February 16, 1951
THE TWIG
Page three
HOUSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FEATURES
ANIA DORFMANN AS PIANO SOLOIST THURSDAY
Efrem Kurtz, musical direc
tor and conductor of the Hous
ton Symphony Orchestra, which
will present a concert in Me
morial Auditorium on February
22, under the auspices of Civic
Music Association of Raleigh,
has conducted opera, ballet, and
symphony orchestras on six
continents.
The tall and friendly maestro
is now an American citizen, but
he was born in Russia and his
western career began rather
inauspiciously in a railroad
cattle car when he was forced
to flee the Russian revolution in
1917.
Kurtz first visited the United
States as principal conductor of
the famed Ballet Russe. Suc
cessful guest appearances with
symphony orchestras in this
country soon led to invitations
from S6uth America and Aus
tralia. When the Ballet troupe
toured Asia and Africa, Kurtz
was invited to conduct the prin
cipal orchestras on those con
tinents. He estimates that dur
ing his twenty-odd years as a
conductor, he has directed more
than 300 different symphony
orchestras.
An expert linguist, Kurtz
speaks five languages fluently
(English, French, German, Rus
sian, Italian) and thus has no
difficulty in transmitting his
verbal directions to his cosmo
politan orchestra.
The celebrated pianist, Ania
Dorfmann, who will appear here
on February 22, at Memorial
Auditorium, enjoyed a brilliant
career in Europe before coming
to the United States. Her ap
pearance shortly after her ar
rival here as soloist with the
NBC Symphony in Carnegie
Hall at the request of Arturo
Toscanini established her as an
artist of the first rank. Since
NEW STUDENTS
MOVE ON CAMPUS
Ania Dorfmann
then, she has toured through
out this country in recitals and
as soloist with all leading sym
phony orchestras. The 1950-51
season added the Houston Sym
phony to a long list which in
cludes the New York Philhar
monic Symphony, the Boston
Symphony, the Philadelphia
Orchestra, and the Chicago
Symphony.
Born in Odessa, Mme. Dorf
mann began her study of the
piano when she was a young
girl. After making her debut
in her native city at the age of
eleven, young Ania went to Paris
to study under the celebrated
teacher, Isidor Philipp. At four
teen she returned to Russia for
a visit and found herself in the
midst of the revolution. Years
of hardship followed before she
had an opportunity to return to
Paris.
Her concert in Liege, Belgium
began her formal career. Other
appearances on the Continent
followed and soon Mme. Dorf
mann was one of the leading
piano virtuosi of Europe.
Riding in on a cloud of snow
and ice, second semester brought
various changes in the campus
life here at Meredith—as well
as new subjects and new sched
ules, new students.
Up on third Faircloth Martha
Ware and Lois Johnson are new
dormitory students who are liv-
i ing in 319. Martha, an education
I major, is from Holly Springs,
I and Lois, a home economics
! major, comes from Clayton,
N. C. Down below on second
Faircloth Linda Swaim, a public
school music major from Buies
I Creek is rooming with Jean
I Leonard in room 213.
i Also located on second Fair-
j cloth is Pat Roberts, an organ
major from Lenior, N. C.
I In 314 Stringfield is Bobbie
Addy from Arlington, Virginia.
Bobbie is a freshman and plans
to major in home economics.
Verna Willetts has moved into
109 Vann. Verna is undecided,
but thinks that her. major will
be education. Connie Byrne, a
history major, is up on second
Vann in room 212. Connie’s
home is at Fort McClelland,
Alabama. Bobbie Hall, from
Roxborn, N. C., is now living in
317 Jones. Bobbie is a piano
major. Bernice Day is back with
us after recovering from her ac
cident last fall.
The heartiest of welcomes is
extended to each of our “new
girls on campus!”
BEHIND THE FOOTLIGHTS
VICTIMS FINALLY REACH SUNLIGHT AFTER
ESCAPE FROM THE ''BLACK HOLE OF CALCUTTA'
By MARIE EDWARDS
Or maybe you call the infirm
ary the dismal attic of Faircloth
or the hall of forgotten men.
Some old familiar faces are
again appearing on the campus;
victims of such epidemics as
mumps and flu have stag
gered down into sunlight once
more. Long, weary days they
have gazed down from the
fourth floor at happy, carefree
students on their way to class.
Incalcuable numbers of pills,
glasses of orange juice, and
thermometers entered their un
fortunate mouths. Days dragged
into months, and could easily
have developed into years in
the maddening quiet. With their
return to civilization interesting
(well, at least heart-rending)
stories are told by the “mump
ers.”
Mary Lou Booker flatly stated
that everything connected with
her sojourn was “tragic.” She
supplied the descriptive title for
this feature. The gist of her sad
story was that she never had the
mumps in the first place. From
her long stay in the bed Mary
Lou reports that the only thing
accomplished was a knowledge
of how one makes a hospital
bed. Mary Lou’s entrance into
the infirmary did bring a ray of
sunshine into someone’s life—
tnal of the long-termer Sarah
Cox.
