Charivari Agrable's new season of candlelit concerts kicked off at Exeter College on Tuesday night with a joyful and uplifting recital by The Three Countertenors, making a welcome return after their popular appearance here in the summer. As the programme notes point out, there is no repertory for three countertenors, but with some skilful transposing by Charivari's musical director, Kah-Ming Ng, we were treated to a diverse selection of pieces, from 17th-century composers such as Couperin, Monteverdi, Schtz and Dering, to songs by Cole Porter and George Gershwin. Highlights included Purcell's glorious Sound the Trumpet, an exceptionally beautiful rendition of In the Bleak Midwinter, and that old festive favourite, White Christmas.

The rest of Charivari's season looks equally enticing, continuing tomorrow with Shepherd's Pipe Concertos, a selection of pastoral wind concertos and quartets. Next Tuesday, soprano Rachel Parsons features in a programme that Kah-Ming describes as "an antidote to carols", with pieces by Handel, Bach and others, followed on Thursday by an evening of 17th-century Italian string quartets. And if you want to beat those post-Christmas blues, the final concert on December 28, Ringing Changes in Paris, could be just what you need - a glorious selection of pieces by composers such as Vivaldi, Marais, Tessarini and others.

As always, Charivari's season is hugely diverse and intriguing - how do they put their programmes together? "Possible future CD programmes, successful programmes from past seasons to be repeated, and repertory we have always wanted to play," explains artistic director Susanne Heinrich. "We also enjoy experimenting with new textures, like our programme on December 21," adds Kah-Ming. "Lovely music, as yet unrecorded, which gives us the kind of buzz' of presenting some lesser-known music that is nevertheless exciting and fresh."

For full details of Charivari's concerts, visit www.charivari.co.uk