FANS of the Northern Sinfonia can combine two series of concerts to give savings over single ticket costs in the coming concert season, writes Dave Robson.

There's a fine spread, too, of music from Bach to modern times in five concerts at two venues - Middlesbrough Town Hall and Darlington Dolphin Centre.

The season features its popular artistic director violinist, Thomas Zehetmair, in three of the five concerts. This exciting season will feature a number of works, new and old, that have rarely, if ever, been heard on Teesside plus, of course, some old favourites.

Unlike previous seasons, concerts will be on different days of the week and start on Friday, September 26, when Zehetmair directs and performs Brahms' marvellously rich and melody-filled Violin Concerto, Philip Cashian's Tableau and Haydn's well-loved Symphony 31, The Horn Signal.

The second concert on October 7 will be directed by Alex Bridger. His programme blends the familiar Beethoven overture Coriolanus and 4th Symphony with Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture and Judith Weir's The Consolations of Scholarship sung by mezzo-soprano, Mary King.

Zehetmair returns on Tuesday, December 23, in an all-Bach concert that features three splendid violinists - Zehetmair, Bradley Creswick and Kyra Humphreys - all connected with the orchestra - in Concerto for three Violins. There is also the Suite No.1, BWV1066, and the orchestra will be joined by six vocal soloists for what should be a splendid performance of the Magnificat BWV243.

On Saturday, January 10, Zehetmair gives one of his imaginative concert programmes that blend rarities such as the Hungarian-Swiss composer, Sandor Veress's Four Transylvanian Dances, Irish-born Gerald Barry's Weiner Blut - should be some excitement there! - and Schumann's Fantasy, Op 131 with one of the most popular symphonies of all time, albeit unfinished, Schubert's Symphony No 8.

The final concert in Middlesbrough is on February 26 when Nicholas McGegan directs a performance of Handel's oratorio, Alexander's Feast with the Sinfonia chorus and top soloists Lisa Milnes, James Oxley and Roderick Williams.

Meanwhile, in the Central Hall of the Dolphin Centre at Darlington, the orchestra on October 22 begins with a programme that features Stravinsky's Two Orchestral Suites, Britten's exquisite Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings and Brahms Serenade No 1. The second concert in the series sees the famous concert pianist, Peter Donohoe, on the director's podium for De Falla's colourful Three Cornered Hat Suite and Stravinsky's Dances concertantes. He directs from the keyboard in Rowley's Piano Concerto, and the Leeds-born composer Christian Darnton's Concertino for piano and strings.

The famous Scottish composer, James MacMillan, will conduct his own orchestral work, Tryst, Britten's Simple Symphony and Folksong Suite and, with Alexander Somov, Shostakovich's Cello Concerto on January 30.

The last two concerts of the season are on April 23 with David Haslam and Bradley Creswick in Poulenc's Flute Sonata and Prokofiev's 1st Violin Concerto. On May 6, Pierre-Andre Valade and bassoonist Stephen Reay join forces in a concert that features Mozart's Bassoon Concerto, a Rossini Overture, two modern works by George Benjamin and Colin Matthews and pieces by Ravel and Debussy.

For further information, call 0191 443 4666, box office 0191 443 4555 or www.gateshead-quays/sage.