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Bermuda Performing Arts Festival
By Jill Fergus
 Bermuda, the tiny British territory off the coast of North Carolina, is known for its pink-sand beaches, ideal year-round weather and numerous golf courses, but it also hosts many festivals throughout the year. One of the oldest and most popular festivals on the island is the Bermuda Festival of the Performing Arts, an annual event founded in 1976 to share the performing arts with Bermuda residents and tourists from around the world.
"Over the years, the festival has developed a special place on Bermuda's calendar," says John A. Ellison, the festival's founding chairman who is back running the festival after a 25-year absence. "There really is a buzz and an excitement in the air with so many performances taking place. The festival offers a diverse selection of first-rate entertainment from jazz to opera, dance to avant-garde theater. It's just a wonderful time to be on-island. This year’s programme is unlike any we’ve had to date. Opening with the legendary Not The Um Um Players, the Festival also embraces Bermudian talent from around the world, including Heather Nova, Craig Lemont Walters and Kenneth Amis. In addition, we are thrilled to welcome world-renowned conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy who will conduct the English Chamber Orchestra. A chilling dramatisation of William Golding’s classic Lord of the Flies will be featured and we are proud to announce the formation of our own Bermuda Festival Chamber Orchestra, which will participate in several events. There will be fun-filled clown entertainment for children and the Festival concludes with a spectacular production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest."
New this year is an exciting addition, Dahn De Hill to Daylesford, a fringe festival taking place from January 21st to January 30th, allowing for a wider array of acts and later performance hours, featuring informal poetry readings, stand-up comedy and jazz performances. This is one Bermuda Festival season you won’t want to miss!
2009 Bermuda Festival of the Performing Arts is the largest festival ever. The Bermuda Festival of the Performing Arts full line-up of performances for the 2009 programme, is the longest-running and largest programme to date. Performances run from January 8th to February 28th and much of the Festival season will celebrate Bermuda’s 400th Anniversary.
The line-up of performances, venues and dates of the 34th annual Bermuda Festival of the Performing Arts includes:
 NOT THE UM UM PLAYERS
(8th, 9th, 10th and 11th of January)
City Hall Theatre
The opportunity to participate in the Bermuda Festival’s contribution to the anniversary celebrations proved irresistible to this infamous local comedy troupe – or at least most of them. Bruce Barritt, Fred Barritt, Chris Broadhurst and Tim Taylor will kick off the events with an irreverent look at Bermuda’s past and present.
CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR OXFORD
(13th and 14th of January)
Ruth Seaton James Centre – January 13th
St. John’s Church (Pembroke) – January 14th
Daring and adventurous musical programming is the hallmark of this illustrious choir from Oxford, England. Unique in the fact that it is both Cathedral and College choir, the intimate acoustic of its musical home, Oxford’s 12th century Cathedral, provides a natural setting for its early sacred music, yet the choir is equally renowned for the rhythm and vigour of contemporary idioms as it performs the works of modern composers such as Howard Goodall. The first programme, to be held at the Ruth Seaton James Centre, will include an exciting collaboration with a local choir. The second will
be a more traditional concert sung in St. John’s Church.
CLIVE DRISKILL-SMITH, ORGAN
(15th of January)
St. Paul’s Church (Paget)
The Festival is delighted to welcome the talented young organist Clive Driskill-Smith to perform an organ recital at St. Paul’s Church, Paget. Constantly in demand for recitals, Clive balances his position as sub-organist at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, with performing recitals at prestigious venues around the world. He is also involved with teaching the young choristers and assisting with the choir at Christ Church.
COPPELIA
(16th and 17th of January)
Ruth Seaton James Centre
Bermuda’s own Civic Ballet will present the popular ballet Coppélia. First staged in Paris in 1870, Coppélia is a fun-filled ballet that tells of a doll-maker, his doll, a spirited girl and her fiancé who falls for the doll. The Bermuda production promises to be a visual delight and will be staged by Bermudians Ray Tanva, who is based in London, and Coral Waddell who is based on the Island. It will feature Bermudians now studying or working abroad professionally, as well as local dancers and the principal roles will be performed by international dancers, yet to be named.
LORD OF THE FLIES
(20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd of January)
Ruth Seaton James Centre
William Golding’s classic tale of human nature exposed, when a plane crashes on a remote island, is brilliantly dramatized in an award-winning production by the UK’s Pilot Theatre in association with York Theatre Royal. Golding’s disturbing and celebrated story traces the progression of the stranded
survivors from a well-behaved group of school boys, accustomed to rules and adult guidance, to a bloodthirsty, murderous tribe whose activities soon take on a more sinister significance with the discovery of ‘the beast’. This production received rave reviews from the British national press when it first opened.
RISING STARS
(24th of January)
City Hall Theatre
This concert shines the spotlight on three young Bermudian musicians who have benefited from the extraordinarily high standard of teaching on the Island. Each one shows a prodigious sense of dedication and commitment to her talent and a determination to flourish in her art. The programme opens with 11 year-old pianist Imani Woodley who has already won many prizes including a competition held at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Following will be 15 year-old violinist Leidy Sinclair who has been studying at the New England Conservatory under Mary Lou Churchill and will be moving to Europe to continue her studies. Bringing the event to a spectacular finale will be the voice of 20 year-old Kerri-Lynne Dietz. This young mezzosoprano is a student at the Royal Academy of Music in London and is already making a name for herself there.
