exacting work of nar¬ration done in recitative fell to Frederick Wheeler, bass baritone, and was splendidly done.—Albany (N. Y.) Jour¬nal.
The soloist was Frederick Wheeler of New York. He has a magnificent voice, splendidly trained, and he surely won the hearts of his appreciative listeners.— Scran ton  (Pa.)  Truth.
He is endowed well by na¬ture vocally, and gave a praiseworthy performance of his part.—New  York Press.
Frederick Wheeler, the bari¬tone soloist, was a most sat¬isfying artist. His singing of the aria from "La Gio-conda '' was a decidedly well done bit of work. He was in splendid voice and showed forth in the most brilliant light his command of the art of song.—Scran-ton  (Pa.) Times.
Christ's utterances were sung exceedingly well by Mr. Wheeler. — New York Mail and Express.
Frederick Wheeler has gained much in style and has not lost the singing qualities of a manly voice, first heard in the "Apos¬tles" a few years ago.— Neiv York Evening Sun.
Mr. Frederick Wheeler's two songs, "Drink to Me Only" and "The Two Grenadiers" were admirably suited to his rich and powerful baritone. He delivered them with the discretion and intelligence of a cultured artist.—Alien-to ten   (Pa.)   Chronicle-News.
Frederick Wheeler was one of the successes at the Festival. He is a young man, possessing a large bass voice, that retains its full quality in its upper, as well as the middle and lower reg¬isters.—Lowell (Mass.) Tel-egram.
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The star of the evening was Miss Adah Campbell Hus-sev, who won the unqualified approval of her audience in her several songs. Miss Hnssey possesses a very sweet and flexible contralto voice and a winning stage presence. She was enthu-siastically encored at the close of each of her selec¬tions.—Halifax  Daily  Echo.
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Miss Davidson is not only wonderful, but brave. She toys with Liszt transcrip¬tions, rhapsodies, etc., as does her renowned master, Sherwood. — Chicago Daily News.
Miss Lois Davidson's play¬ing was simply marvelous. Her three numbers were ad¬mirably interpreted, and at times during the rendition of "Rigoletto de Verdi" the critical audience seemed spellbound, and a great out¬burst of applause followed as she left the platform.— (Chicago   lie cord-Herald.
Miss Lois Davidson's pian¬ist ic ability was tested from several points of at¬tack. She deliberately faced a formidable foe and con-quered him, beginning with a concerto by Arensky, which sought not to bring an untimely climax in the concert, and, therefore, was correctly played first. She toyed with the most feath¬ery passages, bounded through the bravura on oc¬casion, forged to the front or modestly retired in defer¬ence to the second piano (Mr. Sherwood at the sec¬ond piano), according to the behests of fine art, and left the impression at the close of a perfect mastery of self and of the piano.—Chicago Inter  Ocean.
Miss Davidson's piano play¬ing is coming to be one of the features of the musical world. While her musicianlv qualities alone are not enough to recommend her to the most fastidious music lovers, the poetic charm of her personality makes an audience her own before she proves her power as a player.—Chicago Times-Her¬ald.
It is one thing to admire the splendid technique which masters a Liszt rhapsody and a Chopin polonaise—it is another to listen with moist eye and swift-beating heart to song divine, such as the simple melody given when Miss Davidson was last recalled.—Joliet (III.) Ee-publican.
Miss Davidson proved her¬self a marvelous pianist. Masterpiece after master¬piece was given with ease, brilliancy, purity of tore and exquisite interpretation. —I)wight  (III.) Herald.
Miss Lois Louise Davidson
Pianiste
It is but fair to say that none amon# the younger group of musicians has so firm a grasp of the mental and physical requirements of piano-playing as Miss Lois Louise Davidson. Although but just turned twenty she has had already the distinction of playing for some of the most celebrated artists, as well as many of the most eminent musical critics, and has received from them the warmest praise and applause for her artistic and technical performances. She is pre-eminently a Liszt player, yet she presents a superb repertoire of great attraction from various schools. Her artistic renderings of these master compositions are simply marvelous, and the famous composers live again while she is at the piano. Miss Davidson's charming personality is greatly in her favor. Her piano-playing is a notable new feature presented to the music world.
Miss Davidson has a power of memorizing that is pos¬sessed by few artists so young as she, and her breadth of understanding of the classics and higher or¬der of musical creations simply borders on the mar¬velous)—Western   World.
Miss Davidson won us all. She is a bright, interesting, modest, young miss, who fairly crept into our hearts with her innocence and her charm till she touched the keyboard, then she filled our souls to overflowing. It is not unfair, but only just to Miss Davidson, to say that she is the most soulful pian¬ist e that has been in a pub¬lic entertainment in this city in many a long day.—Ot¬tawa  (111.)  Daily Journal.
In the first number her brilliancy a n d technique were displayed to advantage, and in the second, "Rhap¬sodic Hongroise No. 6," from Liszt, Miss Davidson brought out the wealth of power and expression which was hidden in the composi¬tion and can be awakened only by the skilled and sym pathetic artist.—Joliet Daily News.
Judged in the order of its relative musical importance, one might say the piano took rank, the violin next, and then the voice. Speaking of the performance, however, it would be safe to say they were equally meritorious, un¬less we are forgiven the sen¬timent in favor of Miss Davidson. After hearing the master pianists of the day, and then being, en¬chanted by a girl of e:gh-teen, and that at a Liszt program, too, one may be pardoned for excessive en¬thusiasm. She played with a success that betokened the power, not only to repro-duce in the sense of per¬forming a given composi¬tion, but of recreating it so that even the composer * might discover new possi¬bilities in his own work— Schuman acknowledged this to Liszt once—and Liszt was a colossus. — Musical Etude.
Miss Davidson displayed much feeling and poetic in¬terpretation, her shadings were artistically done, and the whole performance was commendable to a high de¬gree.—Chicago Ch ronicle.
Under the Exclusive Direction of FUED   PELHAM, Orchestra  Building, Chicago