This was a short but satisfying concert of music completely new to me, and I suspect many in the audience, in the wonderfully intimate Holywell Music Room.

Sitting in this perfect space, it is impossible not to reflect on the famous musicians who has performed here over the centuries. I am certain that the young members of this new student ensemble appreciated being part of that shared history.

After a lively Albinoni symphony, the focus was on a performance of Emanuele d’Astorga’s setting of the Stabat Mater. This is a piece that was first performed in Oxford in 1713, but not heard here many times over the intervening years.

Whilst not as well known as the Pergolesi setting of the same text, it is a piece that absolutely deserves to retain its place in the repertoire, offering, as it does, some intricate choral and chamber ensemble writing as well as some more unusual vocal writing.

There was some strong singing throughout though, at times, the young voices were not as fully supported as one might hear from more experienced performers particularly at the extremes of their ranges. Nevertheless they were alert to the nuance of the music and coped well with the vocal demands.

The string ensemble demonstrated a similarly high level of skill. Particularly noteworthy was the brilliant work by Miriam Alsop on the cello.

Unfortunately one member of the ensemble was experiencing tuning issues throughout the evening and at times that did take one out of the music.

I did appreciate the ensemble’s leader Samuel Oliver-Sherry’s desire to engage the audience in a dialogue about the music. However, he might wish to restrict this to no longer than five minutes; brevity runs fewer risks of stretching the patience of the audience.

I will certainly watch out for future concerts from this group. Their passion for exploring the highways and byways of the repertoire is to be commended.