An inspiring fixture on radio and TV, Cumbrian-born Jess Gillam is first and foremost a world-class saxophonist. She brings her invigorating musical personality to a typically adventurous collection of music across diverse styles and sounds for the last of our New Dimensions concerts.

Saxophone Dreams with Jess Gillam

The Queen's Hall

City Halls

Holy Trinity Church St Andrews

It is rare for an instrument to bear the name of its inventor. Like the saxophone, which was first created in the early 1840s as an experiment for brass bands, but soon made the Frenchman Adolphe Sax world-famous. The success of the instrument was so great that gradually a whole family emerged: from the small sopranino (just 29 cm long) to soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone – up to the powerful bass instruments. They all share the golden yellow color of the shiny polished brass – and of course, the characteristic sound that makes the saxophone unique in jazz as well as on the concert stage. Grades 5-8

EPSG:4326

Saxophone!

Palace of Culture

At the center of the concert evening is the brilliant Jess Gillam, one of the most exciting musicians of our time. With her soprano saxophone, she combines technical virtuosity and charismatic stage presence like rarely seen. Two works put the saxophone in the spotlight: Dave Heath's "The Celtic" and James MacMillan's Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and String Orchestra. Both works are tailor-made for Jess Gillam. Heath's "The Celtic" combines Celtic melancholy with rhythmic energy, while MacMillan's work explores the boundaries of the instrument's timbres and expressive possibilities. His most famous is certainly the Ninth, but for many, Antonín Dvořák's Seventh Symphony is his best. This music feels rugged and melancholic, yet compact and strict. There is no superfluous note here, every motif is worked through, every counterpoint has something to say. No question: this is not cozy folk music from a Bohemian village tavern, but highly concentrated symphonic music in the spirit of Beethoven and Brahms.

Dvořák 7

In three short concerts, we show how versatile classical music can be. With Jess Gillam at the center, a musician who makes the saxophone shine like no other. Her energy and enthusiasm for music are absolutely contagious - even if you are not familiar with classical concerts so far.

Dave Heath

Events

Upcoming events

11 - 13 Mar, 2026

Saxophone Dreams with Jess Gillam · Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Apr 17, 2026

Saxophone! · Dresdner Philharmonie

Apr 17, 2026

Dvořák 7 · Dresdner Philharmonie

Apr 18, 2026

Long Night of Theater · Dresdner Philharmonie

About

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