Entente Allies' Patriotic Music Festival, Charlotte NC USA, April 27, 1918

Entente Allies' Patriotic Music Festival, Charlotte NC USA, April 27, 1918

Music -- Music Festivals -- North Carolina -- United States -- World War I -- Camp Green

During the First World War community musical activities in Charlotte were heavily influenced by the army training camp on Charlotte’s west side known as Camp Greene. Many of Charlotte’s church choirs performed for the entertainment of the troops and in return regimental bands gave concerts for the appreciation of Charlotteans. It was natural therefore that the 1918 music festival was planned to honor Charlotte’s military guests. An organizing body formed called the Grand Opera Music Festival Association who invited an international cast of performers. These included French tenor Lucien Muratore, Francis Alda, a soprano from New Zealand, the Russian Symphony Orchestra conducted by Modest Altshuler, and French conductor Louis Hasselmans. Guests of honor at the Festival were the French high commissioner the Marquis de Polignac and his wife. The Marquis bid Hasselmans, the foremost French conductor of his day, to assemble a concert band from the musicians at Camp Greene as well as a chorus of school boys from Charlotte who were to sing “La Marseillaise” at the Festival.

The Festival was hailed as a great success, with an attendance of 12-13 thousand attendees from the United Kingdom, France, Italy, North Carolina and neighboring states. On the first evening 4-5 thousand crowded into the Charlotte Auditorium to listen to the military band conducted by Hasselmans and the school boy choir singing “La Marseillaise”.

Grand Opera Music Festival Association

Rare book collection, Special Collections, Atkins Library, UNCC

University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Atkins Library

1918

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Rare ML 28 C4 C457 1918

1918 -- 20th century United States --Charlotte -- North Carolina --United States