Jess Gillam, the first saxophonist to reach the final of the BBC Young Musician competition, will appear in a BBC documentary marking the 40th birthday of the competition. Jess will be featured alongside two other finalists from the 2016 competition, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and French horn player Ben Goldscheider. The documentary, airing on BBC Four, focuses on their rising careers and looks back at this hugely influential competition. Further information will be announced at the launch of the BBC Proms 2018 programme on Thursday 19 April.
The programme follows Jess, Sheku and Ben over the two years since the 2016 final, seeing how these young players, all of whom are still in their late teens, are balancing the demands of a blossoming career with their studies at music school.
Jess will be presenting BBC Young Musician podcast, aired weekly from 6 April. In this series of six podcasts, she’s joined by two of her friends and musical partners, pianist Zeynep Ozcusa and bass player Sam Becker, to explore just what it takes to make a life in music. They’ll be joined by special guests, including former Young Musicians winners Nicola Benedetti and Sheku Kanneh-Mason, to talk about everything from stage fright and memorising music, to choosing what to wear on stage.
From its inception in 1978 BBC Young Musician has been a national institution. It’s a showcase keenly watched by the music business and an appearance in the final often opens the door to a major career.
