Jess Gillam

Jess Gillam, a saxophone prodigy, has amassed a string of groundbreaking milestones: she became the first player of her instrument to reach the BBC Young Musician of the Year final, the youngest woman ever to appear as a soloist at the Last Night of the Proms, and the first saxophonist signed to Decca Classics; moreover, her debut release Rise entered the U.K. classical chart at number one when she was only twenty.

Born May 24, 1998, she grew up surrounded by music in the scenic market town of Ulverston in Cumbria’s Lake District, where her family operated a tearoom in which she occasionally served customers during childhood. Gillam took up the saxophone at seven, beginning in a samba-flavored carnival ensemble. Classical music entered her world at eleven upon hearing a saxophone quartet perform; struck by the instrument’s expressive range, she resolved to dedicate herself to it. Private study at a nearby secondary school led to her admission, at thirteen, to the Junior Royal Northern College of Music, and three years later she commenced lessons with John Harle, who would serve as her principal mentor.

Her decisive breakthrough arrived in 2016 when she advanced to the final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, becoming both the first saxophonist to achieve that distinction and the first winner of its woodwind category. Momentum built swiftly thereafter: she made her Proms debut in 2017, performed at the 2018 Last Night, and appeared at the 2019 BAFTAs. Observers began to cast her as a twenty-first-century counterpart to violinist Nigel Kennedy, whose punkish hairstyle and bold suits had once jolted the staid classical establishment of the 1980s.

Decca issued her debut album Rise in 2019; the recording, which mingled standard classical works, film-score excerpts, and pop arrangements, immediately claimed the top slot on the U.K. classical chart. Beyond performing, Gillam has taught and spoken out against reductions in public funding for music education. Since age twelve she has curated an annual concert series in her hometown that has drawn international artists including Snake Davis, Courtney Pine, and Tommy Smith. Shortly after the album’s release, BBC Radio 3 named her its youngest-ever presenter in an effort to broaden its appeal among younger audiences.