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Fantasia Feature - Jess Gillam
13
February
2026
We caught up with Jess Gillam ahead of our Nottingham concert next week.
From starting the sax at just seven years old to drawing inspiration from Nina Simone to Lisa Simpson, Jess shares the artists who shaped her sound, why she loves placing wildly different musical worlds side by side, and what she hopes first-time concertgoers will discover on the night.
When did you first start playing the saxophone, and who has inspired you along the way?
I started when I was 7 on the alto and picked up the soprano when I was about 14 or 15. I’ve had so many inspirations along the way - saxophone players like John Harle, Barbara Thompson, Sidney Bechet, Snake Davis and, of course, Lisa Simpson and singers such as Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin and RAYE to musicians like Chris Thile, Sierra Hull, Donny McCaslin, Martin Fröst, Caroline Shaw, Nicola Benedetti and Vikingur Olafsson. The list goes on…
What excites you about placing such different musical worlds side by side in one concert?
I think it’s often easier to hear the common threads that run through pieces of music that might appear massively different on the surface but actually share a lot of DNA.
Is there a piece in this programme that feels especially joyful to perform live?
This will be the first time for me playing a lot of these pieces live so I’m looking forward to finding out!
What’s one thing you hope first-time concertgoers might discover through this programme?
We’re hoping this programme brings some life, fun and joy to the room!
Tickets are on sale for our programme at the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham on Mon 16 Feb 2026, 7:00pm.