For many years JAM has been proud to work, collaborate and celebrate local talent in dedicated community-led projects. This year three exceptional projects underline their commitment to boost creativity and connection within the community.
Together with partners, London Mozart Players, the Romney Marsh Community Hub and Rebecca Lodge Birkebaek, they are proud to offer invaluable opportunities for the community to participate in and enjoy the arts.
Festival Orchestra
They are looking for musicians from the community to be part of a new, free-to-participate Festival Orchestra, made up of amateur players and members of the London Mozart Players (LMP), which celebrates its 75th birthday this year.
Last year local children and amateur musicians performed alongside LMP, Canterbury Cathedral Choir, and two opera singers to premiere Richard Peat’s The Sky Engine. The concert was a rousing success, an unforgettable experience for the participants, audience, and professional musicians alike. Following great feedback, JAM is thrilled to launch the Festival Orchestra inspired by the professional-amateur Sky Engine orchestra from 2023.
From May, LMP will lead workshops for community players of all ages, developing the skills required to play Vaughan Williams’ ever popular The Lark Ascending and Gershwin’s jazzy Rhapsody in Blue with LMP at JAM on the Marsh in July.
Who?
- Local musicians of Grade 7 and above, or with orchestral experience, are invited to register to join the JAM Festival Orchestra via www.jamconcert.org . There will be no audition, but spaces are limited in all sections, especially brass and woodwind. Registration is open until 29 March, with places confirmed shortly thereafter.
When?
- Optional workshops: one Sunday in May and two Sundays in June dates TBC
- Compulsory rehearsals: 7 and 11 July / rehearsal & concert: 12 July
Where?
- The workshops, rehearsals and concert will take place in St Nicholas Church, New Romney.
Image: JAM on the Marsh 2023 / Sky Engine
JAM is thrilled to collaborate with the Romney Marsh Community Hub for two special projects:
Art with John Ballard
Artists are invited to join local painter John Ballard in five free workshops aimed at people who would like to learn new skills and boost their creativity. Participants will not only get a unique insight into the Ballard’s process but also paint their own artworks for display.
With John’s help and mentorship participants will create paintings of St Clement’s Church, Old Romney, first creating photographs of the church during a visit to St Clements, then developing pen and ink drawings based on the photographs and finally completing their artworks using water colours. The resulting paintings will be displayed at the Romney Marsh Community Hub for everyone to enjoy.
Who?
- Anyone aged 50+ interested in developing their inner artist
When?
- Friday 26 April, 3, 10, 17 and 24 May
Where?
- Romney Marsh Community Hub
To book one of 15 places, please contact the Romney Marsh Community Hub on: 01797 363888
Image: Example of John Ballard’s from photograph to finished painting
Community Singing
After many years of collaborating with local primary schools, JAM is thrilled to augment its singing programme by uniting the generations in its new Community Singing project.
From April, children from New Romney & Brenzett Primary Schools and the over-50s Sunflower Singers will have weekly singing workshops, led by former BBC Singer, Rebecca Lodge Birkebaek.
The children and Sunflower Singers will rehearse the vibrant songs of A Sporting Chance by Bob Chilcott, before coming together to perform this brilliant piece with the acclaimed brass quintet Onyx Brass on 9 July at JAM on the Marsh.
Enthusiastic singers over 50 years old are invited to join the Sunflower Singers at the weekly sessions at the Romney Marsh Community Hub.
Who?
- Anyone aged 50+
When?
- Tuesdays, 1.30pm – 2.30pm.
Where?
- Romney Marsh Community Hub
To join the Sunflower Singers, please contact the Romney Marsh Community Hub on: 01797 363888
In 2025, the Community Singers, the Festival Orchestra, Canterbury Cathedral Choir and professional singers will come together in a world premiere by Paul Mealor during JAM on the Marsh.
Image: Rebecca Lodge Birkebaek conducting at JAM on the Marsh
JAM is confident that these projects will create lasting memories and nourish creativity; join them and be part of something truly special!
Festival preview
- JAM on the Marsh returns from 4-14 July with world class music, art and theatre including: 5 exhibitions, 3 theatre performances and 12 concerts.
- Festival highlights include the Canterbury Cathedral Choir and London Mozart Players performing Fauré’s Requiem, the Marsh-debut of distinguished tenor Mark Padmore, and a Mahler Symphony.
- Kent’s renowned outdoor theatre company Changeling Theatre brings plays by Shakespeare and Noel Coward, and a commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the death of former Romney Marsh resident Derek Jarman in a one-man play. The free exhibitions will be displayed in venues across the Marsh, including five churches, the Romney Marsh Leisure Centre and the carriages of the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway.
Tickets will go on sale in April
Image: JAM on the Marsh 2023 / Changeling Theatre