THE first of Sarum Chamber Orchestra's four concerts in the Naim Audio chamber music series 2004-5 will be held in the beautiful surroundings of Trafalgar Park, Downton, next Wednesday.

The programme will begin with Beethoven's great Rasoumowsky Quartet, Opus 59 no. 3 in C major performed by the orchestra's string principals - Daphne Moody, Miranda Wilson, Moira Alabaster and Muriel Daniels.

They will be joined by their colleague, clarinettist Elizabeth Drew, for Brahms' Clarinet Quintet Opus 115 in B minor.

Daphne Moody, leader of the orchestra, is responsible for programming the series.

She said: "Although the orchestra has hosted occasional chamber concerts in and around the city, this is the first time, thanks to generous sponsorship from Naim Audio, that we have been in a position to run a chamber series giving music lovers this type of concert on a regular basis.

"It is a wonderful feeling to have a clear palette in front of you when choosing music for a series.

"For this first season we are going to focus on the most influential and revolutionary composer of all times, Beethoven, performing one of his wonderful chamber works at each concert, plus pieces by Brahms, Mozart and Dohnanyi."

The second concert will be held on Friday, September 17 at the Guildhall in Salisbury, the third concert on Friday, November 5 at Salisbury Cathedral school and the series will end on Friday, March 4, 2005 with a concert in the Guildhall again.

Tickets for all concerts are available from the City Hall box office.