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Jess Gillam
The British saxophonist and her ensemble join Intermusica Artists' Management Ltd
Intermusica Artists' Management Ltd has announced the signing of British saxophonist Jess Gillam and the Jess Gillam Ensemble for worldwide general management.
Jess Gillam is a leading figure of the saxophone. She was the first saxophonist to reach the BBC Young Musician Finals and the youngest ever soloist to perform at the Last Night of the Proms. She is known for her electrifying performances, vibrant stage presence and magnetic personality. She is also the youngest ever presenter for BBC Radio 3 with her award-winning weekly show, This Classical Life.
Gillam is a staunch advocate for broadening the repertoire of the saxophone and has given first performances of concerti by Anna Clyne, Dani Howard and Karl Jenkins in recent and forthcoming seasons. Other concerti in her repertoire include those by John Adams, Claude Debussy, Darius Milhaud, Michael Nyman, Barbara Thompson, Heitor Villa-Lobos, John Williams, Alexander Glazunov and James MacMillan. She collaborates with conductors including Ryan Bancroft, Andrew Davis, Mikko Franck, Jonathan Heyward, Pekka Kuusisto, Gemma New, Gianandrea Noseda, Vasily Petrenko, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Dalia Stasevska, Gabor Takács-Nagy, Osmo Vänskä and Kazuki Yamada.
Highlights of Gillam's concerto appearances include performances with the BBC, City of Birmingham, Gothenburg, Houston, Iceland and London Symphony Orchestras, the London, Munich, Radio France and Royal Liverpool Philharmonics and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, European Union Youth Orchestra, Hallé, Minnesota, Philharmonia and Scottish Chamber Orchestras. This season sees Gillam debut with the Dresden Philharmonic, Naples Philharmonic and Sydney Symphony Orchestra, return to the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and embark on touring with the Manchester Camerata (including a debut performance at the Enescu Festival).
An exclusive recording artist with Decca Classics, Gillam is the first and only saxophonist to be signed to this major label, with both of her albums reaching No 1 in the UK Classical Music Charts.
Jess Gillam. Photo © Robin Clewley
Jess Gillam formed her band, the Jess Gillam Ensemble, in 2019, taking inspiration from musical worlds far and wide, and their performances are expansive, explosive explorations of a wide range of repertoire - Gillam's carefully curated programmes take a new spin on C P E Bach, the drive and groove of music by John Harle, Anna Meredith and Barbara Thompson, folk infusions, the soaring beauty of music by Sakamoto, J S Bach and even some Björk.
Since their debut, the group has released its chart-topping album TIME and performed widely throughout the UK and Europe to largely sold-out audiences at both classical and non-classical venues and festivals, including Wigmore Hall, Latitude Festival and Mozartfest Augsburg.
Posted 17 February 2024 by Keith Bramich
