The Icelandic Canadian - 01.03.1954, Síða 31

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
29
Leona Oddstad Gordon Sings in Hawaii
Leona Oddstad Gordon
A Hawiian Island November vaca-
tion with enough concert work to keep
them in practice was “like a dream”
for Leona Oddstad Gordon, lyric sopr-
ano, and her husband Marcus Gordon,
concert pianist, of Berkley, California.
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon were in
Honolulu for two concerts during
Thanksgiving week, performing with
the Honolulu Symphony orchestra
under the conductorship of George
Barati, who is from San Francisco and
an old friend of the Gordons. Besides
having a wonderful holiday the Gor-
dons found time for sunning at Wai-
kiki Beach, and many interesting dis-
cussions on music with Mr. and Mrs.
Barati.
Arriving early in November in
Honolulu, the Gordons made their
island debut in a semi-classical con-
cert with the orchestra, Nov. 10. Mr.
Gordon also played Nov. 22, and 24
with the Honolulu orchestra in its
regular winter series. According to
Gordon “the orchestra here (in Hono-
lulu) is remarkable. Those who con-
sider Hawaii a remote part of the
country are startled to find an orchestra
of first-class caliber. I note a remark-
able improvement in just two years
since my first visit here in 1951 during
which time I played solo con-
certs and chamber music but had the
opportunity to hear the orchestra. I
congratulate Mr. Barati and his
orchestra on a magnificent achieve-
ment.”
Leona Gordon is the youngest of
five children of Dr. Andres Fjeldsted
Oddstad and his wife Stefania Ingi-
bjorg (Emma Stoneson) Oddstad, of
San Francisco. Mrs. Oddstad is a sister
of the well-known Stoneson brothers
and of Mrs. Chris topherson, the
mother of Eileen Christie (see Icel.
Can. Spring 1952, p. 36).
Like her cousin, Eileen, Leona start-
ed her public career in singing with
the San Francisco Bank Christmas
Chorus (1947-1950). Since then she has
taken part in operas, made appear-
ances on radio and TV, has sung many
solo recitals in the Bay area, and
made concert tours with her husband.
She has been a member of the San
Francisco Opera Ass’n, and did the
role of Nanetta in Verdi’s “Falstaff”
produced by Stamford University.
Leona was born in San Francisco,
July 7, 1928. She studied for three
years at San Francisco State College,
majoring in music, and then registered
as a senior at U. of Cal. but did not
stay to graduate, her music activities
by then making great demands of her
time. She has participated in other
artistic enterprises, such as dancing
and acting, at the San Francisco Muni-