Natives Encouraged

Rochester paid so willingly to hear pretty French Lily Pons sing in Lucia di Lammermoor fortnight ago that for the first time in eight years the Metropolitan Opera's visit showed a profit. Last week musical Rochester went three times to the big theatre named for the late George Eastman who gave it, and once to small, chaste Kilbourn Hall which Mr. Eastman built in memory of his mother. But no reckoning had to be done in either boxoffice. These concerts were the second annual Festival of American Music, given free by the Eastman School of Music. Under the direction of Howard Hanson music by 15 U. S. composers was played, none of it particularly exciting.

Radio gave U. S. music an added puff last week. Fortnight ago five unidentified symphonic compositions (weeded out from 573) were played over the National Broadcasting chain, listened to by 150 judges in all parts of the country who telegraphed their votes back to N. B. C. in Manhattan. Week later the five pieces were played again, the composers announced. Philip James of Manhattan won $5,000 for Station WGZBX, a midget symphony which ingeniously describes lobby confusion at a studio, interference and "static, a slumber hour, microphone hysteria. Another $5,000 was divided between Max Wald, a native of Litchfield, Ill., living in Paris; Carl Eppert of Milwaukee, Florence Grandland Galajikian of Maywood, Ill., Nicolai Berezowsky of Manhattan. President Merlin Hall Aylesworth of N. B. C. made the awards at the broadcast.

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