The strains of Vivaldi, Gabriel Faure m and Albinoni should literally ring to the rafters when the Bermuda Philharmonic Society presents its next concert at the Anglican Cathedral.

Conductor Graham Garton confirms that the new Cathedral sound system -- six years in planning and implementation -- has now been completed and will be fully operative for the Society's November 5 musical event.

"It's the most sophisticated system that money can buy, with different settings for different kinds of events,'' he explains.

Mr.

Garton admits he is approaching the new Philharmonic season with even more enthusiasm than usual, having spent part of this summer as one of 21 members of the Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD) who attended a study tour of Finland.

"I think the choirs and directors of Finland are probably the best in the world and we were privileged to spend sessions with many of their choirs and studying their methods.'' The highlights of his trip included visits to the Sibelius Academy where 60 choral, orchestral and church musicians are in training, and to Ainola, the home of Sibelius, Finland's greatest composer.

He also attended ABCD's annual convention in England, with visits to the Birmingham Symphony Hall and working sessions with leading directors and composers.

Two flute players from the Philharmonic Orchestra -- Sheilagh Robertson and Nancy Smith -- have also been busy this summer, attending, as performers, William Bennett's Master Course, held in Bath.

Mr. Garton has selected one of the most enduringly popular pieces in the concert repertoire as one of the two main works for this 35th season.

"Vivaldi's `The Four Seasons' provides a lovely shop-window for the Menuhin Foundation because four of their teachers -- violinists Carolyn (Cal) Fell, Kerry Haslam, Sarah Bridgland and Diane Hamilton -- will be playing the four concertos.'' The baroque composer took four anonymous Italian sonnets describing the seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter and wrote what was, for his time, incredibly idiomatic music which echoed babbling brooks, dancing nymphs and shepherds, chattering birds, dancing peasants, and hunters "with their horns, their guns and their dogs''.

"People don't know the poems, so I'm planning to display the texts to tie in with the music so that the audience can see how each sonnet is illustrated,'' explains Mr. Garton.

All four soloists are well known to local audiences. This season, Kerry Haslam takes over as orchestra leader. A graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, Ms Haslam has, since her arrival here, been the featured soloist in Mozart's Violin Concerto in D major, Bach's E and Double Violin Concertos, and was a soloist under the baton of Lord Menuhin in last year's gala performance for the Bermuda Festival. She has also led the orchestras for the May Heritage concerts and major musicals for the Gilbert & Sullivan Society.

Cal Fell studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire of Music and at Bristol University, where she led their chamber orchestra and was president of the University Music Society. Before her arrival in Bermuda, she was Head of Strings at Guildford's Royal Grammar School.

Sarah Bridgland attended Trinity College of Music in London and taught both violin and viola in London before joining the Menuhin Foundation in 1988. She has also gained her LRSM in Voice since her arrival here. She was also one of the soloists in the Menuhin Gala Concert.

Diane Hamilton began her music studies in her native Belfast before going on to the Royal College of Music, where one of her tutors was Josef Horowitz.

While in London, she toured Europe with the London Arts Orchestra and Junge Philharmonia of Cologne. She recorded the solo violin soundtrack for a BBC Radio 4 play and, on her arrival here, was also a soloist in the Menuhin concert.

The next work in the programme, Faure m's Requiem, was written in 1888 for soloists, chorus, organ and orchestra.

Its beautiful melodies have made this work, composed in memory of the composer's father, one of the best loved in the choral repertoire.

The soloists for this work include soprano Madree Cross, making her debut with the Society, and the first time she has ever sung to the accompaniment of an orchestra. A well-known member of the Allen Temple Choir, she studied with Danny Hill and is now a voice student of Mr. Garton.

Baritone Peter Nash needs no introduction, having been a leading soloist with the Philharmonic for many years now. Besides oratorio, which, he says, remains his first love, Mr. Nash has also taken leading roles in many theatre productions, including `That Somerset Lot' over 30 years ago, and for the Gilbert & Sullivan Society.

Ruth Henderson opens the programme as the organist in the Adagio in G minor, by Tomaso Albinoni, who was a contemporary of Vivaldi.

Ms Henderson, organist at the Cathedral, is the Head of Music at Saltus Grammar School.

The Philharmonic Concert at the Anglican Cathedral takes place on Sunday, November 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets at $20 (students and senior citizens $12) are available from Meyer Agencies, Pianos Plus, The Harbourmaster and from Society members.

Mr. Garton would also like to remind the public that the annual Carol Concert will be held this year on two evenings, Sunday December 10 and Monday, December 11.