Nicola Benedetti, Joyce DiDonato, Samara Joy and Reverend Richard Coles at Saffron Hall in Essex

Violinist Nicola Benedetti is part of a star-studded line-up at Saffron Hall this spring.

She will perform with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the award-winning Saffron Walden concert hall on Wednesday March 13.

The London-based orchestra brings its epic sound to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony while Bruch’s delightful fantasy resonates to the rhythms and melodic twists of the folksong of Benedetti’s Scottish homeland.

Megastar mezzo soprano Joyce DiDonato makes a triumphant return to the venue on Sunday March 17, this time accompanied by a jazz ensemble.

The charismatic DiDonato will draw inspiration from 17th-century Italian opera and Duke Ellington and Richard Rodgers in equal measure, finding surprising connections between baroque arias and classic standards from the Great American Songbook.

With part of the auditorium given over to cabaret tables, this promises to be an occasion to cherish.

On Sunday April 28, rising star and GRAMMY Award winner Samara Joy will take to the stage with her velvety yet precociously refined voice sure to win over the audience.

And on Thursday May 2, the National Youth Jazz Orchestra will collaborate with pianist/composer/presenter/educator extraordinaire Nikki Yeoh to examine the kaleidoscopic range of colours and thrilling diversity of styles in contemporary big-band jazz.

Saffron Hall’s popular programme of insightful talks with notable individuals continues on Thursday February 22 with a giant of modern literature and one of the most popular names in broadcasting, Reverend Richard Coles.

Britain’s most popular vicar, who is embarking on his first national tour, will lift the lid on sex, drugs, pop stardom, religious epiphany, love, a dream job and the madness of grief.

Later on in the season, on Sunday April 14, author Anthony Horowitz will reflect on a career in writing with broadcaster Matt Stadlen.

Meanwhile, fans of cinema are in for a treat in May. The BBC Concert Orchestra presents a concert inspired by the theme of flight in movies on Saturday May 4 before, on Sunday May 19, pianist, composer and broadcaster Neil Brand recreates the experience of the silver screen’s silent comedies with a triple bill featuring beloved pictures by Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd.

See www.saffronhall.com for full details and to book.