The Music Society in 1960 is flourishing, and giving the cultural side of student life greater incentive for performing as well as listening. The fortnightly concerts throughout the year have shown a great variety in the talent of performers and works performed.

We have recently heard besides the usual piano items, various combinations of stringed Instruments, works for flute, recorder, harpsichord, guitar, bagpipes and vocal airings, and works from the 17th Century to those by contemporary composers.

On July 20 the Camena String Quartet (Penelope and Christopher Saunders and Edward and Ross Pople) which won the New Zealand Chamber Music Federation's Junior String Quartet contest, performed the winning works; Mendelssohn's Quartet Op 12, and Haydn's Quartet Op 74 No. 2.

The Music Society In conjunction with the Music Department organised a memorable public concert, on July 27, by the New Zealand String Quartet (Alex Lindsay, Ritchie Hanna, Glynne Adams, and Farquhar Wilkinson) with Guy Henderson (oboe). They performed Tippett's String Quartet No. 2. Mozart's Quartet for Oboe and Strings K 370. and Prokofleff's String Quartet No. 2. Although this quartet was recently formed their standard of execution as a group seems to point towards a degree of skill comparable to most visiting overseas groups heard In this country to date. It is to be hoped that they will survive as a group and thus serve the art of Chamber Music in New Zealand.

Coming Concert

The forthcoming concert on Wednesday. August 10, at 7.30 p.m., promises to be an entertaining evening since it is the night set aside each year for the performance of compositions by students of any faculty. Although there are many and varied works for this year's concert most of them are of short duration and music-lovers are assured that they are well worth coming to listen to.

Arts Festival

The Society is also making its contribution to the University Arts Festival. Victoria students are performing in each of the three concerts. Besides works by established composers, works written by our students will also be heard. It is notable that our students have written music of a sufficiently high quality to hold a place alongside the recognised works. The three student compositions for the Festival will first be heard at the Composers' Concert on August 10.

—E. K. & G. M.