emerge from China'', will be the guest soloist in the famous Bruch Violin Concerto in G minor at the annual Gilbert & Sullivan Society Concert at St.

John's Church this weekend.

Twenty-five-year-old Xiao-Dong Wang, who has been causing quite a stir at the Juilliard School of Music where he was awarded a four-year special scholarship, has won the coveted Yehudi Menuhin Competition not once, but twice. He has already performed the Prokofiev 2nd Violin Concerto under Menuhin's baton at the Royal Festival Hall in London, and made his debut in Russia with the Novosibirsk Philharmonic, playing the Brahms Concerto.

He has toured Australia at the invitation of the Australian Broadcasting Commission and when the Juilliard Symphony Orchestra (which scored such a huge success in this year's Bermuda Festival) toured Asia, Wang was the guest soloist.

"Members of the Juilliard Orchestra were singing his praises when they were here in January,'' says concert director Mrs. Marjorie Pettit, "so we are very fortunate indeed to have him as our soloist.'' The concert gets off to a majestic start with one of the anthems, `Let They Hand be Strengthened', written by Handel for the 1727 coronation in Westminster Abbey of King George II and Queen Caroline.

The major work on the programme is Rossini's `Stabat Mater'. In spite of its subject matter -- a Latin hymn relating the agony of the Virgin Mary on the Crucifixion of Christ -- Rossini's version was first performed, to enthusiastic acclaim in Paris 1842. For it resounds with the operatic melody that one would expect from the composer of `The Barber of Seville' and `William Tell', and has become one of the most popular works in the Choral repertoire. The hour-long oratorio is scored for chorus and four solo voices.

"I felt that with an orchestra of 40, and 80 selected choir members, we had the resources to perform this piece well,'' says Mrs. Pettit, who has spent almost four months bringing the choir to perfection.

The orchestra, on the other hand, a selected professional group, will have only two rehearsals.

"But they've had the music for some time now to study, so this is quite normal procedure,'' she explains.

Drawing on Bermuda's burgeoning group of professional musicians for the nucleus of the orchestra, ten instrumentalists will be brought in for the occasion.

"We are extremely grateful,'' says Mrs. Pettit, "to the Menuhin Foundation who so consistently supply us with a core of first-rate musicians. And I'm pleased to say that three of the best Menuhin students will be playing in the orchestra this year.'' Bermuda's own Gary Burgess will be making a special visit home to sing the tenor solo in the Stabat Mater and Japanese soprano, Akiko Murakami, who sang regularly with the G & S Society while she was living here, will also be returning to Bermuda to sing the soprano solo.

Opera enthusiasts will be pleased to hear that baritone Brian Zunner who, two years ago, scored such a hit with Gary Burgess in their duet from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers, will be returning to sing in this concert. Besides singing the bass role in the Stabat Mater, he will also sing the popular aria, `Di Provenza Il Mar, Il Suol', from Verdi's `La Traviata'.

Completing the quartet of guest artists is American mezzo soprano, Trudy Weaver, who will sing in the `Stabat Mater' and also perform one of the best loved arias in all opera, `Que Faro Senza Eurydice' from Gluck's `Orfeo ed Eurydice'. Mrs. Pettit met Ms Weaver through her regular visits to the Berkshire Choral Institute, near Tanglewood, where the singer is one of the vocal coaches.

Once again, Mrs. Jeanne Masters, and her crew of 14 assistants will be filling St. John's Church with floral decorations for the occasion.

"There will be a musical motif with red, pink and white flowers, red being the colour of music, '' she says. "I've designed a centrepiece with a lovely old harp that used to be belong to my husband's great grandmother.'' The concert has been sponsored by the Bermuda Arts Council and other corporate and private sponsors.

"We are very grateful to our sponsors,'' says Mrs. Pettit, "and also to the people who are hosting our guest artists. They are the unsung heroes of these concerts because we could never manage without the generosity of our sponsors or the people who act as hosts.'' This year's concert will be dedicated to the memory of Mr. Keith Stanton, former assistant producer of the Society, who died earlier this year.

There will be two performances of the concert, on Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14, commencing at 8 p.m. in St. John's Church. Tickets at $18 are now on sale at the Visitors Service Bureau on Front Street, telephone 295-1727.

DELIGHTED DIRECTOR -- Gilbert & Sullivan Society Concert director Mrs.

Marjorie Pettit is pleased with the calibre of performers in this weekend's concert.