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 Ravel, Satie and Franck — 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.
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.
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.
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, in JAM’s first collaboration with YCAT (Young Classical Artists Trust).
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.
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