Bermuda will have its first Bermuda Classical Guitar Festival next year, if teacher Stephen Crawford's plans succeed.

A classical guitar teacher with the Bermuda School of Music, Mr. Crawford has earmarked one weekend in June, 2004 for the event, which will start on a small scale and, he hopes, build as the years go by.

"A classical guitar festival has been in my thoughts for a long time, and the aim will be to bring professional teachers and performers to the Island to enhance the musical ability of students here. It will be a good lift for guitar students, and also provide enjoyment for the public," he says.

As a first step to financing the festival, Mr. Crawford has organised a classical guitar concert for Friday, June 6 at St. Andrew's Church, all proceeds of which will go towards financing the festival. Entitled `500 Years of Guitar for Solo and Chamber Ensembles', the programme will include works by Renaissance composer John Dowland, Boccherini, Tchaikovsky, Barrios and Tarrega, as well as the premi?re of `Place des Vosges', written by James Burn and played by Mr. Crawford. Composer Mr. Burn is well-known here, most recently for the sell-out success of his play, `Legacy Falls', which was performed at Daylesford Theatre.

"I asked James to write a piece for guitar, and several months later he put `Place des Vosges' in my hands, and it is really beautiful," Mr. Crawford says.

The programme will open with `Spanish Suite', performed by The Bermuda Guitar Quintet, which includes Mr. Crawford and four of his students, Adam Tucker, Madeline Gardner, Maia Francis and Mark Dyer.

This will be followed by a selection of songs by Dowland for voice and guitar, in which the singer will be Bermuda School of Music principal John York Skinner. Vivaldi's `Guitar Concerto in D Major' for strings and guitar will follow, with Mr. Crawford as soloist, and including Jyrki Pietila and Charles Arnold (violins), Sarah Danby (cello) and Carol Everson (bass). Miss Danby and Mr. Crawford will then join forces for Tchaikovsky's `Valse Sentimentale'. The first half will conclude with Boccherini's `Menuet' arranged for guitar and cello.

Mr. Crawford will be the soloist throughout the second half of the programme, when he will perform the Burn work, as well as `Cavatina' by Myers, the popular `Recuerdos de la Alhambra' by Spanish composer Tarrega, and `Barcarola' by the South American composer Barrios.

The June 6 concert will begin at 8 p.m., for which tickets ($20) are available at the Bermuda School of Music on Trott Road, Hamilton.

Sponsors are also needed for next year's Bermuda Classical Guitar Festival. Anyone wishing to assist should contact Mr. Crawford at 296-5100 or fax 292-9471.