Education and Outreach
Supporting young people and engaging with our community
Staying true to the original Roman River Festival concept, we continue to support school children and talented young musicians by bringing them into contact with professional musicians, providing performance opportunities and the chance to experience live classical music.
Young Artist Spotlights
Ever since the first Roman River Festival, we have been giving talented young musicians under the age of 18 the opportunity to play at the start of our professional concerts.
These young people are recommended to us by various organisations, such as Colchester Rotary Music Festival and the Ongar Essex Young Musician of the Year competition as well as local music teachers and schools.
If you know of a young person you feel would benefit from this experience, please get in touch.
Image, right: young violinist Cyrus Yuen plays a duet with Roman River Festival's First Artistic Director Juliet Jopling at the opening concert of our 25th Anniversary Festival.
Young pianist Bethany Reynolds plays a four-hander duet with Tom Poster in the final concert of the Roman River 25th Anniversary Festival.
Supporting Music in Schools
In the light of cuts to arts funding for schools and changes to the curriculum, Roman River Music plays an important role by providing opportunities for young children to experience high quality live classical music.
As part of our 25th Anniversary Roman River Festival, the superb Engegård Quartet, who were also performing at the Roman River Festival, gave a concert in the Church of St Andrews in Greenstead, Colchester for children from Unity, Willow Brook and Hazelmere primary schools. For some of the children, it was the first time they had heard classical (and Norwegian folk music) played live and the excitement in the tiny church was almost palpable.
The concert was supported by the church vicars, Revds Sue and Philip Howlett, and was funded by the Colchester City Council Cultural and Creative Events Fund.
The Engegård Quartet performs for local school children in Colchester.
Schools' concert supported by
Free String Masterclasses
For the past three years, we have offered a free string masterclass run by the distinguished – and extremely encouraging - violinist Sijie Chen and in collaboration with Play Strings Colchester, making advanced instruction accessible to the local music community at no cost.
This masterclass provides an opportunity for participants to refine their technique, interpretation and musicianship and gain insights from an experienced professional performer. Delivered in a relaxed yet professional setting in Colchester’s Old Library, the masterclass is designed to inspire emerging string musicians and support their artistic development alongside the festival’s broader programme of concerts and events.
Side by Side Performances
Over the years, Roman River Festival concerts have featured many side-by-side performances with ensembles made up of professional players and music students who share their stand and play the music alongside them. Such a simple idea, but this offers the young musicians instant, real-time coaching by seeing and hearing exactly how a professional handles complex rhythms, dynamics, and tone.
It's learning the "unspoken rules" of being in an orchestra—like watching the conductor and blending sounds—all in one go. Performing on a big stage can be scary for young musicians, but having a seasoned professional sitting next to them makes it less stressful and way more motivating.
These performances also help to demystify the professional music world by showing young artists what a real career in the arts looks like. It’s a direct way to pass down musical tradition by creating connections between emerging performers, many from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and build a future more diverse music scene.
We hope to plan a side-by-side performance as part of the 2026 Roman River Festival. If you know of any young people or ensembles who you think would like to take part in this, please get in touch.