There were many anxious glances at the sky during the daytime due to the morning rain, but it cleared out to give a fine evening for this new event.

The programme was carefully chosen to celebrate the garden and the local area and began with a beautifully worded introduction by the chairman of the choir, Janet Davies. She spoke of her love for this two-acre walled garden so that the choir could begin with a Bruckner motet, Locus Iste - 'this place was created by God'.

This was followed by Vaughan Williams arrangement of a folk song, The Turtle Dove, and then, appropriately, The Water of Tyne which was about the ferry crossing at nearby Haughton Castle. A madrigal by Weekles and two part songs by Saint-Saens took the choir to the interval.

The audience left their chairs and picnic rugs to wander among the flower beds, drink wine and eat strawberries and cream.

Vaughan Williams' Linden Lea set the scene for the second half, followed by part songs by Parry and the lively, El Grillo (The Cricket) by Josquin des Prez.The programme had to include The Sprig of Thyme from John Rutter's Song Cycle, as the garden has the National Collection of Thyme and this was sung beautifully by Pip Emler, accompanied on the violin by Emma Davis.

The conductor, Glen Davis, had arranged this into a choir backing with violin solo as it usually needs piano accompaniment. He had considered using an electronic organ but in the end hoped that aided by the acoustics of the high walls, the choir could sing unaided.

The concert was pitch perfect and they all looked as if they really enjoyed singing in the garden.The concert was brought to a close with Evening Song by Kodaly, a soft and mellow ending for a superb summer's night, but the audience begged one last encore - the lovely Bruckner motet that the concert had begun with.

I very much hope that this may become an annual event as it was a wonderful evening.

Their most recent concert offered an innovative programme centred on A German Requiem by Brahms. The requiem needs a complementary companion or two and so shorter items occupied the first half of the evening.

Two part-songs by Brahms and two by his English contemporary and admirer, Parry, were a contrast in scale with what was to follow, and the combined choirs took the opportunity for some moments of intimate and contemplative singing. Margaret Huntington supported some of their items with sensitive piano accompaniment.

Overtures usually appear at the beginning, but it seemed appropriate to separate the choirs' first group from their major enterprise. Thus the orchestra, of well-known and experienced players of the region, made its 'solo' appearance before the interval with Brahms's substantial Tragic Overture, to good effect.

Unlike many settings of the Latin requiem, Brahms's work is indeed a very personal statement, both in his selection of biblical texts in German, and in his music. Textures and emotions must be sustained over long passages and it is to the choirs' credit that, for the most part, they summoned the stamina to accomplish this rewarding task.

In quieter sections there was a good sense of ensemble and a pleasing quality of tone, especially in the lower voices. At other times they were submerged. More confident and incisive projection might have helped to address both the difficulty of balance with the orchestra and the loss of pitch by the sopranos, who rarely took up the composer's invitation to soar at sublime moments.

Kathryn Jenkin, the visiting soprano soloist, sang with poise and clarity and Robert Seaton was the sonorous and commanding bass.

Glenn Davis clearly prepared and moulded the performances of each work with care and it is good that choirs are prepared to undertake major works of this kind.