Musical youth
Former finalist Jess Gillam on the joys of the BBC Young Musician competition
DECCA / Robin Clewley
Add BBC Young Musician to your watchlist. Jess Gillam also hosts This Classical Life on Radio 3, Saturdays at 5pm. Add it to your collection.
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I had just finished recording the voiceovers for a couple of episodes of BBC Young Musician 2024 when, in a bid to find somewhere quiet to write this, I sat down at the British Library. Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was a fellow competitor in BBC Young Musician 2016, Zak Eastop. We had a lovely (hushed) catch-up and it reminded me of how much of a community builder BBC Young Musician is. Not only is it one of the UK’s most important platforms for young classical performers, it’s also a place to meet and be inspired by like-minded musicians.
Back in 2016, my second time in the competition, when I was still attending the Junior Royal Northern College of Music, I was acutely aware of the significance of the opportunity on offer. It’s not every day a 17-year-old saxophonist from Ulverston in Cumbria has the chance to play a concerto of their own choosing with a top-level professional orchestra to a sold-out Barbican Hall, broadcast live on BBC4 and Radio 3.
I am grateful for the spark the contest lit in me
It was the experience of a lifetime – simultaneously the most nervous I had ever been and the most fun I’d ever had. The other two finalists in 2016 were Ben Goldscheider and Sheku Kanneh-Mason (who won) and the whole experience had more of a celebratory, festival feel rather than a cut-throat battle. We were all determined and focused, but there was space to forge a friendship, too, and we three are still in touch – I continue to be inspired by them, both as friends and musicians.
This year’s finalists are now gearing up for that golden opportunity and the hours of practice, preparation and commitment will be stacking up. BBC Young Musician is a competition that celebrates excellence and dedication in a society that is sometimes, with social media culture, guilty of settling for mediocrity. This final will feel like the Olympics of classical music – just wait to see who’s in that line-up! I wish I could step back in time and relive the adventure the finalists are about Listen to have. At that age, before you have to pay the bills and stress about fitting calm practice into a busy tour schedule, every single ounce of energy can go into preparing for the final. I remember hibernating before the big day and practising like never before. The experience set me in great stead for pressured environments to come and the competition itself is a vital springboard. It opened many doors for me – from radio presenting to performing around the world.
BBC Young Musician is a one-of-a-kind contest in the UK – it’s a huge platform for young players to make their mark and share their musical vision, and a source of inspiration for young viewers at home, who will hopefully have the chance to learn a musical instrument.
In the wake of the competition frenzy, the BBC provides a management aftercare scheme for all the finalists. This holistic approach to the contest means that its impact has a real legacy and longevity – it has set the path for many great careers for artists like Nicola Benedetti, Alison Balsom, Guy Johnston and Sheku.
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I will be forever grateful for the spark the competition lit in me to be the best I could possibly be, to work as hard as I can and, wherever I go, to make friends.
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