‘A true inspiration…she frankly rocks.’

Huffington Post

Will Gregory Orbit
CPE Bach arr. Simon Parkin Allegro Assai from Flute Concerto in A Minor H431
Ayanna Witter-Johnson Lumina
Barbara Thompson The Unseen Way
Weill Je ne t’aime pas
Bjork arr. John Metcalfe Venus as a Boy
Piazzolla arr. Simon Parkin Nightclub 1960 from Histoire du Tango
Interval
Bernstein West Side Story excerpts
Debussy arr. Simon Parkin Clair de Lune
Rune Sorensen arr. Simon Parkin Shine You No More
Michael Nyman arr. John Harle If from The Diary of Anne Frank
James Blake Retrograde
John Harle arr. John Harle and Simon Parkin Briggflatts: I Flare, II Garsdale, III RANT!

An explosive start to Summer Nights 2023, as superstar saxophonist and presenter Jess Gillam takes to the stage.

Jess shot to fame as the first saxophonist to reach the finals of BBC Young Musician, and the youngest ever soloist to perform at the Last Night of the Proms. She is the first ever saxophonist to be signed exclusively to Decca Classics, with both her albums reaching No 1 in the UK Classical Music Charts. Now also one of the brightest and most engaging voices on BBC Radio 3, her award-winning weekly show This Classical Life is now in its third year.

Jess is passionate about inspiring and bringing joy to people through music. Tonight, she performs with her ensemble. This group of brilliant musicians come from a wide range of musical backgrounds but all have roots in classical music. Join us for a journey of musical discovery, with a programme that includes a CPE Bach Flute concerto, excerpts from Bernstein’s West Side Story, Histoire du Tango by Piazzolla and John Harle’s exhilarating work Flare.

Jess Gillam saxophone
Roman Lytwyniw violin
Michael Jones violin
Eoin Schmidt-Martin viola
Gabriella Swallow cello
Sam Becker double bass/bass synth
Elsa Bradley percussion
Leif Kaner-Lidström piano