A disused church in a market town may not seem the obvious choice of venue for a series of chamber music concerts. But with its crystal-clear acoustics, cosy intimacy and delightful riverside setting, St Peter’s Church in Wallingford has the perfect ingredients for a summer concert venue.

When a group of music enthusiasts, led by the late Peter Appleby, launched the Music at St Peter’s series in 1986, they unwittingly hit upon a winning formula. Since then, the series has regularly attracted the kind of artists you might expect to find gracing the stages of the Wigmore or St John’s Smith Square.

Their president — the soprano Mary Plazas — is an opera singer of international renown. Small wonder that over the last quarter of a century they have built up a loyal following, with audiences now coming from all over the county and beyond.

“We never thought it would go on this long,” admits Glynne Stackhouse, who has been artistic director since the early 1990s. “There are, of course, big festivals like Henley, but I don’t know of any other chamber music concerts, so we seem to have found the right niche almost without knowing what we were doing.”

As always, this year’s series features a mixture of established and emerging artists, and a wide range of music, from the comfortably familiar to the intriguingly unfamiliar.

Launching the 25th season on May 15 is the London Concertante in a programme of Viennese music, at the centre of which is Schubert’s Octet for Wind and Strings. Alongside this will be an octet by Françaix, written in 1972 and modelled on Schubert’s octet, and Strauss’s tone poem Till Eulenspiegel.

“I thought it would be great to start the season with a large ensemble,” says Glynne. “The Strauss is very light-hearted despite the fact that poor old Till Eulenspiegel gets his head cut off at the end!”

Making a welcome return on June 5 is the Martinu String Quartet, in a programme of Haydn, Dvorak and Schumann, while the Sacconi String Quartet will be back on June 26 and September 11 with a continuation of the Beethoven cycle that they started in 2009.

But there are newcomers, too. As a former music teacher, Glynne has always been keen to provide a platform for young performers, and there are several gifted young professionals making their debut appearances at St Peter’s this year.

The first, on July 10, is Polish violinist Jaroslaw Nadrzycki, a winner in the 2008 Haverhill Sinfonia Soloists Competition, in a diverse programme that ranges from Bach to Nadrzycki’s compatriot Henryk Wieniawski. He will be accompanied by pianist Daniel Swain.

On August 7, clarinettist William Stafford will present a programme of Mozart, Brahms, Bruch and Rebecca Clarke, along with violist Sam Parratt and pianist Hiroaki Takenouchi, and is the first artist to appear at St Peter’s under the Recital Scheme of the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.

At the end of the season, on September 25, the Thames Consort’s programme of Bach cantatas will feature young soprano Sarah Power, a recent winner of the Philip and Dorothy Green Award of Making Music.

Elsewhere in the season is the Max Brod Piano Trio on July 24, in a programme of Czech music, while August 21 brings tenor Maximilian Kiener, who will be accompanied by the violin and piano duo Note Bene in a programme of Mozart, Schubert and the little-known Nussbichler and Cerha.

An innovation this year is a free ticket scheme for first-timers. In addition, the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust is once again supporting a free ticket scheme for children and students between the ages of eight and 25.

Tickets £10 in advance from Just Trading of Wallingford Ltd, 80 High Street, Wallingford, or £12 on the door. Tickets can be reserved for collection on the door by calling 01491 824792.