From the time he joined the faculty of the Bermuda School of Music, classical guitar teacher Stephen Crawford has dreamed of organising what he believes to be the Island?s first-ever classical guitar festival. Now his dream is about to come true.

From May 28 to 30 a series of concerts, masterclasses and workshops will take place, the stars of which will be the internationally renowned Katona Twins, Peter and Zoltan, who thrilled sell-out audiences in the 2001 Bermuda Festival.

?Having attended classical guitar festivals in the US, England and Scotland, I was always motivated to start one here because it will not only improve our knowledge of the guitar repertoire but also inspire and motivate the students ? and hopefully make them practice to get to the next level,? Mr. Crawford says.

In addition to the workshops and masterclasses, the Bermuda Classical Guitar Festival will include four concerts.

Tooz Company, featuring Mr. Crawford and flutist Nancy Smith, will open the Festival on May 28. Joining them for some pieces will be cellist Sarah Danby and voice student Laura Fasulo. This programme will include works by Scarlatti, Gaur?, Poulenc, Boccerini and Piezzolla.

This will be followed on May 29 by the Katona Twins, who will also give a special Junior Concert for children on the afternoon of May 30. In the evening there will be a short concert presented by Bermuda School of Music students, during which an original composition by well-known Bermudian guitarist Milt Robinson, entitled ?The Happy Toad?, will be performed.

?For some children, it will be the first guitar concert they have ever attended,? Mr. Crawford says.

The programme for the Katona Twins? major concert on May 29 will include works by Vivaldi, Rossini/Giuliani, J. Rodrigo (arranged by Katona), Manuel de Falla, M.C.Tedesco, and Astor Piazzolla.

All concerts will take place at St. Andrew?s Presbyterian Church ? a venue Mr. Crawford feels is suited to the guitar because of its excellent acoustics and intimate atmosphere.

?(The minister and fellow Scot) Reverend Duncan Jeffreys has always supported music, and has been so helpful and obliging,? he says. ?It is great for someone in the community who is only too happy to help out, and that is an important part of making the festival work.?

The Katona Twins will conduct masterclasses at St. Andrew?s Church on May 29 and 30, and will also lecture on transcription ?through the medium of the guitar? at Mount St. Agnes Academy on May 30.

Also contributing to the festival will be Michael Jones, who studies guitar with Mr. Crawford and has a specialised knowledge of pre-1750 music. He will lecture to students at Mount St. Agnes Academy on ?European Tableture 1470-1670? .

The prize-winning, Hungarian-born Katona Twins have given recitals around the world, performing in such renowned locations as Carnegie Hall, the Purcell Room of London?s Royal Festival Hall as well as Wigmore Hall; the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Forbidden City in Beijing, and the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Germany.

Among the many prizes they have won, individually and as a duo, include: the Concert Artists Guild competition in New York and the Young Concert Artist Trust auditions in London, both of which led to international management and tours; as well as the S.T. Johnson Foundation prize, the Laura Ashley prize; first prize in the prestigious guitar duo competition in Montelimar, France, among others.

From the age of ten Peter and Zoltan have studied individually and as a duo in Budapest, Frankfurt and the Royal Academy of Music in London, and their teachers have included renowned classical guitarists Julian Bream and John Williams. The duo are also recording artists who have recorded with the BBC and other international television and radio stations, and have released a number of albums.

The Bermuda Classical Guitar Festival is being held under the auspices of the Bermuda School of Music, and while corporate sponsorship has not yet been forthcoming, Mr. Crawford remains optimistic.

?The first year is a hard sell,? he says. ?Hopefully, this festival will be a success so that companies will be encouraged to become involved in making it an annual event. In future, I want to add more dimension, and incorporate a fusion of different musical styles such as jazz guitar, blues and rock styles. Life is too short for one guitar recital every two years.?

Lest anyone be put off by the term ?classical guitar?, Mr. Crawford points out that, contrary to the popular misconception that this means the playing of classical music only, in fact it is a reference to the classical fingering style.