Support Us
2025 was a celebration of an astonishing 25 years, but there's plenty in the pipeline for the next 25 years.
Roman River Music was founded with three main aims in mind:
- to bring world-class, international artists to play concerts in our corner of coastal Essex
- to create support the next generation of musicians by fostering talent and by creating and developing an education programme centred around our annual festival
- to share the transformative power of music with as many people as possible across the entire community by keeping concerts relaxed and affordable
Every year, the scope of what we can plan depends on funding, which we raise through applications to local funds, grants from trusts and foundations and from individuals. Our Roman River Friends are a vital part of this and your regular donation helps to ensure that the music will keep playing for many years to come.
Donate in memory of Zélie Jopling
Zélie founded with Roman River Festival and saw it grow for 25 years. We are hugely grateful for any donations in her memory, with all funds directed to the 26th Festival (29 September - 4 October 2026), and to supporting the festival into the next 25 years.
(Image: Zélie with her daughter Juliet at the opening of the 25th Anniversary Festival in Fingringhoe Church in September 2025)
Volunteer with Us
Roman River Music’s success is built on volunteers giving their time and expertise to help us to bring music to everyone. Many of our volunteers have been with us for years, but new ones join all the time and will receive a warm welcome – why not do so too?
There are a number of ways that you can get involved:
Front of House
Becoming a Roman River FOH volunteer is a lovely way to meet new people in a relaxed, and often beautiful, setting, join a community of like-minded folk, and listen to music you may never have heard otherwise. The only skill needed is a big smile!
For each concert, there’s a Venue Manager who opens up in the morning, looks after the artists as they arrive and throughout rehearsal time, and keeps an eye on equipment and instruments. Then, ahead of the concert, there’s meeting and greeting at the door, showing audience members to their seats, and selling programmes and drinks, with occasional help with carparking.
Once the audience is comfortably seated with a glass of wine in their hand, our FOH volunteers can sit back too and enjoy the music!
Education & Outreach
We are always looking for volunteers (both with and without a musical background) to help us with our Education & Outreach programmes and become part of an organisation that genuinely embodies a community-led approach.. These opportunities vary year on year, depending on our secured funding and on how many precious helping hands we have.
If you love working with young people, have a passion for projects which benefit our community, want to collaborate with musicians, educators, and community leaders, or simply to gain experience, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line to find out more.
Behind the Scenes
Like many arts organisation, we are run by a small part-time team of multi-skilled professionals who can turn their hand to everything from discussing repertoire with a world-class performer to sourcing attractive recyclable plastic glasses! Volunteering for an arts organisation offers invaluable career and personal benefits. If you’re looking to gain transferable skills for your CV, interested in arts management, or simply keen to give some time to supporting the vital work that enriches our cultural landscape, we’d love to meet you.
To find out more about our volunteering opportunities simply get in touch.