2025 Festival Guide
JAM on the Marsh
Join JAM President Paul Mealor, Artistic Director John Frederick Hudson and Festival Curator Edward Armitage for an informal conversation exploring the themes, highlights and new commissions shaping the 2025 festival.
The London Tango Quintet unites five internationally acclaimed musicians in a dazzling celebration of tango, blending Spanish fire with Parisian jazz and breathtaking virtuosity.
The Light of Paradise is Paul Mealor’s powerful retelling of Margery Kempe’s mystical journey, blending choral lyricism and saxophone quartet in a sound world both ancient and strikingly modern.
Create your own watercolour monotype inspired by Paul Mealor’s Symphony No.2. Bring an image evoked by the music and let artist Jillian Bain Christie guide you through the printmaking process.
Prizewinning pianist Thomas Kelly presents a radiant French programme featuring Debussy, Ravel and Satie — a programme rich in colour, character and impressionistic flair from one of today’s most exciting young artists.
Join photographic artist Wendy Carrig for a relaxing collage workshop using cut’n’paste techniques to tell imaginative stories. All materials provided — no experience needed, just curiosity and a creative spirit.
Britten Sinfonia makes its festival debut with a vivid programme celebrating Mealor @50, La Belle Époque, and major composer anniversaries — featuring Mealor’s radiant Symphony No.2, inspired by the Canadian Rockies.
Jonathan Dove’s Late Night Music: Six Meditations is a serene sequence of six piano meditations — a journey through night, stillness, and light, where sound drifts like ripples across water.
The King’s Singers return to the festival with their signature blend of precision, versatility and charm — setting the global standard in a cappella for over fifty years.
Gillian Anderson (Sex Education) stars alongside Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) and Ben Foster (Lone Survivor) in this electrifying screen production of Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece, recorded in 2014 for cinema release.
Join artist Daniel Lehan for an unmissable guided tour of his three-part exhibition Drawn · Torn · Glued, spanning Romney Marsh churches. Includes exclusive time with the artist and a return shuttle. Booking essential.
Internationally renowned organist Daniel Cook, Master of the Choristers at Durham Cathedral, returns to JAM on the Marsh with a rich and evocative recital celebrating the golden age of French music.
Join wine expert Matthew Jukes for a relaxed tasting of summer wines. Featuring selections from his 100 Best Australian Wines list, with stories, tips, and flavours to savour and enjoy.
Festival favourites Changeling Theatre return with Twelfth Night, Shakespeare’s dazzling comedy of love and mistaken identity. Bring a picnic and a chair, and enjoy outdoor theatre at its most playful and flamboyant.
Gillian Anderson (Sex Education) stars alongside Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) and Ben Foster (Lone Survivor) in this electrifying screen production of Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece, recorded in 2014 for cinema release.
JAM’s Artistic Director, John Frederick Hudson, joins festival favourite, Rebecca Afonwy-Jones, delving into the rich world of cabaret, with songs by Weill, Porter, and Britten — blending smoky charm, hidden gems and timeless classics.
Sarah MacDonald and Selwyn College Choir return with dramatic oratorio The Farthest Shore, part of our Mealor @50 series. The programme includes highlights from Selwyn’s European tour plus world premieres by Dani Howard and Steve Richer.
Pianist Thomas Kelly and percussionist Beibei Wang premiere three new works written during JAM’s Composers’ Residency — a vibrant, genre-spanning programme inspired by the evocative landscape of Romney Marsh.
Violinist Igor Yuzefovich (Leader of the BBC Symphony Orchestra) leads JAM Sinfonia in Strauss, a world premiere by Marisse Cato and John Adams’ hypnotic Shaker Loops.
Kosmos Ensemble closes the festival with their signature flair — a dazzling fusion of Jewish, Gypsy, tango, flamenco, Celtic, and jazz influences — delivering a joyful finale to JAM on the Marsh 2025.
Join us for a celebratory farewell to JAM 2025 — raise a glass, share feedback, relive festival highlights, meet the artists and get a glimpse of what’s coming next year.
Exhibitions
Dusk Chorus showcases Marc Christmas’s handmade prints, shaped by years of walking Romney Marsh. Using analogue techniques, his work explores memory, solitude and place across Dungeness, Folkestone and beyond.
Photographer Wendy Carrig returns with The Woman Who Fell to Earth, a powerful solo exhibition blending self-portraiture, beach finds and sci-fi imagery to explore climate crisis, ocean plastics and gender visibility.
Spanning three churches, Drawn · Torn · Glued by Daniel Lehan explores the textures of Dungeness through site-made and studio works, embracing found materials, chance, and ongoing dialogue with place.
FUNDERS
