25th Anniversary Year
The Roman River Festival 2025
Join us for an unmissable celebration of a quarter of a century of memorable music, surprising spaces, beautiful visual art and ceramics, breath-taking performers, street dance, poetry, and more...
The Engegård Quartet
Friday 19 September, 8pm
St Andrew's Church, Fingringhoe
Norway's incredible Engegård Quartet open the 25th Anniversary Roman River Festival in the church that hosted the first performance back in 1999. Featuring Grieg, Mozart, and a collection of Norwegian folk melodies, with the Festival's first Artistic Director, Juliet Jopling, on viola.
Born to Protest: Joseph Toonga Street Dance
Saturday 20 September, Time tbc
The Old Forest Path: Jamie Catto Book Launch
The Old Forest Path: Jamie Catto Book Launch
Saturday 20 September, 4.15pm
CODA, 63 High Street, Colchester
British musician, filmmaker, author, and transformative coach, Jamie Catto, performs songs and reads from his new book, The Old Forest Path – a children's book with evocative illustrations by Kanako Wakabayashi that intertwines themes of music, magic, and liberation.
Quartet for the End of Time
Free String Masterclass with Sijie Chen
The Old Forest Path: Jamie Catto Book Launch
Saturday 20 September, 8pm
St Mary's Church, Dedham
Festival regulars Sijie Chen and Sacha Rattle lead this performance of Messiaen's revolutionary statement of faith and art – inspired by the declaration in the Book of Revelation that “there shall be time no longer...”
Bach to Baby: It's a String Thing!
Free String Masterclass with Sijie Chen
Free String Masterclass with Sijie Chen
Sunday 21 September, 11am
Layer Marney Tower, near Colchester
The wonderful Bach to Baby return to Layer Marney Tower with a concert aimed towards the little ones. Tickets include admission to this stunning Tudor gatehouse (and its sheep, goats and café!).
Free String Masterclass with Sijie Chen
Free String Masterclass with Sijie Chen
Free String Masterclass with Sijie Chen
Sunday 21 September, 10 am to 12 noon
The Old Library, W. Stockwell Street, Colchester CO1 1HE
Violinist Sijie Chen returns for a third year to lead a workshop in partnership with Play Strings Colchester. Sign up for yourself or bring a young musician to seize this wonderful opportunity to learn from a former BBC Young Musician finalist, s
Sunday 21 September, 10 am to 12 noon
The Old Library, W. Stockwell Street, Colchester CO1 1HE
Violinist Sijie Chen returns for a third year to lead a workshop in partnership with Play Strings Colchester. Sign up for yourself or bring a young musician to seize this wonderful opportunity to learn from a former BBC Young Musician finalist, soloist, and one of the leading lights of period chamber performance.
Armonico Consort: Rachmaninov's Vespers
Marta Fontanals-Simmons, Chloë Vincent, and Olivia Jageurs
Armonico Consort: Rachmaninov's Vespers
Sunday 21 September, 7pm
St Mary's Church, Ardleigh
The acclaimed Armonico Consort perform Rachmaninov's radiant 1915 Vespers in the Medieval and Victorian-Gothic surrounds of St Mary's, Ardleigh. William Butterfield's lavish gold interior offers the perfect backdrop for this unaccompanied pinnacle of Russian sacred music.
Orlando Jopling: Cello Suites (Part I)
Marta Fontanals-Simmons, Chloë Vincent, and Olivia Jageurs
Armonico Consort: Rachmaninov's Vespers
Monday 22 September, 12 noon
Jaywick Martello Tower, Jaywick
The first of three lunchtime recitals from Roman River's Artistic Director, Orlando Jopling – bringing out the rich, resonant voice of the cello through suites by Bach and Britten, alongside lively Corelli variations. Limited to just 50 tickets in the intimate Jaywick Martello Tower.
Marta Fontanals-Simmons, Chloë Vincent, and Olivia Jageurs
Marta Fontanals-Simmons, Chloë Vincent, and Olivia Jageurs
Marta Fontanals-Simmons, Chloë Vincent, and Olivia Jageurs
Monday 22 September, 7.30pm
St Mary's Church, Wivenhoe
A mellow Monday evening of relaxing music, performed by candlelight in Wivenhoe's St Mary's church by mezzo-soprano Marta Fontanals-Simmons, flautist Chloë Vincent, and harpist Olivia Jageurs. An exploration of sound, mood, and storytelling, our trio weave together folk tradition, contemporary work, and lyrical reflection.
ShostaVodka! with Alissa Firsova, Daniel Rowland, and Yoanna Prodanova
ShostaVodka! with Alissa Firsova, Daniel Rowland, and Yoanna Prodanova
ShostaVodka! with Alissa Firsova, Daniel Rowland, and Yoanna Prodanova
Tuesday 23 September, 8pm
St Lawrence Rowhedge
Journey through Russian and post-Soviet musical landscapes, kicking off with a free shot of vodka and a toast to Dmitri Shostakovich on his 119th birthday. Alissa Firsova, Daniel Rowland, and Yoanna Prodanova perform music by Shostakovich, Rachmaninov, and Firsova.
