THE Durham Singers have been thrilled to get together again to rehearse for the first time since lockdown.

Although choirs are not yet allowed to meet indoors, the Durham Singers were so keen to start singing together again that they rehearsed outside.

A small ensemble gathered in the grounds of Ushaw Historic House, Chapel and Gardens, where they sang a mixture of works by Bach and Mozart on Monday evening.

Durham Singers marketing manager Jane Shuttleworth said: "We were delighted to be back together again for the first time since December. There is no substitute for actually being with other people and singing. "Even though we still keep a 2m distance and being outdoors is a challenge, it's still easier than doing things on Zoom.

"On Zoom you can't hear the other people at all because of the delay on connection, so you end up singing into your computer."

Jane added: "It was particularly special to sing Bach's was O Jesu Christ mein’s Lebens Licht as it was the last piece we sang at our last concert in 2019, so it was quite moving."

Durham Singers musical director Julian Wright, said: "It was such a pleasure to have the chance to make music with members of our choir once more.

"We are out of practice and like all choirs we will be taking small steps to rediscover our confidence and our technique.

"But our love of music remains the greatest shared joy and we will be rebuilding step by step."

The Durham Singers thanked Ushaw for giving them the space to rehearse.