MOSAIC
(27th and 28th of January)
City Hall Theatre
Women of Our Time – On Whose Shoulders We Stand, performed by Ruth Thomas & Company, is a celebration of 400 years of Bermudians. Written and directed by Ruth Thomas and choreographed by Conchita Ming, it will be a tribute to significant women of Bermuda – their strengths, struggles and successes. Through dance and drama, it will provide a kaleidoscopic view of the rich, colourful, binding threads of the social, cultural and historical tapestry woven by the women of Bermuda.
HEATHER NOVA
(30th and 31st of January)
City Hall Theatre
Heather Nova’s rise to fame in the pop world in Europe is well documented and she returns to her beloved homeland to serenade local audiences in two concerts in the intimate setting of City Hall. Heather will play a 90-minute set of material taken from her seven albums that span a 17-year career in the music industry. Selections will include her hits Walk This World and London Rain, as well as her more intimate and introspective songs. It promises to be a concert of diverse and compelling material by an artist known for her dynamic live performances.
CONCEPTS IN MOTION
(2nd of February)
Ruth Seaton James Centre
Concepts In Motion Dance Company, under the direction of Lizz Pimentel, presents a night of dance featuring some of Bermuda’s best dancers performing works by talented choreographers from around the world. The diverse programme will include some signature pieces as well as new works by a variety of choreographers including Slam, bj Sullivan, Ashley Lindsay and Bermudians Jennifer Soares, Laurie Marshall, Lauren Rowntree and Ty Barker. Concepts is redefining the local language of dance with a thrilling blend of modern, contemporary ballet, jazz and acrobatics.
ENGLISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
(4th and 5th of February)
Ruth Seaton James Centre
This celebrated orchestra that has so generously performed at the Bermuda Festival, on such a
regular basis that we feel we could claim it as our own, will return to the Island for two concerts. We are thrilled to announce that the first will be conducted by world-renowned conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy and will include Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C with Caroline Dale as soloist. Ms. Dale made her name as the cellist who played in the sound track of the controversial film Hilary and Jackie about the cellist Jacqueline du Pré. The second concert will feature youthful violinist So-Ock Kim, who has already made numerous acclaimed appearances with prestigious orchestras around the world. She will be the soloist in The Four Seasons Vivaldi’s well-loved concerto. Also appearing as soloist in this performance will be one of Bermuda’s favourite sons, Kenneth Amis, playing Gordon Jacob’s Suite for Tuba and Orchestra. This programme will be directed by the eminent musician and conductor Roy Goodman, who is Principal Guest Conductor of the English Chamber Orchestra.
EMPIRE BRASS QUINTET
(6th and 7th of February)
City Hall Theatre
Legendary ensemble Empire Brass Quintet makes a welcome return to these shores to play two
different programmes. The first will be in a lighter vein incorporating a mix of music including pieces by George Gershwin (Porgy and Bess), Meredith Willson (The Music Man) and Duke Ellington (It Don’t Mean A Thing). The second will be more classically oriented including works by Pachelbel, Telemann, Albinoni, Handel, Purcell and more. Bermuda’s Kenneth Amis is a long-standing member of this ensemble and we are delighted to provide an opportunity for him to work in his beloved homeland, in this year of celebration. Amis’ talents extend far beyond the tuba and this engagement will include the world premiere of one of his compositions. It is a work entitled
The Scent of Paradise that was commissioned by The Bermuda Festival to commemorate Bermuda’s 400th anniversary and will be performed on both nights.
DAVID BREWER MASTERCLASS
(9th of February)
City Hall Theatre
David Brewer, international tenor and voice coach of numerous renowned singers including Destiny’s Child, flies in from Germany to participate in The Bermuda Festival. He will give a masterclass to up to six local singers in either the popular or classical vein. This class will be open to the public to observe and tickets should be booked in the usual way. It promises to be both an entertaining and enlightening evening. Anyone wishing to be considered for participation in the masterclass should contact the Festival office on 295-1291 or email adminoffice@bermudafestival.org.
AN EVENING OF JAZZ
(10th of February)
City Hall Theatre
Based in Berlin, Germany, Bermudian Craig Lemont Walters has been pursuing a career in Europe as an opera singer and as a jazz singer, for over twenty years. His repertoire encompasses not only the standard operatic literature for bass, but the musical and jazz genres as well. He has played roles in many popular musical theatre shows, including Evita, The Phantom of the Opera and Porgy and Bess. For his performance in Bermuda he will concentrate on his jazz repertoire. He will be accompanied by musicians Marc Schmolling, piano, who hails from Germany; American Jonathan Robinson, bass; and Juraj Rasi, drums, from Slovakia. Part of the programme will be devoted to the works of Edward ‘Duke’ Ellington and will include Don't Get Around Much Anymore, Mood IndigoIn a Sentimental Mood, and I Got It Bad.
