The Island's annual foray into the world of culture is just a month away, with Bermuda's National Dance Theatre opening the 22nd Bermuda Festival with a full-length version of "The Nutcracker'' on January 8.

There follows almost two months of top class entertainment which this year, includes jazz and ragtime, a dreadlocked classical pianist, baroque music played on authentic period instruments, singing choirboys, and a quintet of guitarists.

On the theatre front, an American storyteller traces the story of the blues, Shakespeare's Rosalind and Orlando "fleet the time carelessly ... in the golden world'' of the Forest of Arden, while the more prosaic world of Harry S. Truman finds the great politician defining presidential responsibility with a White House desk-top memo proclaims that "The buck stops here''. The Festival ends as it begins, with a local production of "A Little Night Music'', by the Gilbert & Sullivan Society.

Peter Lloyd who is chairing his tenth Festival, says this could possibly be his last.

"I do think that ten years is long enough and that there ought to be a change. I've just had my 70th birthday so I think it's time now to retire properly!'' Few would disagree that his task is a complex one. Not the least of his problems is the fact that he and his committee not only have to select a suitable slate of artists, but also have to grapple with the problems of co-ordinating bookings -- and that may sometimes be three years in advance.

As chairman, Mr. Lloyd also bears the brunt of criticism over the eventual programmes chosen. This year, for instance, the decision to have two local productions has met with mixed reactions.

"Some people feel, very strongly, that it's not right or appropriate to have too much local content because there are many local shows produced year-round.

My own feeling, for what it's worth, is that the Festival should encourage local talent and try to help local groups to tackle things that are more ambitious than they might otherwise attempt. The National Dance Theatre, for instance, has never been able to tackle a full-length work before. And `A Little Night Music' is a large, highly complex production which brings together some of the very best of Bermuda's theatrical and musical talent.'' Although there has been heavy advance booking for many of the shows, with a total of 1,202 submitted requests for just over 15,000 tickets, the general sale of tickets opens at the Festival Box Office (next to the Ferry Terminal) on Monday, January 6. Mr. Lloyd also emphasises that any tickets retained for sale to tourists which are not sold are made available to the general public shortly before each performance.

"Every year, we try to have as big a mix of artists as possible and to include as many aspects of the performing arts as possible,'' he says.

"Inevitably, this means that some shows sell better than others. In the past, any spare tickets have been given out free to various schools and music teachers. I am happy to say that, this year, the Arts Council are sponsoring us with a small grant so that we can make available several hundred tickets to be distributed to students free of charge. This means that young people will be able to attend two special children's performances by the English Chamber Orchestra, as well as `As You Like It', some music recitals and, possibly, the Joshua Redman Quintet.'' The National Dance Theatre of Bermuda's production of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker'' represents a major milestone for the dance group founded by Louise Jackson, Conchita Ming and Barbara Frith back in 1980. Internationally acclaimed choreographer David Allan, who has been closely associated with the local company since 1984, has staged the two-act work. With local students rehearsing tirelessly for the many divertissement solos and corps de ballet dances, the leading roles will be danced by well known ballet stars Evelyn Cisneros, Anthony Randazzo, and Stephen Legate, with Michel Gervais making a welcome return to dance the role of Herr Drosselmeyer.

Also making a welcome return to Bermuda, but her first with the Festival, is Jackie Torrence, arguably the most celebrated storyteller in the US.

Capitalising on an ancient art developed by countless cultures over the centuries, Ms Torrence overcame a childhood speech impediment to become the toast of every town in America, winning major TV and theatre awards and appearing at sold-out performances at the Kennedy and Lincoln Centres. In this particular show, "Bluestory'', she will be joined by blues masters John Cephas, guitarist, and harmonica player Phil Wiggins. Her tales of such figures as "John Henry'', Elizabeth Cotten and her "Freight Train'', Bessie Smith, Skip James and Mississippi John Hurt, emphasise the importance of poetry and literature in the blues heritage.