Since their ailment was the
same and they were both “dead
ly contagious,” Sarah and Mary
Lou became roommates, tem
porarily. Sarah served seven
teen days in sick bay; she didn’t
mind, especially when she felt
rather “mumpy,” but after the
first days the novelty wore off.
From then on I have it on good
authority that she hung out of
the window by her “toenails”
and avoided the bed at all costs.
Cut off from the outside world
so cruelly, Mary Lou and Sarah
attempted to carry on cross
court conversations from their
high windows. Infirmary curfew
rings at nine so at night they
carefully waited until the
nurses retired and then broke
out the canasta deck. For exer
cise they rolled each other up
and down in the wheelchair.
One Saturday they decided
“enough was enough” so on
came the clothes! The nurses
discovered their little plot as
they started for the door, so our
heroines bravely hid in another
room. After a frustrated search
and almost a call to the dean’s
office (to report cases of mumps
on the loose) the nurses sighed
with relief when Sarah and
Mary Lou gave themselves up.
Toward the end Sarah says the
doctor never bothered to come
see her; when he finally dis
missed her, she was sure he must
have been sick himself.
“True Confession”
My high temperature had the
medical profession baffled! I
made my first mistake when I
glibly said, “Oh, yes, I know
Sarah Cox, Mary Lou Booker,
and Anne Moore (she had the
DEDICATION
This “letter edged in black”
is most respectfully dedicated
to the many Meredith students,
who, in the interests of higher
learning, eagerly supported the
recent production of “Romeo
and Juliet” by their conspicu
ous absence. May the numer
ous and sudden attacks of
amnesia which set in after the
unanimous vote to support the
project soon abate.
measles). At fifteen minute in
tervals they looked and poked
for symptoms, and I could see
the tears come to the doctor’s
eyes when nary a measle or
mump came to light. Finally the
verdict was flu and theybrought
out the penicellin needle. Need
I say more?
Of course to weaken you gen
erally (so you will be meek and
behave) the soup treatment
comes, tomato, chicken, split
pea—surely they’ll run out of
cans.
Yea, the infirmary is a nice
calm place to study for exams!
Yea, if you can squeeze it in
between orange juice, pills,
shots, the rest hour from two to
four, and the nine o’clock light
bell. Of course other people
have company but you are alien
ated from society with a tem
perature or the mumps. Visi
tors from the outside world
wave from a safe distance, real
chummy like.
Man is fundamentally a so
cial creature and he soon craves
company. Once the little ladies
in white caught me in my wan
derings (you meet the most in
teresting people in the halls);
they ushered me back to bed,
(Continued on page four)
By MICKY BOWEN
Although “Detective Story”
could not be acclaimed as a hit
of the season by Raleigh Little
Theatre standards, it neverthe
less was a competent produc
tion and afforded a good even
ing’s entertainment. The sets
and lighting, in fact, the general
atmosphere, were well created
and the cast had some fina mo
ments. The show as a whole
didn’t seem to hold together as
well as the ones done earlier
this year, unfortunately, but
this fault may be due to a rather
shallow script. The spirit of
theatre at Meredith was surely
in evidence and did itself proud,
however. Our favorite leading
man. Bill Hoffman, gave a very
good performance, as well as
Barbara Marshall, class of ’50,
and spouse, Tom.
We were very fortunate in
having the Playmakers on our
campus this week, in their road
show of “Romeo and Juliet.”
Probably the most inspiring
thing about their beautiful
performance was the fact that
the actors were, after all, only
students like ourselves, work
ing, for all their glamor, at this
business of formal education.
Alpha Psi Omega is giving
Meredith an incomparable op
portunity, on February 27, to
see the sort of thing a profes
sional actress must be able to
do. It is bringing Miss Cornelia
Stabler here to give a program
of interpretations that has been
acclaimed all over the nation.
Miss Stabler is often^called “The
One-Woman Theatre” and her
ability to create unseen char
acters is probably unequaled in
I the dramatic world. Her pro
gram takes the audience into a
j kind of theatre workshop and,
jto quote “Variety,” is “Scintil-
j lating . . . Witty . . . Most en
tertaining.” The whole student
body should enjoy seeing this
unique show.
Speaking of coming attrac
tions we must also include Ra
leigh’s next play, “The Mad
woman of Chaillot,” winner of
the circle award of 1948-49. The
play made theatrical history
when it opened, but is singular
ly hard to stage and has a cast
of forty. Brooks Atkinson called
it “pure gold,” and the Herald
Tribune lauded it as “sheer
theatrical magic.” The produc
tion is up to the ambitions of
the past seasons and should
bring out the best in local tal
ent.
Also in the category of future
events is our own spring produc
tion, to be held late in April.
The chosen play, “The Silver
Cord,” has only four feminine
parts, all of them quite difficult.
The play was a hit on Broadway
and has exceptionally good dia
logue. Try-outs will be held in
the near future, so watch for
the announcement.
According to the Hastings
“Collegian,” one of the students
at that school conducted a one-
man survey to see if professors
actually read all the term papers
required in a course. He inserted
a paragraph in some collateral
notes stating that he didn’t be
lieve teachers read what pupils
write, and asking the professor
to underline the paragraph if he
read it. The paper was returned
—unmarked.
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