Faculty of the Bermuda Conservatory of Music will present an evening of classical and popular music at Saltus Grammar School's senior school auditorium this coming Saturday evening.

Entitled Charming Concert Cornucopia, the programme will feature works by classical composers Webber, Debussy, Rachmaninov and Sibelius, and contemporary composers Richard Rogers, Martinu, Ganz and Bermuda resident and faculty member Vic Glazer.

Instrumentalists and singers taking part are Tatiana Dran, Mark Dorrell, Dr.

Karol Sue Reddington and Vic Glazer (piano), Sarah Danby (piano and cello), Jyrki Pietila (violin), Janet Budden (mezzo-soprano), and John York Skinner (baritone).

The concert will begin at 7.30 p.m. and tickets (adults $15, students $5) are available at Opus/Encore, Pianos Plus, Meyer Travel and the Bermuda Conservatory. For further information telephone 296-5100 ext. 227.

Casting is now complete for the Bermuda Musical & Dramatic Society 's Christmas pantomime, Aladdin.

Devaune Ratteray will play the title role, while 13-year-old Samantha Tavares will fill the lead female role of Princess Balroubador. Keith DeSilva will be the Genie of the Lamp. As principal comic, Geoff Yeomans will be Wishee-Washee, while Chris Paul is set to play "baddest baddy of them all'', the mean-spirited but powerfully-voiced Abanazer.

The plum role of the Dame will be filled by local panto veteran and audience favourite Gavin Wilson, whose portrayal of Widow Twanky is sure to be memorable.

Rounding out the lead singing and acting roles are Angus Brown as the Emperor of Peking and Jeanne Butterfield as the Slave of the Ring. Dr. Barbara Jones and John Thomson will team up as the bumbling policemen, PCs Ding and Dong, respectively.

An adult and children's chorus, the latter involving "dozens'' of youngsters, will be trained by the pantomime's British musical director and Bermuda resident Mark Dorrell.

Written and directed by fellow Briton Jonathan Owen, Aladdin will retain all of the original story's essential elements, and also remain faithful to the old-fashioned English pantomime format.

Mr. Ratteray is no stranger to the local stage. The son of Ludwig and Sonia Ratteray, he has acted and sung in BMDS and Gilbert & Sullivan Society musicals, and was active in the drama programme at Berkeley Institute.

Despite her youth, Samantha Tavares is also an accomplished young actress.

Singing from age three, she was active in shows at the Bermuda High School.

The daughter of James and Toni Tavares, her previous pantomime appearances were in Robin Hood and Dick Whittington.

Aladdin will be staged at City Hall theatre from December 7 to 16. For further information telephone G. Daniel Blagg at 292-6177 or e-mail dblagg(at)saltus.bm