David Owen Norris is described as "the British pianist who can't be classified''. A professor as well as a composer, he has appeared as a classical soloist in Europe and the US, and is a popular figure at the famous BBC Proms. He has earned fame as a presenter of diverse music programmes on BBC Radio and TV as well as a new quiz series for Opus TV entitled "Perfect Pitch''. A Fellow of the Royal College of Music and the Royal College of Organists, he was appointed in 1993 as the Gresham Professor of Music in the City of London. Mr. Lloyd, noting that the pianist came "very highly recommended'' says that for the Bermuda Festival, David Owen Norris will be presenting his immensely popular programme, "Billy Mayerl and Friends'', with music that leans toward ragtime, honky tonk and the blues rather than Bach (though he plays that as well).

The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) scarcely needs any introduction as, with eight previous visits here, it has become almost an integral part of Bermuda's Festival. This year, Bermudian Mark Lomas, presently a student at the Juilliard School of Music, will join their august ranks as a guest soloist.

Peter Lloyd says that he and his committee were very impressed with his performance in the Premier's Concert and decided to approach the Orchestra about the possibility of his playing with them. "I'm happy to say that they agreed without hearing him play!'' Founded in 1960, the orchestra has become one of the most famous of its kind in the world, particularly through its extensive collaborations with such musical luminaries as the late Benjamin Britten, Sir Colin Davis, Daniel Barenboin, Raymond Leppard and Pinchas Zukerman.

Excitingly, Bermuda scores a "first'' in the musical world with the brilliant young conductor Charles Hazlewood, making his ECO debut. Described in The Observer as "acid-hot'', he is undoubtedly one of the most exciting young conductors in Britain who, in 1995, won first prize in the European Union-sponsored conducting competition in Lisbon. Already gaining fame as a conductor of opera at Broomhill which was voted second only to Glyndebourne in the Prudential Arts Awards in the UK, he has also conducted over 50 world premieres of new music in the past three years. Next May, he and Jonathan Miller will present a six-part BBC TV series called "Opera Works''. At the two special, hour-long children's concerts, those under eight are invited to bring their own instruments (translation: anything they can bang).

Veteran Hollywood and stage actor Kevin McCarthy appears in the one-man biographical play on the life of the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman. Described by his daughter Margaret as "superb'' in his portrayal of her father, McCarthy has taken this play to 48 of America's States. Mr. Lloyd says it was Mid Ocean News editor Tim Hodgson who suggested the play would be very popular with Festival audiences.

Having won the Presidency in the biggest political upset in America's history, the plain-speaking, sometimes acid-tongued hero of "the little man'', Truman provides wonderfully colourful -- and eventful -- material for this entertaining monologue.

Bermuda Festival preview From Page 49 Hailed as "a major new musical talent'' in The Washington Post, Awadagin Pratt is a young, dreadlocked Afro-American musician who has thrilled audiences with his portrayals of `the three B's' -- Beethoven, Bach and Brahms. Winner of the Naumburg International Piano Competition, he has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, St. Louis, Atlanta, Cincinnati and Baltimore Orchestras as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. For his two concerts in Bermuda he will play the three B's, as well as music by Rachmaninoff.

The Washington Guitar Quintet, with its motto of "Toccatas to Tangos'' promises to be one of the liveliest groups appearing in this year's Festival.

Led by Charlie Byrd and playing a programme that includes Vivaldi and Mozart, Gershwin and Cole Porter as well as the traditional music of Latin America, the Quintet will be joined by guest clarinettist Ken Peplowski who received Europe's highest award for jazz in 1993.

The James Sewell Ballet, formed in New York in 1990, is a small company of six dancers who embrace the language of dance in all its forms, from the classical repertoire of Pepita and Balanchine to the modern idiom of Sewell's own choreography. The 33-year old dancer and choreographer was a gymnast and state trampoline champion before becoming involved in dance through the Children's Theatre School. The Bermuda programme will include the Pas de Deux from Act II of "Swan Lake'', a work danced to the music of Beethoven's String Quartet, "Opus 131'', "Moving works'' to music by Bach and the rock group Combustible Edison and "Jacket'', to music by Scott Joplin.

One of the world's leading cellists, Raphel Wallfisch, will be playing the complete works for cello and piano by Beethoven in his two Bermuda concerts.

