singer Gary Burgess as the new Cultural Affairs programme coordinator.

The assignment comes more than a year and a half since Mr. Burgess was snubbed for the post of Cultural Affairs officer -- a move that shocked supporters of the internationally known tenor and music educator.

In March 1997 Mr. Burgess was not on the short list for the post -- the second highest in the ministry -- and a Government spokesman said that an applicant from within in the public service is considered before one from outside Government.

Former teacher Heather Wilson was chosen as the new Cultural Affairs officer to replace Ruth Thomas who retired.

Mr. Burgess -- a Doctor of Musical Arts -- will take up the post on October 1 and will be responsible for coordinating Heritage Month activities and other cultural projects and educational programmes.

Mr. Burgess is a former professor of voice and opera at Buffalo University and the founder and director of the Greater Buffalo Opera Company which staged four major operas a year at the 3,000-seat Buffalo Opera house.

He has been called Bermuda's most renowned cultural export and is considered a major star in music and arts circles.

Mr. Burgess has won the coveted Prix de Claude Debussy in Paris in 1984, and dozens of other awards including a Life Time Achievement Award in 1996 by the Ministry of Culture.