On Thursday 28 November at The HopBarn, Jess Gillam will perform a special concert to raise money for Awards for Young Musicians (AYM). This special event has been offered due to Jess Gillam’s continued support and patronage to Awards for Young Musicians (AYM). Through their means-tested programmes AYM support more than 400 talented young musicians from low income families per year, with funding and other help.
 
“AYM’s practical support and their belief in me throughout my teenage years was invaluable. Music has the power to transform lives and AYM recognise that.”
 
For this concert, Jess will be accompanied by pianist James Baillieu, who himself is a celebrated musician and has received numerous awards for his song-writing, whilst performing across the UK, Europe and the US. All proceeds from this concert will go to AYM. www.a-y-m.org.uk
More information is available on the ‘Concerts‘ page.

As part of this year’s ‘Love Classical’ festival at the Royal Albert Hall, Jess will be performing Michael Nyman’s Where the Bee Dances together with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

On Tuesday 30 April, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Rising Stars of Classical, presents the music of Mussorgsky, Rodrigo, Glinka, Dvořák, Rachmaninov, Nyman and Stravinsky, performed by some of the UK’s most brilliant young musicians.

Soprano Lauren Fagan, guitarist Sean Shibe and star of the Last Night of the Proms, saxophonist Jess Gillam are all brought together under the baton of yet another rising star, conductor Jamie Phillips.

A varied repertoire will also include arias by Rachmaninov and Stravinsky, the famous Concierto de Aranjuez, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

This concert is one of the headline events of the Royal Albert Hall’s 2019 Love Classical season, which celebrates some of the most distinctive and original voices in classical music today.

For more information about this concert, visit the Royal Albert Hall’s website.

Saxophonist Jess Gillam has been selected as one of WQXR’s ’19 for 19′, celebrating outstanding talent in the field of classical music. Anyone that’s been following Jess’ social media recently will know that last month she popped over to America. This included a performance at the launch of New York’s WQXR classical music radio station’s ’19 for 19′, “an annual list of the most exciting classical artists on the planet”.

’19 for 19′, is described by WQXR as “a group of artists we love that includes long-time heroes, established favorites and newcomers set for stardom”. You can read more about ’19 for 19 and the artists selected here.

Jess Gillam, the saxophonist from the Lake District, lighting up the hall with her seemingly effortless virtuosity and limitless expressiveness. Milhaud’s jazzy Scaramouche (1937 – 9) couldn’t have been a better choice. Gillam is all set for stardom: to listen is to love her.”

(Artsdesk)

Saxophonist Jess Gillam steals the show.” /// ​She may only be 20 years old, but saxophonist Jess Gillam was the indisputable highlight of the Last Night of the Proms.”

BBC News

Jess Gillam…whirled through Milhaud’s Scaramouche, her outfit as dazzling as her fingerwork.”

The Times

Watch Jess’ video blog of her ‘journey’ to the Last Night of the Proms

And here, is a time lapse of her actual journey from Hyde Park to the Royal Albert Hall

 

Jess will be back in her home town on the 15 June to play at the 15th Ulverston International Music Festival. She performs Glazunov’s Concerto in E flat major for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra Op. 109 in an evening titled ‘Serenades & Concertos’. It also features the Festival’s Artistic Director, pianist Anthony Hewitt playing Shostakovich’s Concerto no. 1 in C minor Op. 35.

The Festival has played an important part in Jess’s musical life. Firstly helping to inspire her interest in music and then latterly as a platform for performances. “We’re incredibly lucky to have such a fantastic gathering of musicians from all of the world in my hometown. The quality is so high. I’m just sorry that I’m going to miss Nicholas Daniel’s recital!”

The Ulverston International Music Festival runs from 6 – 16 June. The full Festival brochure is available here:

UIMF1831 2018 Festival Brochure

Tickets available from corohall.co.uk

After making her BBC Proms debut in two Proms last year (John Williams Prom and BBC Ten Pieces Prom), Jess Gillam has been invited to perform in two Proms this year! She will be the youngest ever female soloist in the prestigious Last Night and she will also perform in the BBC Young Musician Prom to celebrate 40 years of the competition.

In the Last Night, she will perform Scaramouche by Darius Milhaud with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton on Sir Andrew Davis.

For more info of both events please click on the links below:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/emmxp6

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ewwrn3

From Jess: “I feel extremely honoured to have been asked to perform at such a prestigious event and I cannot wait for the concert! I felt there was such an incredible atmosphere at the Proms last year – the audience were so attentive, the atmosphere was electric so I can’t begin to imagine how the Last Night will feel! 

I found out about being asked to perform at the Last Night a few months ago and it has been very difficult to keep it quiet. I’ll also be performing at the BBC Young Musician Prom to celebrate 40 years of the competition and I’m really looking forward to being a part of that as the competition has been such a brilliant platform for me.

I will be performing Scaramouche by Darius Milhaud. It consists of three quite contrasting movements – the first being lively and bright, the second very beautiful and gentle whilst the third is fantastically energetic and very reminiscent of a carnival! I first began playing saxophone, aged 7, in the Barracudas carnival band and it will be fantastic to perform music of a similar spirit at a concert like this. The piece was written to be performed at the Théâtre Scaramouche, which is where the name originates from – Theatre Scaramouche specialized in plays and productions specifically for children. The piece is an absolute joy to play and I am very excited to perform it!”

 

 

Get ready to hit the dance floor as saxophone legend Snake Davis returns to Ulverston with his 8 piece soul band, for a now annual night of Motown, Northern Soul and Atlanta Classics.

Saxophone legend Snake Davis is one of the music world’s best kept secrets. He is a saxophonist of almost unparalleled gifts who has played with the best in the business through a career spanning three decades. Snake has performed and recorded with artists such as Amy Winehouse, James Brown, Eurhythmics, Ray Charles and M-People to name but a few. Often heralded as the best soul band performing in the UK, the Suspicions includes some of the UK’s finest musicians; current and former members of M-People, Simply Red and Swing Out Sister.

Snake and the band will be joined by special guest Jess Gillam. Tickets available now from the Coronation Hall.

Download the concert leaflet: Snake Davis 6 October 2017 A5 LR