Working in her parents' tea shop created Britain's youngest Proms star

Trailblazing soprano saxophonist Jess Gillam is the queen of firsts. At 16, she was the youngest soloist ever to perform at Last Night of the Proms. In 2016, she was the first saxophonist to reach the finals of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. And now, at 28, she is bringing classical music to a new generation as the first saxophonist ever to be signed up by world-renowned record label Decca Classics. Jess has performed to audiences across the globe, hosts her own BBC radio show, is already an MBE and critics view her as a major force bringing the saxophone into the mainstream classical spotlight. But her incredible success is not the product of a privileged background and she credits her phenomenal drive to working in her parents cafe as a kid. Cumbrian born Jess says: “My mum and dad run a traditional tea shop and grocers in Ulverston. I got my first saxophone when I was 10 and they said they’d put in half the money to buy it. From then on I had to find ways to save up money for an instrument - birthday cash, doing stuff around the house and then later working in the family tearoom. “It helped me realise the value of everything from really early on and that music wasn’t something you automatically just got into. It’s not always cheap and it’s not always accessible. It also meant that when it came to putting the practice in on the saxophone, I had a bit of a work ethic. I couldn’t have had a better start.” It’s an approach that has certainly paid off. Her new album, Shine, is a celebration of 900 years of music and encompasses everything from folk, classical and jazz through to the music of Bowie, Jonie Mitchell and Kate Bush . Now living in London, Jess says the ambition of the project was to make people smile. She explains: “I don’t think music has the power to fully fix everything, but it can make someone’s day that bit better. “It has the power to change somebody’s mind, somebody’s outlook, show someone a different perspective; it can heal and bring people together. I like to think of music as bringing little pockets of joy; that’s so important at the moment.” Her own journey to bring joy to music lovers around the world began when she was just seven years old and went with her dad, who plays the drums, to take part in preparations for the Ulverston Carnival. The community celebration and parade, the origins of which date back to 1900, would see floats, marching bands and dance troupes taking to the streets of the town each year. Jess recalls: “I chose the saxophone to try as I was absolutely rubbish at everything else. There was dancing, stilt walking, costume making or drumming but I had no rhythm at all and couldn’t dance. But from that weird mixture of metal tubes and pipes that makes up the saxophone, I found I could make a sound and I just fell in love with it. I remember thinking ‘yep, that’s the one.’” She began honing her talent in group lessons with the Carnival Band and then with a private teacher. By the time she was 13 she was taking the early train to Manchester each week to attend the Royal Northern College of Music. The musician, who presents the programme This Classical Life on BBC Radio Three, laughs: “If I misbehaved at home as a kid the punishment would be the saxophone going on top of the fridge and I wouldn’t be allowed to have it. Some people get forced to practise but I just wanted to play all the time. “My mum and dad always said the only person who can truly make something happen is you - there isn’t a key to a secret magic box that is going to be handed to you by someone else. You have to work at it and take the risks and that’s how I’ve done things since I was about 12 or 13.” Apart from a short, minor wobble as a young teen, music has been her life ever since. Jess recalls: “There was probably a period of about two months where I thought, ‘this is a lot - everyone else is going out, doing this or that. “But for me music was where I made my best friends. It was where I felt at home and most like myself - there was no plan B. I can’t imagine now having a life without it, and I don’t think I could then either.” She dropped out of her degree course at The Royal Northern College of Music to pursue the demands of an already impressive career which saw her performing on the world’s greatest stages. She later completed a Master’s Degree from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Since then Jess has wowed audiences everywhere from Australia’s Sydney Opera House to New York’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, has won a Classical BRIT Award and performed at the 2019 BAFTA Awards. But her success has also raised eyebrows in some quarters thanks to her northern background: “I’ve definitely had comments from some the gist of which has been ‘how could she possibly know anything about classical music with that accent?’ “That used to get to me and I’d think, ‘oh, maybe this isn’t a space for me. Maybe I’m not the right person to be involved with this part of the industry because I don’t have this particular background or I’m not from this particular area.’ But music is this incredible, amazing thing that everybody should have a chance to experience; it shouldn’t be kept for certain areas or specific groups of people, and everyone has the right to find a way in it.” That passion to make music accessible was never more evident than when Jess set up a virtual orchestra during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The idea was to start a mass participation digital music project inviting everyone from beginners to advanced instrumentalists from around the world to record and submit their parts from home. In 2021 more than 2,000 people from 30 different countries aged from two years old to 94 joined together to play tracks by Bowie and The Beatles. Jess admits people were hungry for connection: “The best thing about music is whether you’re in the crowd or on stage, when you play or simply listen to the radio, you’re part of something bigger than just you. I still get people talking to me about the scratch orchestra today and what it meant to them. It’s very touching.” She received her MBE for services to music later that year: “I nearly deleted the email because I thought it must be spam. I was in shock - and still am - because I’m just doing what I love.” While her most memorable moment was stepping onto the stage at The Royal Albert Hall for the first time, her proudest came much closer to home. She laughs: “Your home crowds are the hardest crowds and every year I go back and play in Cumbria at least once. I had never had a standing ovation. I absolutely love where I come from, the community is amazing, but you can get a feeling they’re thinking: ‘ok, show us what you’ve got then’. "And then a year or so ago I did a show and the whole room stood up at the end. And I thought - ‘there we go!’ The Sydney Opera House was great but that was amazing.” *SHINE is out now on Decca Classics.