Jess Gillam Ensemble

She was the first saxophonist in history to reach the finals of the prestigious BBC Young Musician competition and became the youngest soloist ever to perform at the Last Night of the BBC Proms. Alongside her international concert career, she is also active as a radio and television presenter—she hosts her own show This Classical Life on BBC Radio 3, which aims to make classical music more accessible to a wider audience. The program earned her an ARIA Award for Best Music Programme. Jess Gillam is currently a resident artist at the Royal Albert Hall and the first saxophonist in history to sign an exclusive recording contract with the prestigious label Decca Classics. In 2021, she was awarded an M.B.E. (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for her services to music. As an ambassador for projects like BBC Proms, BBC Young Musician, and a patron of several music foundations, she is actively engaged in working with young musicians. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with leading orchestras such as the NDR Radiophilharmonie, Munich Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra. She is also deeply involved in chamber music through her own group, the Jess Gillam Ensemble, with which she offers a fresh and stylistically diverse perspective on classical music in dialogue with contemporary and popular genres. It is with this ensemble that Jess Gillam will perform for the Bratislava audience.

„I am very excited to come and perform in Slovakia for the first time and I’m really looking forward to meeting the audiences. I’ll be bringing my ensemble to the wonderful Viva Musica! festival for a night showcasing the saxophone in all its glory with music by CPE Bach to James Blake, and Nadia Boulanger to Michael Nyman, and we can’t wait to welcome you into an energetic and diverse evening.“ Jess Gillam