Alison Balsom

Balsom stands among the leading classical trumpeters to rise to prominence in the 2000s, securing broad international visibility mainly after the new century began. Her debut release, Music for Trumpet and Organ, came out in 2002, and her first major recognition arrived in 2006 when the Classical BRIT Awards honored her as Young British Classical Performer. She draws on an expansive selection that blends core works, newly written pieces, and transcriptions alike. In 2020 Warner Classics issued her album Magic Trumpet.

Born in Hertfordshire in 1978, Balsom was raised in Royston and first took up the trumpet during early childhood. At age nine she began lessons with Adrian Jacobs at Greneway School in Royston; four years later she entered the Junior Department of the Guildhall School of Music, where John Miller served as her principal teacher. From ages 15 to 18 she performed with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, then studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama between 1997 and 2001 under Stephen Keavy and Paul Beniston. Further training followed at the Paris Conservatory of Music and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Between 2001 and 2004 she also worked privately with Håkan Hardenberger. While still a student she appeared with several orchestral ensembles and reached the concerto finals of the 1998 BBC Young Musicians Competition.

The appearance of her first EMI album quickly brought attention both throughout England and farther afield. She soon obtained an exclusive contract with the label, and Bach: Works for Trumpet appeared in 2005 to enthusiastic notices. Brass Band World Magazine named Caprice Solo CD of the Year in 2006. In 2011 she commissioned and recorded Seraph by James MacMillan, while also preparing her own transcriptions of works by Bach, Haydn, Mozart, and others and securing additional commissions that enlarge the trumpet repertoire.

Her performing calendar underscores her high demand, encompassing tours through major venues in Europe, the United States, and other regions worldwide. At the same time she welcomes fresh artistic ventures. In summer 2013 she took the title role in the play Gabriel at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Her recordings of the 2010s turned toward thematic programs that enlisted varied arrangers, among them Paris (2014), Légende (a 2016 anthology of neoclassic trumpet-and-piano sonatas that incorporated pop elements), and Jubilo (also 2016). A frequent artist at the BBC Proms, she introduced the trumpet-and-orchestra piece Joie éternelle by Qigang Chen there in 2014. The 2020 album Magic Trumpet surveys her wide-ranging choices, extending from Baroque to twentieth-century works.

Her roster of honors includes the Gramophone Awards’ Artist of the Year title in 2013 and her appointment as Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2016.