playing under the baton of one of the world's greatest musicians, Lord Menuhin.

Last Tuesday, they participated in the special Gala Concert which celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Bermuda Festival.

And the verdict from the point of view of the instrumentalists? A chorus of loud approval and agreement that the concert had been a never-to-be-forgotten event.

"Encouraging'', "gentle'', "patient'', "polite'', "inspiring'', are just a few of the adjectives used by the musicians to describe their impressions of this legend of a man.

As Mrs. Suzanne Dunkerley put it, "There can be so much back-stabbing in the music world, so it was refreshing to find that such a great man had nothing negative to say about anyone. He was so encouraging -- he's the sort of person who gets the very best out of people.'' "He was so inspiring, and such a nice person,'' summed up Kerry Haslam. When this concert was originally planned, the musicians had no idea that they would be conducted by the great man himself.

"Originally,'' explained Miss Alison Johnstone (teacher in charge of the Foundation), "I believe he was invited to be guest of honour. I think everyone was surprised when he announced that he would like to conduct the concert.'' That decision kept the musicians practising for hours over many weeks, both in ensemble practice and, on their own, working tirelessly over every piece. Even so, there was, a certain amount of trepidation as they gathered for that first, all- important rehearsal on the preceding Sunday.

Beforehand, they had gone for lunch with him, explained Carolyn Burr. "He talked non-stop, all the time! And he talked so fondly about his former students -- even the controversial Nigel Kennedy, saying he had done a lot to popularise classical music. He sees everybody in the best light!'' Diane Hamilton, who played the lead violin in the quartet of violinists in the Vivaldi Concerto, admitted, "We thought we were going to be nervous but once we started working with him, it was suddenly so easy. I had to keep reminding myself that `this is Yehudi Menuhin'.'' As for the Vivaldi piece, she explained, "I had slightly more to do than the others. I'd been rehearsing it one way and then he asked me if I would be able to play it in a different rhythm. That made me nervous, so I played a bit back for him and he said, `Yes! That'll be fine!'' "He always smiled before he said something,'' recalled Sarah Bridgland. "And then he would seem to remember and smile if you got it right during the concert!'' added Mrs. Dunkerley.

Ms Burr was fascinated by the way he made his musical wishes known: "He said a lot just by looking at you, or by looking at your fingering or your bow, you could tell that he wanted more vibrato, for instance. It was as if the music was coming out of the whole of him.'' Besides the present teachers, several former members also took part in what became something of a reunion. These included Kate Ross (now music teacher at the Bermuda High School), Liz Pitman, Mary (Brown) Meredith and, from the very first group, the Heller Quartet, Philip Burrin, now principal second violinist with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

"He was wonderfully helpful,'' said Ms Johnstone, explaining that he came out early to help with the rehearsals.

They were especially pleased that some former pupils of the Foundation also took part. Brian Swan returned from college to play the double bass and Mair Hughes (cellist), Rebecca Lima (violinist) and Sue Hall (violinist) are all ex-students of the Foundation.

Carolyn Burr who conducted the Youth Orchestra segment was asked if she had been nervous:"Well, I was quite calm about it until I read in RG Magazine that the concert was being `conducted by Yehudia Menuhin and Carolyn Burr'! I think the students were overwhelmed -- and thrilled.'' At the children's concert on the Saturday, he won the hearts of everyone.

Recalled Ms Johnstone, "He went backstage in the interval and had all the children singing `Twinkle, twinkle little star'. He gave them a little talk and showed them how to hold their bows `as light as a feather' and he signed endless autographs and pictures for them. He took time to make them feel really special.'' Mrs. Dunkerley was anxious for her two-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, to meet Lord Menuhin.

"I think Mehuhin is one of the great musical figures of this century so I wanted to be able to tell her that she had actually met him. She came in at the end of a rehearsal and I introduced her to him. He gave her a big hug! But he's like that -- takes time to notice everybody!'' MENUHIN'S LADIES -- Menuhin Foundation musicians who took part in the Bermuda Festival's Menuhin Gala Concert, included (from left): Kerry Haslam, Kate Fraser, Diane Hamilton, Alison Johnstone, Carolyn Burr, Sarah Bridgland and Suzanne Dunkerley.