Young and old will come together for a series of concerts across east Kent in the JAM music festival.

It is named the John Armitage Memorial (JAM) event after the late trumpet player who studied music as a mature student at Canterbury Christ Church. He came up with the idea of a festival promoting and performing new music and bringing young people together with professional musicians, but passed away before it became a reality in 2001.

This year’s festival kicks off on Wednesday, July 3 with a performance of A Sporting Chance, a piece for brass quintet and primary school children.

Onyx Brass will join talented pupils from schools in Romney Marsh, Hythe and Folkestone to perform the work from 2pm at Hythe Bay Primary School.

Other highlights include children from the St Leonard’s Church choir in Hythe joining the BBC Singers to perform The Farthest Shore, a new work by composer Paul Mealor, who wrote the Military Wives’ hit Wherever You Are.

The Romney Marsh primary schools participating are Greatstone, St. Nicholas’ New Romney, Dymchurch, Palmarsh and Hythe Bay. The Folkestone schools are Christ Church, Mundella, All Souls and Seabrook.

There will also be a strings concert with Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and a choral concert featuring the Mousai Singers performing Fauré’s Requiem.

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The Concerts:

The Farthest Shore

The junior choristers of St Leonard’s Church, Hythe will join Onyx Brass and several other choral groups to perform The Farthest Shore, a new 40 minute work inspired by Celtic folklore, written by Paul Mealor. They will also perform Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb and James MacMillan’s Cantos Sagrados.

When: 7.30pm on Saturday, July 6

Where: St Leonard’s Church, Hythe
Cost: £15 or free for under 18s

Fauré Requiem
Mousai Singers, a group of 12 young Oxbridge vocalists, will perform Fauré’s Requiem, along with Bax’ The Worldes Joie; Neil Cox’s O Maria, Vernans Rosa; Leighton’s Awake My Glory; Mathias’ An Admonition To Rulers and Danny Saleeb’s Magnificat
When: 7.30pm on Friday, July 12
Where: All Saints church, Lydd
Cost: £15 or free for under 18s

A Sporting Chance
Onyx Brass will join talented pupils from schools in Romney Marsh, Hythe and Folkestone to perform Bob Chilcott’s work A Sporting Chance. Onyx will also play Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks and Ives’ Variations on America.
When: 2pm on Wednesday, July 3; 2pm on Friday, July 19
Where: Hythe Bay Primary school; Holy Trinity Church, Folkestone
Cost: £5 or free for under 18s

Music for Strings, Oboe and Tenor
Oboist Michal Rogalski will be joined by the Heron Quartet, students from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and tenor Adam Sullivan for a diverse programme of music, including Beethoven’s String Trio, Britten’s Fantasy Quartet, Mozart’s Oboe Quartet KV 370 and Vaughan Williams’ Blake Songs.
When: 7.30pm on Saturday, July 13
Where: St Mary the Virgin, St Mary in the Marsh
Cost: £10 or free for under 18s

From Gabrieli to Gershwin
Onyx Brass serve up a varied selection of music by composers including Gabrieli, Handel, Bach, Joe Duddell, Timothy Jackson, James Maynard and Gershwin.
When: 7.30pm on Friday, July 5
Where: St Mary’s Church, Rye
Cost: £10 or free for under 18s

Visit www.jamconcert.org/season or call 0800 988 7984.