Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Friday 30 December 1932, page 3


Wilfrid Thomas.

Mr. Wilfrid Thomas, basso, who will participate in a special programme to be transmitted from England to Aus-tralia and New Zealand next Wed

Mr. Wilfrid Thomas.

nesaay, is no stranger to Queensland listen-ers. During June, 1930, just before he left Australia on a concert tour of the Empire with the Westmin-ster Glee Singers, he was engaged by Station 4QG for the purpose of producing and acting some of his radio plays, as well

as singing and piesenting some novelty programmes in collaboration with J. J. Donnellev. Wilfnd Thomas is a Welshman, but he was musically educated at the Syd-ney Conseivatorium, and made his debut in Sydney Town Hall at the age of l8 years, singing the bass solo m "The Messiah" for the Welsh Choral Society. Melba engaged him to support her on one of her tours. He gave several recitals, and sang in opera and oiatono with leading choial societies and symphony orchestias, and then joined the staff of the Australian Bioadcastmg Co, on whose behalf he visited the vaiious States. The late Edwaid Branscombe invited him to become a member of his world-famous company of Westminster Glee Sing-eis. Mr. Thomas accepted, and his last two conceit appearances prior to joining the company were In the Busbane City Hall, when he sang the part of Mephistopheles in "Faust" for the State Choir, with Mr. George Sampson conducting, and at Towns-ville, where he was guest artist at a concert of the Apollo Club. He made his first appearance with the Glee Smgeis at the Brisbane City Hall. Mr. Thomas is now settled as a concert and theatrical singer in London, but he maintains his interest in radio, and has been granted special facilities for the study of production technique at the BB.C.'s headquarters, where he frequently appears before the micro-phone.