Accompanied by John York, an acclaimed artist in his own right, the duo recorded this fascinating musical collection for EMI only this year and it has already drawn high praise. After winning the Gaspar Cassando International Cello Competition in Florence at the age of only 24, he has been invited to play all over the world. He has also recorded the cello concertos of Delius, Britten, and Dvorak, his latest mission being the recording of all 30 concertos by Vivaldi.

Acknowledged as being possibly "the best period orchestra in the world'', Canada's Tafelmusik will play only authentic period instruments for its three Festival chamber music concerts at St. John's Church. Founded in 1979, they have taken their unique sound all over the world, and were lionised by London audiences when they made their debut at the Proms in 1992. With countless awards for their recordings, they were named by Switzerland's "Musik and Theater'' in 1993 as "Artist Discovery of the Year''. The programme will include music by Vivaldi, Handel, Purcell, Bach and Telemann. Mr. Lloyd points out that this is the first time that period instruments have ever been brought to Bermuda.

One of Shakespeare's best-loved comedies takes centre stage when The Acting Company presents "As You Like It''. The only professional theatre company of its kind in America, it was formed in 1972 out of the first graduating class from the Juilliard School Drama Division. Since then it has earned praise all over the US in its mission to provide talented young actors from all backgrounds with an opportunity of presenting classical and contemporary works in a repertory setting. Their alumni includes such stars as Patti LuPone, Keith David and Kevin Kline -- who serves on their producer's advisory committee. In 1985 it was given an extended residency at the world-famous Old Vic Theatre in London, and the company has also toured Europe, Australia and the former Soviet Union.

Having made two sold-out visits to Bermuda in the 1980s, the world-famous Vienna Boys Choir returns for three concerts at the Anglican Cathedral. The choir (founded almost 500 years ago by Emperor Maximilian I so that he could have choristers in his Imperial Chapel) includes the great Franz Schubert as its most illustrious "old boy''. Their varied programme includes sacred and secular songs, operetta and folk music. Mr. Lloyd says that the new sound system has "vastly'' improved the cathedral's acoustics. "This year, we are installing TV monitors in the aisles.'' Saxophonist Joshua Redman has been dubbed "one of the young lions in the jazz world'' and audiences will have the chance of hearing him and his quintet at three concerts at Marriott's Castle Harbour Hotel. With a masters degree in social science from Harvard, Redman decided in 1992, to turn down a place at Yale Law School to become a professional musician.

Festival '97 preview From Page 50 Since then, he has won a Grammy nomination and in 1994, Down Beat magazine's annual readers' poll voted him Jazz Musician of the Year (beating Wynton Marsalis into second place) and Jazz Album of the Year with his CD of `Wish' for the Warner Bros. label.

Finally, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society are presenting Sondheim's masterpiece of wit and sophistication, "A Little Night Music''. This ambitious production is directed by Joel Froomkin who recently graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Performance and a Masters in Design from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. While there, he was twice awarded the prestigious Stanley Musgrove Award for "most outstanding creative talent''. With the talented Oxford University graduate James Burn as musical director and Donna Froomkin as producer, the young director has gathered a stellar cast including, most notably, Elsbeth Gibson in the role of grandmother Armfeldt, Nigel Kermode as Frederik, Helen Coffey as Desiree, Tricia Morgan as Charlotte, Wayne Holt as Carl-Magnus. Happy Lindsay, who was recently awarded a two-year drama scholarship to study this coming September at Hurtwood House, a well known school in the UK, will play the role of Anne, the teenage bride of Frederik. Other roles will be played by such well-known performers as Victoria Waddington, Rebecca Faulkenberry, Derek Corlett, Kathryn Winter, Peter Nash, Cyanne Thomas, Keith Madeiros, Rhona Vallender, Jean Hannant, and Adrian Beasley.

This year, the Souvenir Programme is to be free and should be available at the Festival Box Office from January 6 onwards.

FESTIVAL FAVOURITES -- Members of the James Sewell Ballet (above) will present classical and modern works. And (below), The Vienna Boys Choir, probably the most famous in the world, will be giving three concerts during the Festival.

Awagadin Pratt, pianist