Jess Gillam, saxophone

Thomas Weaver, piano

Longy's Edward M. Pickman Hall

Tue. March 12, 7:30 PM

English saxophonist Jess Gillam is delighting the music world with her outstanding talent and irresistible personality. She has been forging her adventurous path since she 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. Passionate about inspiring and bringing joy to people through music, Gillam invites audiences around the world on journeys of musical discovery through her electrifying performances and eclectic programming.

Jess Gillam’s Boston debut program will show off her range and versatility. Recent recital programs have spanned the Renaissance and Baroque, through the 20th century, to the present day. Selections from Georg Phillipp Telemann and John Dowland sit alongside François Poulenc, Kurt Weill, and Ástor Piazzolla. Gillam has featured works by contemporary composer-performers like Meredith Monk and Barbara Thompson, and up-to-the-minute selections from young English composers like Ayanna Witter-Johnson and Edmund Finnis.

American pianist and composer Thomas Weaver joins Gillam for this recital. Weaver’s playing has been praised for displaying “sensitivity” and “emotional dexterity.” He is a frequent performance partner and collaborator with saxophonists, having written two works for saxophone quartet and piano, Rift and Distant Recollections.

“[Jess Gillam’s] performance…was a miracle of breath control, with tiny tendrils of sound peeling away from, and then back to, silence. ”
The Telegraph

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