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Show Famed Ionian Singers To Appear at Cranite Arts Concert November 8 The Ionian Singers, who will be heard Tuesday, Nov. 8, 1949, at 8:15 p.m. in the Granite High School Auditorium under the auspices of the Granite Arts Association is ensemble established several years ago with the purpose of seeking out and making available avail-able to the bublic the best of male-voice music, from the days of Palestrina to our own. Its research has unearthed masterpieces! master-pieces! which have been completely com-pletely forgotten because of the long-standing preoccupation of male singing groups with the less difficult ballads and popular popu-lar hits of the hour. The personnel c olm prises Alan Adair, first tenor; Albert Barber, second tenor; Jean Pi-Ion, Pi-Ion, baritone, and Hildreth Martin, Mar-tin, basso. Musical Literature The Ionian Singers were organized or-ganized in the belief and have continued the proved certainty that there is a fine musical literature which is being left unexplored by male singing groups, and wftiich has genuine I appeal for the public. Without New York theaters, and traveled with a concert quartet which also featured bell - ringing. Meanwhile, he was studying piano-tuning as a hobby, and developed such skill that, as an expert piano technician, he has made it a major occupation along with his radio, church and concert appearances. Boy Soprano Albert Barber first won fame as a boy soprano soloist in the churches of Sacramento, and went on to win the vocal scholarship offered by his California Cali-fornia high school. His first job was as a reporter on a newspaper news-paper in Manila. During this period he continued to study voice until both job and studies were interrupted by service with the Rainbow Division in Franco under Gen. Douglas MacArthur. He varied his military mili-tary duties by entertaining the AEF and during the trip across recourse to more questionable material than folk ballads, the Ionians have justified their faith by assembling programs of great variety and interest and of exceptional musical worth. Tuesday's program will be the third of a concert series. The next attraction will be Hal and Ruby Holbrook scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 8. Personnel Alan Adair, though born in New York state, spent his early life in the middle-west. His first professional singing engagements en-gagements occurred in the prominent pro-minent movie theaters of Chicago and St. Louis. His outstanding lyric voice, possibly a heritage from his Welsh forbears won him the sponsorship of SL Louis citizens, and with the proceeds of concert and theater work he came to New York to study. For some time he continued con-tinued to appear in the leading he was eight times sumomned to sing for the General Staff. Upon his return to America he established himself in New York as a very successful teacher teach-er of voice and as a soloist in churches and with such major organizations as the Scholacan-torum, Scholacan-torum, the Oratoria Society of New York and the New York Symphony Orchestra. Born in Wyoming Jean Pilon, baritone, began his musical career as a pianist. His first lessons were given him by his mother when he was very small. But more serious study began when the family moved from their native Wyoming Wyo-ming to Denver, Colo. His first vocal recognition came when, still in high school he won an Atwater-Kent radio contest. At the Chicago Musical College Mr. Pilon was twice awarded the Oliver Ditson Scholarship of one thousand dollars, and upon attaining at-taining his Master's degree he was made assistant to the head of the Vocal department, a post he held for six years. After three years of service in the Armed Forces, most of them spent overseas, he returned to a crowded schedule of singing engagements en-gagements and teaching in New Y'ork and for a season he served on the faculty of the renowned Westminster Choir School in Princeton. Founder The New Englander in the group is Hildreth Martin. Unlike Un-like the other Ionians, he evinced little interest in vocal music until after his voice had changed. Assured, after some experience as soloist in church choirs and in college glee clubs and quartet, that he had a fine singing voice, and musical talent, he came to New York to study, and remained there because be-cause of the numerous engagements engage-ments which opened to him in choirs ensembles, and madrigal groups. He felt too, that too little attention was paid to male-voice compostions of high quality, and in time was instrumental instru-mental in organizing the Ionian Singers and assembling their repertoire. |