Once met, never forgotten perhaps ? that?s Robert Davidson. Bright-eyed and rarin? to go, he arrived in September to join the faculty of the Bermuda School of Music and hasn?t looked back.

Apart from teaching piano and voice, he has also taken over the leadership of the Bermuda Chamber Choir, which he is now rehearsing to present a concert later this month in honour of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, which was led by Admiral Lord Nelson, who died during the conflict.

As if that were not enough, Mr. Davidson has also been appointed musical director of ?Robinson Crusoe?, the Bermuda Musical & Dramatic Society?s upcoming Christmas pantomime, which involves arranging all of the music for it.

?There are some great voices and some lovely acting in ?Crusoe?, so it should have all the necessary ingredients that people expect to see in a panto,? he says.

Earlier, Mr. Davidson played the accordion during the Gilbert & Sullivan Society?s recent production of ?Cabaret?.

Phew! There is, however, no need to feel sorry for this busy Briton. A few minutes in his company tells you that he is a high-energy individual who is used to, and indeed thrives on, a life of music ? and small wonder, for he has been at it since the age of five when his preacher father began teaching him to sing. Like all children, however, Mr. Davidson thought singing was ?rather boring? at that tender age, not least because he really wanted to become a composer, but wiser heads prevailed, and at age eight he successfully auditioned to join the legendary Westminster Abbey boys? choir.

Initially oblivious of the honour bestowed upon him, however, young Robert was more impressed with the uniform of black cloak and ruff because it fitted perfectly with his passion for Zorro and mediaeval knights.

In time, the lad rose to become head chorister, and counts singing at the wedding of Princess Alexandra, meeting the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, and the many special concerts and services celebrating the Abbey?s 900th anniversary among his special memories.

Recalling those days when, despite the angelic appearance in their robes and stiffly starched ruffs, boys were still boys and all was not as heavenly as it seemed, the former chorister says he particularly disliked Fridays because of the statutory, three-hour rehearsals, and the issuance of new ruffs ?which hurt like blazes?.

Memorial services for top-ranking veterans of the First and Second World Wars became virtually weekly events ? solemn occasions involving many rehearsals, with the same solo by the head chorister at each one of them.

?It was ?Greater Love Hath No Man?, which is a lovely piece, but I really got fed up with it,? Mr. Davidson remembers.

In fact, there were so many singing obligations to fulfil that all of the choristers were a year behind academically at the time their young careers ended.

The trade-off, of course, was the incalculable legacy of superlative training, discipline, and yes, prestige, which would last their lifetimes. The cut-off point for Mr. Davidson, as it is for all choristers, was when his voice broke ? something the popular teenager successfully concealed for a time from the choirmaster by various means, including the assistance of his peers.

?We used to do the ?St. Matthew Passion? every year, and as head chorister I had a solo part, which included a top A.

?When my voice was in the middle of breaking, and I came to sing my solo and was going for the top A, I thought, ?That came out really easily,? but when I stopped (the note) carried on. It was John Whitworth (who later edited Renaissance music) behind me helping me out.?

Moving on from Westminster, Mr. Davidson studied at Lancing College, whose alumni include Tim Rice, author Evelyn Waugh and legendary tenor Peter Pears, where he continued his singing.

?When Peter Pears came and sang the St. John Passion I was given the part of Peter. I was a 16-year-old bass, and all I had to sing was, ?I am not? several times, but I started an octave too high, whereupon the whole bass section sat down laughing. Talk about not having control!?

Even so, the gifted student ?won a competition or two? as a composer, and also wrote music for the school?s productions.

It was at Durham University where he finally fulfilled his childhood wish to study composing, although it wasn?t an easy road.

?I discovered there were composers like Stockhausen, so it was a bad time to be a composer, particularly if you weren?t in the 1970s,? he says. In addition to his degree studies, Mr. Davidson ran the university?s chamber choir, as well as studying the organ and singing privately. He also wrote for the university?s theatre productions, and filled roles in others. It was also here that his talent for comedy was revealed as well.

Thanks to an actress who suggested Mr. Davidson become an actor/musician, he went on to lead a varied and interesting career in repertory, productions in London?s West End, television soaps and series, many pantomimes, the Edinburgh Festival, and even the prestigious National Theatre. He also produced ?a couple of little independent films?, in one of which he also had ?a good part,? some of which were commissioned for Dutch television.

When a famous actor pointed out that Mr. Davidson was good at comedy, he did not hesitate ? a decision which led to ?quite a bit of work?.

Then came the day when the multitalented Briton took stock of his nomadic life and realised he was rooted nowhere, had no pension or mortgage, and what he really wanted to do was compose and own a home.

Working at a further education college in Stratford-upon-Avon wasn?t a bad first move, but house prices forced him to think again, so he moved to Norfolk where he purchased a home a few miles from where Admiral Lord Nelson was born.

The job, however, was not to his liking, so a visit to an internet site soon led to his appointment in Bermuda.

?I knew nothing about the Island, except that it would be a nice, warm place to work, teach piano and singing,? Mr. Davidson admits.

Of course, that was before he knew about the other opportunities which lay before him that would compound his pleasure of actually living and working here.

With all the connections to Admiral Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar this year, it is not surprising that Mr. Davidson?s has chosen Haydn?s ?Nelson Mass in D Minor? to mark his debut as director of the Chamber Choir. ?Coincidentally, Haydn was a chorister at the first performance of this work,? he notes. ?We will have a full chamber orchestra with drums, wind instruments and brass, and it will take place at St. John?s Church, Pembroke on November 27 at 7.30 p.m.?

The programme will open with Vivaldi?s ?Gloria?, and include Vivaldi?s ?Concerto for Two Trumpets? with Bermudian musicians Conrad Roach and Kent Hayward as soloists.

?It will be a concert of fanfares, which I felt like doing because this is my introduction to Bermuda,? the new director says.

Speaking of the concert and pantomime, Mr. Davidson says: ?I hope that they will be successful, and that I will carry on being associated with all forms of music-making and theatregoing in Bermuda for as long as Bermuda wants me around.?

As for future projects, he isn?t giving much away ? apart from confirming that he has ?a project in mind?, that is.

But of course.

Tickets ($30 general admission, $15 for students age 18 and under) are available from the Bermuda School of Music on Trott Road, Meyer Agencies, Pulp & Circumstance (Paper), the Music Box and Pianos Plus.

For further information ( 292-7203.