EP/67: CLASSICAL COMEBACK

Classical Music. It’s What the Cool Kids Are Into.

LISTEN ON: APPLE SPOTIFY STITCHER

Classical music is making a big comeback. More and more people - including the younger generation - are enjoying music that was written hundreds of years ago. Do recent tech developments, like streaming and social media, have something to do with reawakening these age-old art works?

Here to help us understand the classical revival is Jess Gillam. Jess is the first ever saxophonist to be signed to Decca Classics and her debut album “Rise” shot to No.1 in the Official UK Classical Charts. She became the youngest ever presenter for BBC Radio 3 and hosts her own weekly show called “This Classical Life” in which she talks to musical friends and colleagues about the music that inspires them. She joins us from just outside of London, UK.

About JESS

Jess Gillam is animating the music world with her outstanding talent and infectious personality, bringing classical music to new audiences through both her world class live performances and her work on television and radio. Jess is the first ever saxophonist to be signed to Decca Classics and her debut album “Rise” shot to No.1 in the Official UK Classical Charts. Featuring a selection of her favourite pieces ranging from Marcello and Shostakovich to David Bowie and Kate Bush, it was highly celebrated and received rave reviews and was featured in The Times Top 100 albums of 2019. Jess has been the recipient of a Classic BRIT Award (in the Sound of Classical Poll), was the first ever saxophonist to reach the final of BBC Young Musician, and in 2019, performed live at the BAFTAs (British Academy of Film and Television Awards) to millions of viewers at home.

She is also a presenter on TV and Radio. She became the youngest ever presenter for BBC Radio 3 and hosts her own weekly show called “This Classical Life” in which she talks to musical friends and colleagues about the music that inspires them. The show is in its second year now and in 2020 has been awarded the prestigious ARIA Award for Best Specialist Music Show. It has been very well received by audiences and critics alike, with The Guardian stating “there are many more established presenters who lack Gillam’s warmth and impressive ability”. In 2019 she also presented five BBC Proms on television alongside Katie Derham and Tom Service.

A free spirit in style and character, Jess is a passionate advocate for the power of music in society, often combining her concert engagements with educational and social projects. She is a patron for Awards for Young Musicians and a trustee for the newly formed HarrisonParrott Foundation, working towards full inclusivity of all ethnicities, genders, disabilities and social backgrounds with equal access to the arts.

Learn more about This Classical Life and find the podcast at: bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00040ch. Follow Jess at: www.jessgillamsax.co.uk

PHOTO: Robin Clewly