Orlando Jopling: Cello Suites (Part II)
ShostaVodka! with Alissa Firsova, Daniel Rowland, and Yoanna Prodanova
ShostaVodka! with Alissa Firsova, Daniel Rowland, and Yoanna Prodanova
Wednesday 24 September, 12 noon
St Osyth Priory Chapel
The second of three lunchtime recitals from Roman River's Artistic Director, Orlando Jopling – journeying through light, shadow, and reflection; Bach’s joyful Suite No. 1, Britten’s intensely expressive Second Cello Suite, and a transcription of the Chaconne in D minor from Bach’s Violin Partita.
Piano Recital with Martin James Bartlett
ShostaVodka! with Alissa Firsova, Daniel Rowland, and Yoanna Prodanova
Piano Recital with Martin James Bartlett
Wednesday 24 September, 8pm
All Saints Church, Fordham
Acclaimed pianist Martin James Bartlett returns after an incredible performance during the Roman River Festival in 2022, leading us on an expressive voyage through different eras, cultures, and emotional landscapes – from Rameau, Byrd, and Couperin, to Beethoven and Debussy, and to Lisz
Wednesday 24 September, 8pm
All Saints Church, Fordham
Acclaimed pianist Martin James Bartlett returns after an incredible performance during the Roman River Festival in 2022, leading us on an expressive voyage through different eras, cultures, and emotional landscapes – from Rameau, Byrd, and Couperin, to Beethoven and Debussy, and to Liszt's astonishing arrangement of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde.
Jordan Ashman Percussion
Orlando Jopling: Cello Suites (Part III)
Piano Recital with Martin James Bartlett
Thursday 25 September, 8pm
Colchester Arts Centre
A concert unlike any other this year, stand-out rising star Jordan Ashman, praised for his ability to blend tradition with innovation, comes to the vibrant Colchester Arts Centre, one of East Anglia’s premiere venues.
Orlando Jopling: Cello Suites (Part III)
Orlando Jopling: Cello Suites (Part III)
Orlando Jopling: Cello Suites (Part III)
Friday 26 September, 12 noon
St John's Church, Mount Bures
The third of three lunchtime recitals from Roman River's Artistic Director, Orlando Jopling – featuring Bach’s Suite No. 5 in C minor, Giovanni Sollima’s Lamentatio, and Britten’s Third Cello Suite, with each piece chosen to reveal a different facet of the cello’s character.
Sujata Banerjee Dance Company
Orlando Jopling: Cello Suites (Part III)
Orlando Jopling: Cello Suites (Part III)
Friday 26 September, 8pm
Old Garrison Gymnasium, Colchester
Founded in 1985, the Sujata Banerjee Dance Company create, produce, and tour new choreographic works, and nurture the next generation of young artists in South Asian music and dance. Invited by our artistic director after their recent collaboration with the RPO, which he conducte
Friday 26 September, 8pm
Old Garrison Gymnasium, Colchester
Founded in 1985, the Sujata Banerjee Dance Company create, produce, and tour new choreographic works, and nurture the next generation of young artists in South Asian music and dance. Invited by our artistic director after their recent collaboration with the RPO, which he conducted, they are bringing Kathak dance and music to the stage of a venue we haven't visited since it was renovated, once an army sports facility – the Old Garrison Gymnasium.
Triple and Titan: Tom Poster, Elena Urioste and Laura Van der Heijden
Triple and Titan: Tom Poster, Elena Urioste and Laura Van der Heijden
Triple and Titan: Tom Poster, Elena Urioste and Laura Van der Heijden
Saturday 27 September, 8pm
St Peter ad Vincula Church, Coggeshall
One of the most ambitious evenings that Roman River Music has ever produced, featuring two of the classical canons' greatest works – Beethoven's Triple Concerto in C major (with leading soloists Tom Poster, Elena Urioste, and Laura Van der Heijden) and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1.
Roman River 2025: Family Concert
Triple and Titan: Tom Poster, Elena Urioste and Laura Van der Heijden
Triple and Titan: Tom Poster, Elena Urioste and Laura Van der Heijden
Sunday 28 September, 4.30pm
St Peter ad Vincula Church, Coggeshall
An early evening event of classical creative chaos hosted by acclaimed author, storyteller and comedian, James Campbell, best known for his Funny Life books, and conducted by choirmaster and tenor Ben Vonberg-Clark. We are also delighted to be joined by the Wild Arts Ensembl
Sunday 28 September, 4.30pm
St Peter ad Vincula Church, Coggeshall
An early evening event of classical creative chaos hosted by acclaimed author, storyteller and comedian, James Campbell, best known for his Funny Life books, and conducted by choirmaster and tenor Ben Vonberg-Clark. We are also delighted to be joined by the Wild Arts Ensemble, who will be on a musical high after playing the night before at our Triple & Titan concert.
Triple and Titan at Saffron Hall
Triple and Titan: Tom Poster, Elena Urioste and Laura Van der Heijden
Triple and Titan at Saffron Hall
Friday 3 October, 7.30pm
Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden
A repeat performance as part of Saffron Hall's classical music programme to celebrate the Roman River Festival's 25th anniversary.