Jess Gillam

Jess Gillam is a saxophonist from Ulverston in Cumbria. She was the first saxophonist to reach the final of BBC Young Musician, in 2016, and in 2018 played the Last Night of the Proms. The first saxophonist signed to Decca Classics, she took Rise to the top of the UK classical chart and followed it with Time. She presents This Classical Life on BBC Radio 3, having become the station's youngest presenter, and directs her own ensemble. Commissioning runs through her work, with pieces by Anna Clyne and Dani Howard among those written for her. She was appointed MBE in 2021. Anna Clyne's Glasslands was first played by her with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Dani Howard's concerto with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and Karl Jenkins's Stravaganza at the Proms. She has held posts as associate artist of the Royal Albert Hall and artistic partner of Manchester Camerata, came through the ECHO Rising Stars scheme, holds a Classic BRIT Award and sits on the council of the Royal Philharmonic Society. The concert series she runs in Ulverston she began at the age of twelve. This Classical Life began on 6 April 2019.