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
(11th of February)
City Hall Theatre
Bermuda’s famed soprano Marcelle Clamens has chosen a thrilling programme from the classical repertoire with which to serenade audiences. She is proud and excited to include tenor David Brewer as guest artist in this programme. They will be accompanied by pianist Olga Zeidel and by local musicians who have come together, in this year of celebration, to create the Bermuda Festival Chamber Orchestra. The concert, which will include such favourites as Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate, Libiamo ne'lieti calici from Verdi’s La Traviata and Puccini’s Nessun Dorma, will be conducted by local musician and teacher Ryan Ellis.
AGA-BOOM
(13th, 14th and 15th of February)
Ruth Seaton James Centre
Rooted in a unique style of theatrical clowning, AGA-BOOM combines the unbridled silliness of slapstick and the humour of physical comedy with theatrical expressionism, poetry and a touch of European avant-garde! These clowns/mime artistes quite magically blend the best elements of circus, comedy and experimental theatre and are guaranteed to entertain and delight the child in us all. Visual comedy with plenty of audience participation is the order of the day and audiences are sure to leave the theatre with a smile.
ANGELE DUBEAU & LA PIETA
(17th and 18th of February)
City Hall Theatre
Angèle Dubeau, one of Canada’s most prominent artistes, formed the string ensemble La Pietà in 1997. This nine-strong all-female ensemble has since earned itself an enviable reputation from its many recordings and live performances. Music critic Francois Tousignant of Le Devoir praised the ensemble for “… precision of attack, quality of ensemble playing…spirit and energy” and concluded that the delight they take in making music is “contagious”. Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà will provide an up-tempo programme featuring a wide variety of styles to appeal to all lovers of classical music.
LAUDATE
(February 19th)
Wesley Methodist Church
Bermuda Chamber Choir, although an amateur choir, has earned itself an enviable reputation
for its high standard of performance. Aiming to nurture the art and love of choral music, most recently under the baton of Ryan Ellis, the Choir has enriched the community with its uplifting
performances of choral masterworks. For this concert, they will be joined by the newly formed Bermuda Festival Chamber Orchestra. The concert will also include a piano concerto performed by local resident Oliver Grant, who has been wowing audiences with his formidable talent.
Entitled Laudate, the programme celebrates a series of anniversaries: the 200th anniversary of
Haydn’s death; the 250th anniversary of Händel’s death; and of course the 400th anniversary of settlement in Bermuda.
THE JAMES MOODY QUARTET
(20th and 21st of February)
Ruth Seaton James Centre
Saxophone master James Moody has serenaded music lovers for over six decades. As a young man he joined the seminal bebop big band of Dizzy Gillespie, an association that afforded him worldwide exposure and ample opportunity to shape his improvisational genius. Renowned for
playing with deep resonance and wit, Moody has a healthy respect for tradition but takes great
delight in discovering new musical paths which makes him one of the most consistently expressive and enduring figures in modern jazz today. In addition to his trio, Moody will be joined by celebrated trumpet player Randy Brecker as guest artist. Brecker’s varied career has spanned more than three decades shaping the sound of jazz, R&B and rock.
CONCERTI THROUGH THE AGES
(24th of February)
St. Paul’s Church (Paget)
Enjoy four wonderful contrasting concerti in the intimate setting of St. Paul’s Church, Paget.
Under the baton of Dr. Madeline Frank, former first violist of the New York Met, Bermudian soloists Kent Hayward, Adrian Ridgeway, Nancy Smith and Gaynor Gallant, returning to the Island especially for the Festival, will each play a concerto accompanied by musicians from the Bermuda Festival Chamber Orchestra. For this event, the Orchestra will be embellished by a number of
Dr. Frank’s associates.
THE TEMPEST
(25th, 26th, 27th and 28th of February)
City Hall Theatre
As the culmination of the 2009 season the Bermuda Festival is proud to present William Shakespeare's fantasy, The Tempest, reputedly inspired by tales of the wreck of the Sea Venture.
Following their acclaimed Festival production of The Unexpected Man, producer Richard Najuch and Bermudian director Joel Froomkin will direct an original production filled with fantasy and the exotic beauty of our island. A star-studded cast of some of the world’s finest classical actors will bring the Bard's magical tale of romance and revenge to life. The imagery of the production will be drawn from local flora and fauna, and projection designer Kevin French will bring Prospero's conjured wonders and the danger of stormy seas to vivid life on City Hall's stage. A large-scale production, it promises to be a visually arresting and suitably memorable production to close the Festival’s contribution to the year of celebration of Bermuda’s heritage.
Performances for the Bermuda Festival of the Performing Arts will be held at City Hall Theatre, Ruth Seaton James Centre, St. Paul’s Church (Paget), Daylesford Theatre, St. John’s Church (Pembroke) and Wesley Methodist Church (City of Hamilton). Tickets are $60 for adults and $25 for students, for most performances. Check www.bermudafestival.org for tickets and more information.
Get more information about Bermuda's art galleries and artists using the link at the top of the page.
Book now and celebrate with hotel credits of up to $400 for travel through March 31, 2009. Plus get a 400 Anniversary Passport for additional savings of up to $1000 on island.
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