12 Facts About Alison Balsom

Alison Balsom was the artistic director of the 2019 Cheltenham Music Festival.

Alison Balsom attended Tannery Drift First School in Royston, Hertfordshire, where she started taking trumpet lessons from the age of seven, followed by Greneway Middle School and Meridian School, whilst playing in the Royston Town Band from ages 8 to 15.

Alison Balsom has studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and at the Conservatoire de Paris with Hakan Hardenberger.

Alison Balsom is a former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, during which time she performed much of the major concerto repertoire for solo trumpet and orchestra with all of the BBC Orchestras, and she released her debut album with EMI Classics in 2002.

Alison Balsom won 'Female Artist of the Year' at the 2009 and 2011 Classical BRIT Awards.

Alison Balsom's main trumpet is a Bob Malone-converted Bach C trumpet.

Alison Balsom is a Visiting Professor of Trumpet at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Alison Balsom gave the world premiere of Qigang Chen's Joie eternelle for solo trumpet and orchestra at the 2014 BBC Proms, and Guy Barker's Lanterne of Light trumpet concerto at the 2015 BBC Proms.

Alison Balsom appeared on BBC Radio 4's long-running Desert Island Discs programme on 4 October 2015; her favourite piece of music was Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No 5 in D major, her favourite book The Complete Scores of Bach, and her luxury item a trumpet.

Alison Balsom was artistic director of the 2019 Cheltenham Music Festival, then stepped down in July 2019 to concentrate on performing and recording.

Alison Balsom has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from the University of Leicester and Anglia Ruskin University, and is an Honorary Fellow of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Alison Balsom has a son with the English conductor Edward Gardner.