Sooree Pillay, Regional Producer - Midlands, shares the best of JAM on the Marsh Festival

At Orchestras Live we are fortunate to work with a number of festivals across the country, and it is such a joy to be able to see people from all walks of life have the experience not only of attending a festival, but being an integral part of it.

As someone who loves that festival feeling, one-day event or week long extravaganza, I enjoy the sense of community it brings. We come together to experience this one moment, cultural experience, whatever the theme may be – to celebrate something. And I was able to do just that when I attended one of our partner events at JAM on the Marsh Festival in Kent this summer. Nearly all the performances are regularly held in medieval churches and community centres across and around Romney Marsh, and as I wandered from place to place not only did I find incredible music, but a community of people – some from nearby and some from much further afield. A former amateur player I met whilst looking for a pre-show talk became a friend for the day, leading to more introductions and conversations about what brought everyone there. I noted and chatted to a number of artists popping up here and there, among people I had never met before, in a place I had never been before - I felt at home!

JAM on The Marsh programmes a week of orchestral music, song and visual arts exhibitions accompanied by talks and other associated events in July every year. This partnership project was exceptional, one that, in this case, brought schools together with community players and professional musicians. The Sky Engine oratorio is a tale of a misguided scientist who brings about catastrophic changes to the environment that he and his daughter inhabit. Composed by Richard Peat with a libretto by Timothy Knapman, the performance was a truly collaborative work, with Canterbury Cathedral Choir and opera singers alongside fledgling voices from local primary schools. The London Mozart Players sitting side-by-side with community players of all ages, and the unity of the performance was testament to the months spent preparing the show. The most striking element that I took with me was that just as we had come together in one common interest to share this performance in the audience, so too did the cast and crew! As I said goodbye to my new-found friends both on the stage and off, I felt happy to have been a part of it. Yes, Orchestras Live co-produced the project, but it was more than that – I had unwittingly, albeit temporarily, joined this community.

A myriad of festivals of all kinds throughout the summer months appear in fields, former stately homes and city centres alike across the country. It seems that everyone is either on their way to or returning from a few days of immersion – a chance to have a break and live in a different world, at least for a while. In my twenties, I remember gazing up at a Reading Festival stage, in awe of the mere feat of constructing such a setting in a place that two days later would return to being an empty field. There is something exciting about the festival concept, be it building a temporary ‘village’ in a rural or unexpected location, the limited timeframe, the vast array of artists performing back to back, perhaps sleeping cheek-by-jowl in a campsite where strangers become neighbours or sampling the delights of street food stalls. It’s also a moment to pause from our daily lives, experience something different and feel a part of the world we share.