faculty of Dunbarton School of Music.

Ana Maria Nunes-Leite, who married and arrived here this summer, first met her Bermudian husband, George, when they were both students at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.

"But we didn't meet through music,'' she laughs. "George wasn't at all interested in classical music. He was just intrigued that I had a Portuguese name, so he searched me out -- and it took off from there!'' Although she is only 22, Mrs. Nunes-Leite is an experienced teacher, as this talented young musician has been teaching since she was 16 and still at high school.

She was offered scholarships by most of the major Canadian universities, but finally chose Acadia, which has a strong music department, because she was offered the unusual opportunity to major in piano performance and minor in voice.

Mrs. Nunes-Leite began her music career almost by accident, as she had originally dreamed of becoming a professional ice skater, "but I advanced so quickly that I reached the stage when it was necessary to practise for two or three hours every day when I was still quite tiny. So my mother persuaded me to take up piano instead.'' She went on to win several scholarships from various Canadian organisations and gained first place in numerous competitions in both piano and voice throughout her home province of New Brunswick. She has also appeared as the featured guest artist in concerts and recitals and taken leading singing roles in high school musical productions.

One concert that she is unlikely to forget is her Graduate Concert at Acadia.

"I always like to warm up and practise a little before a concert and this particular recital was more important to me than the actual graduation ceremony,'' she recalls, " so I was a little upset when I arrived at 6 o'clock that night to find the piano padlocked. There had been a concert the night before and after she had finished her recital, the soloist had apparently locked the piano and slipped the key under the office door. As it was a weekend, nobody knew this. By 7.30 I was frantic and when my music professor finally arrived at 8.05 I said, `I hope to God you've got the key'.

He just stared at me and then went rushing off back home to get the spare key and we finally began the concert 15 minutes late. I have to admit my heart was racing as I began playing, but the Bach finally got through to me and I calmed down.'' Confessing that her personal musical preference "tends toward'' the Romantics, with Chopin currently at the top of her list, Mrs. Nunes-Leite says that, after four years at university, she has developed an unexpected taste for modern music.

In addition to her studies, which included an hour of voice practice and four hours of piano a day, she also found time to teach at Acadia's annual children's music camp and as accompanist for the Acadia University Chorus. She also played the organ and was the assistant director of her church choir.

Since arriving in Bermuda, Mrs. Nunes-Leite has joined the Geoffrey Tankard Choir and Gloria McCully's choir at St. Theresa's Cathedral, and hopes to get involved with other musical ventures.

Most of her new students at the Dunbarton School at the moment are beginners.

"I've been pleasantly surprised by the children -- they are so polite and very attentive and good about practising. And my adults are wonderful, really interested in learning, so that has been very rewarding for me.'' Bermuda had a glimpse of its newest musician at the recent Marcelle Clamens concert at City Hall. She was asked "at the last moment'' to turn pages for pianist and accompanist, Jane Farge.

And will she be appearing in concert soon herself? "Well, that would be nice.

I hope I will have the opportunity to perform some time soon.'' KEYED UP -- Mrs. Ana Maria Nunes-Leite, pianist and voice teacher, has just joined the faculty of the Dunbarton School of Music.