WHAT a year 2016 has been for saxophonist sensation Jess Gillam - and 2017 looks set to be even busier and brighter for the Ulverston music star.

The teen starlet made history in 2016 as the first ever saxophonist to win the Woodwind Final of BBC Young Musician of the Year.

In the Grand Final Jess gave incredible performances at London's Barbican Hall alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra, impressing critics and audiences across the country watching on TV and listening on the radio.

Her mesmorising and energetic take on of Michael Nyman's 'Where The Bees Dance' gained acclaim from the celebrated composer himself.

Nyman phoned Jess from Rome the next day to say how much he enjoyed the performance and congratulated Jess for really managed to get across the message of his music across.

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This month the 18-year-old was once again dazzling music fans when she performed the world premiere of a piece written specially for her by renowned composer Jeremy Holland-Smith. This performance took place at Wales Millennium Centre as part of the BBC Choir of the Year show.

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Jess has also performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London this month which was broadcast on BBC Radio 3. The former Ulverston Victoria High School pupil is now a student of the Royal Northern College of Music with an Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Scholarship. She studies with Rob Buckland and is mentored by John Harle.

When Jess featured in the BBC Young Musician of the Year Grand Final, her award-winning mentor John Harle said: “She has her place in the saxophone hall of fame already”.

Recalling her remarkable year, Jess said: "2016 has been an absolutely brilliant year for me in many different ways. Winning the Woodwind Final of BBC Young Musician of the Year and then being the first ever saxophonist to reach the final was most definitely a highlight. I loved every second of the experience and the exposure it has given me has been invaluable.

"There have also been concerts this year that I will never forget. Particular highlights include a performance with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, being a guest with John Harle and Marc Almond in Canterbury and a solo recital at the Groucho Club in London."

Looking ahead to 2017 there are lots of live performances and even an album in the pipeline for Jess.

She said: "Next year is a very busy year for me and I can’t wait for some of the concerts and performances I have planned. I will be performing across the country giving solo concerts and concerto performances with various orchestras.

"I’m really looking forward to touring in Wales with the Sinfonia Cymru and a solo Scottish Tour, performing with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, playing a concerto with the Southbank Sinfonia and giving a concert at the renowned Cheltenham Music Festival. 2017 is definitely going to be my busiest musical year yet and I can’t wait. In between performing, I also hope to record and release an album. This has been an ambition of mine for a very long time so I am quite excited about that."

Jess is extremely proud of her Ulverston roots, where her family run the Gillam's Tearooms in Market Street.

She is a Young Ambassador for the Ulverston International Music Festival and she loves to perform in her hometown.

Jess said: "Ulverston is such a brilliant place to come from and thank you very much to everybody who has supported and encouraged me over the past year."