JESS GILLAM
ASSEMBLY HALL, WORTHING
Sunday 29th October 2023 at 2.45pm
Conductor: JOHN GIBBONS
Leader: JULIAN LEAPER
John Williams Star Wars Suite
Barbara Thompson Saxophone Concerto
Malcolm Arnold Symphony No. 6
John Williams Adventures on Earth (E.T)
The sensational Saxophonist and BBC presenter Jess Gillam returns to Worthing with
Barbara Thompson’s Saxophone Concerto. Barbara was an extraordinary pioneer,
captivated by the jazz world of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, she formed her own
band Paraphernalia and performed alongside Jon Hiseman, her husband, in the acclaimed jazz/rock band Colosseum. Many have heard her playing the titles for ‘A Touch of Frost’.
John Williams is one of Hollywood’s most famous film composers and his iconic scores to Stars Wars and E.T. are justly firm favourites of the repertoire.
Malcolm Arnold’s Sixth Symphony was composed during his Cornish period in St Merryn, near Padstow. It includes allusions to jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, an elegiac slow movement and a rousing finale which nods at Shostakovich’s Festival Overtu
The professional orchestra of
West Sussex
JESS GILLAM
Hailing from Ulverston in Cumbria, Jess Gillam is animating the music world with her outstanding talent and infectious personality. She has been forging her own adventurous path since she shot to fame becoming the first saxophonist to reach the finals of BBC Young Musician and the youngest ever soloist to perform at the Last Night of the Proms. Passionate about inspiring and bringing joy to people through music, Jess invites audiences on journeys of musical discovery through her electrifying performances and eclectic programming.
As well as performing around the world, Jess is a presenter on TV and Radio. She became the youngest ever presenter for BBC Radio 3 with the launch of her own weekly show, This Classical Life. The show is in its third year now and in 2020 won the prestigious ARIA Award for Best Specialist Music Show. Jess has presented a special live edition of This Classical Life at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. She has also been a guest presenter for BBC Radio 2 and co-hosted a miniseries for BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme. Keen to explore the creative output of her home county, Jess presented a series of Cumbrian Chats on BBC Radio Cumbria. TV presenting includes the BBC Proms and BBC Young Musician.
Jess is the first ever saxophonist to be signed exclusively to Decca Classics and both of her albums reached No. 1 in the UK Classical Music Charts. Her debut album was listed in The Times Top 100 albums of 2019. She has been the recipient of a Classic BRIT Award, has been nominated for The Times Breakthrough Award and was awarded an M.B.E. in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2021 for Services to Music.
A free spirit in style and character, Jess is an advocate for the power of music in society. She is passionate about inspiring and bringing joy to people through music and during lockdown, she formed her ‘Virtual Scratch Orchestra’, inviting musicians of any standard to come together to play music virtually with her. The orchestra played music by David Bowie and The Beatles as well as a Christmas special of Leroy Anderson’s ‘Sleigh Ride’. Over 2,000 people from around 30 different countries took part across the two projects, aged 2-94, playing a huge range of instruments. Jess is a patron for Awards for Young Musicians and London Music Fund and enjoys working and performing with young musicians.
Her infectious enthusiasm and passion for classical and non-classical music lights up every stage and she has performed in prestigious concert halls and with world-class orchestras around the globe including the NDR Hannover, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Lahti Symphony Orchestra and the UK’s leading orchestras. She also enjoys touring with her newly-formed Jess Gillam Ensemble bringing together a group of brilliant musicians who share her bold, uplifting and open-minded approach. Jess has performed live at the BAFTAs to millions of viewers at home.
Jess is currently Artist in Residence at the Wigmore Hall, an European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) Rising Star which sees her performing at many of the top concert halls across Europe and she continues to promote her own concert series, bringing international talent to her hometown of Ulverston.
Jess is a Vandoren UK Artist and became the youngest ever endorsee for Yanagisawa saxophones aged just 13.
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