The Bermuda Chamber Choir’s recent performance of classical poetry set to song was an engaging merger of music and words.The concert, entitled ‘Eternal Words, Eternal Music’ enjoyed a well-attended two-day run at St Paul’s, Paget on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, and delivered goose-bump inducing moments for music lovers and poetry lovers alike.One such moment was the gorgeous rendering of Robert Frost’s masterpiece ‘The Road Not Taken’. The American classic was included in a collection of Frost pieces called ‘Frostiana’, and was set to music by American composer Randall Thompson (1899-1984). The emotion, doubt, trepidation and ultimate poise in taking the road less travelled, as the famous line goes, was captured perfectly in overlapping layers of melody and voice. This was a deeply touching expression of human experience, wonderment, and redemption, and one of my personal favourite moments.Other excerpts of ‘Frostiana’ that proved memorable were ‘Come In’ (which featured a delightful performance from Toni Davis on the flute) and the timeless ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’. Until this concert, I never really realised how big a Robert Frost fan I actually am; simply stunning. I guess I can thank Ron Campbell and the Bermuda Chamber Choir for my newfound love for the writings of Robert Frost.This concert experience was enhanced considerably by the comprehensive programme booklet, which provided full text of the poems performed, along with succinct biographies of all the featured composers. This was definitely a culturally refined experience, presented with professionalism, class, and panache.Other standout moments included the lone Shakespeare offering: a sombre piece about nature’s fleeting freshness, or life’s terminal nature (whichever you prefer). ‘How Like A Winter (Sonnet 97)’ served as a jarring reminder that we only have so much time on this Earth to enjoy the music and words that surround us, and that we suffer most when words and music are gone. ‘How Like A Winter’ was set to the music of contemporary composer Ruth Morris Gray.‘Music, When Soft Voices Die’ was another sobering reminder that moments of joy, love, and voice must be embraced, cherished and always remembered. This piece was written by the incomparable Percy Bysshe Shelley, and arranged by contemporary American composer Victor C Johnson.Mr Johnson also composed the music behind the defiant Emily Dickenson classic ‘Heart, We Will Forget Him!’ This was a short piece depicting the struggle between the heart and mind of a lovelorn woman, and was accompanied by Alison Johnstone’s expert cello.The other side of love, the eternal, undying side, was depicted in the wonderful opus ‘I Carry Your Heart with Me’. This EE Cummings poem was performed to the music of contemporary American composer Z Randall Stroope, and accompanied by a heart-warming violin solo by Laura Springham; simply divine.The concert also featured poetry by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Alfred Lord Tennyson, William Barnes, Christina Rossetti, Mary E Coleridge, and Robert Richardson, along with musical compositions by Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Stephen Chapman, and Molly Ijames.The choir itself was in good voice throughout, and as conductor, Mr Campbell addressed the audience frequently with interesting details about the poetry selected and the composers used. It was quite educational as well as culturally rich and rewarding; a decidedly pleasant evening!