A local jazz singer and a resident songwriter said it was destiny that brought them together for melodious moments.

Gita Blakeney and Lynda Barnes Lovett came together after a chance meeting through the Bermuda National Gallery and they have produced a single entitled ?Christmas in Bermuda?.

The idea for the song came when Mrs. Lovett, who first began visiting the Island in the late 1970s, was leaving during the Christmas holidays.

She said: ?I don?t want to leave Bermuda at Christmas time, I love it here.

?I thought, I have written songs before and I am going to write a Christmas song for Bermuda.

?So, we had it first arranged here and then, the more I listened to it, the more I wanted to put it into production. So I got my usual producer to work on it, with a 17-piece orchestra.?

At that time she did not know Mrs. Blakeney and she had a studio singer to record the track.

?At the same time I had an a cappella arrangement done in Los Angeles, and Inner Voices now perform it every year at their concerts,? she said.

?So, the first track on the CD was sung by Gita. I hoped that she would do it and it was in her range.

?The third item on there is a song that I wrote called ?Don?t Shed a Tear for Us in Bermuda?. It is not Christmas, but it is just a tongue-in-cheek, sweet Bermuda song.?

Mrs. Blakeney, who also sang at Isaac Hayes? birthday party, said she was glad for their friendship and collaboration on this project.

?There was an article on Lynda in the paper and I had a copy and Laura Gorham (director of the BNG) indicated that she was a Director?s Circle member,? said Mrs. Blakeney.

?So, I thought this is a wonderful opportunity to connect with her, because clearly I was anxious to meet a songwriter.

?And that was the catalyst behind it. Lynn said she had heard about me and it was interesting, because it was destiny for us.?

When Mrs. Lovett asked her to record the song, she said: ?I jumped at the opportunity because it is just such a beautiful song lyrically, the melody and with an orchestra to boot.

?You can?t say no to something like that.

?Besides this Lynn is such a prolific songwriter and really her music is wonderful, and hopefully in the future I?ll get to record more of her music.?

Mrs. Lovett said she began studying the piano when she was five and later went on to study at the Birmingham Conservatory of Music.

She said during her youth she played for schools, churches, in community events and then at ballet classes to earn money.

?Whenever there was something that needed an accompaniment, I played,? she said. ?So I got to learn to play a lot of different styles of music, spiritual to secular music, show tunes to rock and roll, plus classical music.

?So then I had an epiphany when I was a junior in college and I thought, what do you do with this music if you don?t teach little kids to play or sit on an organ bench in a church, which I didn?t want to do.

?So I did other things sales and stuff, and then I got married and had four stepsons immediately ? in our house ? and I was mommy. And I continued to try and make them appreciate music.

?Sometimes people say, ?Oh Lynn you should have been doing this all your life?. But I have had a great life and now I can do this.

?The technology is such, that when you hear this product it is very professional and I sit in my office with my dogs and write music. What could be better??

Mrs. Blakeney said she thought it was great that she and Mrs. Lovett have had an opportunity to work together.

?In Bermuda, we are such a diverse group of people, residents are living with us who were born here,? she said,. ?And I think that when opportunities come like this for Lynn and I to collaborate ? it is very special.

?And I really enjoy being with someone who loves music like I love it.

?I always call her my sister in music, because it just feels right because we love music and Bermuda. Lynn has come to Bermuda and learned to appreciate its culture and its people and this is home for me.

?I think this is what this country should be all about.?

The Christmas in Bermuda CD is available at the Music Box, Bermuda National Gallery, Pulp & Circumstance and the Island Shop. The CD is priced at $10 and with the sheet music is $15.