Jess Gillam Launches Virtual Scratch Orchestra
Saxophonist Jess Gillam has launched a Virtual Scratch Orchestra – find out how to play music virtually with her here!
Classic BRIT award-winning saxophonist Jess Gillam has launched the Jess Gillam Virtual Scratch Orchestra and invited musicians of any standard to play music virtually with her. The Jess Gillam Virtual Scratch Orchestra will give their first online performance of David Bowie’s ‘Where Are We Now?’, featured on Gillam’s debut album Rise, on Friday 17 April.
Jess Gillam explained, “For me, music is all about people! People uniting, people sharing and people listening. At a very difficult time, when it is not currently possible to be physically together to share and make music, hopefully this is a way in which we can create something together from afar. ‘Where Are We Now?’ is one of my favourite songs by David Bowie. It’s hauntingly beautiful and seems very appropriate as we all reflect on the world and what is happening around us. This is the first song he released after a long period of silence in 2013.”
Stay at home and join Jess Gillam’s Virtual Scratch Orchestra. Taking part is easy:
Have a look at the parts available (including violin, viola, cello, double bass, oboe, horn in F, and piano) and download the music from her website.
Video yourself playing your part either playing along to the click track or the released version. Submissions can be recorded on a smartphone or video recorder but please use headphones so only you can be heard.
Send the video to info@jessgillamsax.co.uk with a line stating, “I give Universal Music Group permission to use this video”. The deadline is Friday 10 April at 6pm.
Sign up to the mailing list to make sure you see the final results.
Jess Gillam will then perform the piece live with the combined pre-recorded videos on Friday 17 April at 6pm on her Instagram (@jessgillamsax).
Watch Jess Gillam performing David Bowie’s ‘Where Are We Now?’ featured on her debut album Rise.
About Jess Gillam
Jess Gillam is the first ever saxophonist to be signed to Decca Classics. Last year she released her debut album Rise, featuring a selection of her favourite pieces ranging from Marcello and Shostakovich to David Bowie and Kate Bush, which entered the Official UK Classical Charts at No.1.
Jess Gillam is also a TV and Radio presenter. She became the youngest ever presenter for BBC Radio 3, and hosts her own weekly show and podcast This Classical Life, and has also presented five BBC Proms live on television. She has won a Classic BRIT Award, was the first ever saxophonist to reach the final of BBC Young Musician of the Year, and has performed at the prestigious Last Night of the Proms and at the BAFTAs (British Academy of Film and Television Awards). Jess Gillam is a passionate advocate for the power of music in society, often combining her concert engagements with educational and social projects. She is a patron for Awards for Young Musicians and a trustee for the newly formed HarrisonParrott Foundation, working towards full inclusivity of all ethnicities, genders, disabilities and social backgrounds with equal access to the arts.
Stay at home and join Jess Gillam’s Virtual Scratch Orchestra – find out more here.
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