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Show YOUTHFUL SINGER Chillicothe Youth Is Nation's First Television Opera Star 1W if- A 12-year-old boy from Chillicothe, Ohio, has become one of the nation's na-tion's first television opera stars, a personality as well-known to the greats of the musical world as to the folks back home. In Chillicothe (pop. 18,340) Chet Allen developed his first taste for singing, along with cartoon sketching, sketch-ing, stamp collecting and football line play. When his family shifted to Columbus several years ago, Chet was already emitting the clear soprano tones that recently moved the great Arturo Toscanini to tears and wrung unrestrained plaudits from the nation's foremost music critics. " a His father, a chemical engineer, enrolled the curly haired youngster , in the Columbus Boychoir at Prince-ton, Prince-ton, N.J. Under the careful supervision super-vision of Herbert Hoffman, director of the Boychoir, Chet became a star soloist. He accompanied the choir on a bus barnstorming tour of 32 states. He was, In fact, a veteran musical campaigner by the time that opera composer Gian-Carlo Menotti visited the Boychoir in search of a lead for his television opera, "Amahl And The Night Visitors," commissioned iiir rrt irmrmmrinrtm t m itmmiirmmi m Twelve year old Chet Allen, Ohio's gift to television epers, sings with Rosemary Kuhlman In rehearsal of the Gian-Carlo Menotti opera, "Amahl And The Night Visitors." Chet, who was born In Chillicothe, Ohio, and now lives In Columbus, had the starring role of a crippled boy In the Menotti opera which had Its TV premiere over the NBC network. two years ago by the National Broadcasting Company. Menotti seized upon the Chillicothe youngster as a natural for the role of the crippled boy whose impoverished impover-ished mother was visited by the Three Wise Men. The youth's impulsive im-pulsive gesture in offering his crutch as a present to the new-born King in Bethlehem led to his miraculous recovery. CHET MOVED on New York with all the assurance of a widely trav eied adult. He became an overnight over-night hit with the opera's cast at rehearsal. His role was an exacting one, requiring a wide variety of emotions, and eminent musical men like Toscanini, who dropped in on rehearsals, were both moved and amazed by his vocal and acting capacities. So, too, were ordinary folks throughout the nation. The opera had Its premiere Christmas Eve on s national television hook-up. The next day NBC was deluged with letters, let-ters, telegrams and telephone calls praising the young artist. Chet liked what he saw of the big city, but he still feels that a small town has plenty of advantages. "You can get in touch with folks so much easier," he explains. Chet is now back at the Boychoir where Director Hoffman reports with pride 'that all the attention focused on him has not gone to his head "one whit." He makes occasional occa-sional trips to New York to complete com-plete a full recording of the opera for RCA Victor, and the remainder of his time is devoted to his school and to extracurricular activities. Whether Chet will continue as an operatic performer, or whether he will pick up the old life and perhaps specialize as a cartoonist or become an engineer like his father, depends upon nature. Director Hoffman estimates es-timates that in one year, possibly two, Chefs voice will mature. Whether the post-adolescent Chet will have the vocal capacity for an operatic career is something that neither Chet, Director Hoffman or anyone else will prophesy. In the past, instances of boy sopranos who successfully bridged the change of voice have been rare. But few have been as successful in pre-adoles-cence as young Allen and even fewer few-er have demonstrated his remarkable remark-able adaptability for operatic acting. |