[Illustration: FLORENCE EASTON]
"The American girl, trained in the studio, has little idea of what it
means to sing in a large hall or opera house. In the small room her
voice sounds very pretty, and she can make a number of nice effects; she
may also have a delicate pianissimo. These things are mostly lost when
she tries them in a large space. It is like beginning all over again.
She has never been taught any other way but the studio way. If young
singers could only have a chance to try their wings frequently in large
halls, it would be of the greatest benefit. If they could sing to a
public who only paid a nominal sum and did not expect great things; a
public who would come for the sake of the music they were to hear,
because they wanted the enjoyment and refreshment of it, not for the
sake of some singers with big names, they would judge the young aspirant
impersonally, which would be one of the best things for her.