Biography

Born in Harrogate, Jessica Wilkes LRSM (distinction), is a young an upcoming flautist. She recently won The Town Hall/ Symphony Hall Recital Prize, Birmingham Conservatoire, has received a Rising Star Award at Sir James Galway’s International Flute Festival 2014 and has also been awarded a Silver Medal by The Worshipful Company of Musicians. She was winner of the Winifred Miklam First Year Prize and was awarded the Woodwind Prize at the Chandos Symphony Orchestra’s Young Musician Competition in 2012. A finalist in The Central England Concerto Competition 2012 playing the Ibert Concerto, Jessica has also played recitals for The English Speaking Union, The English Music Society and Ensemble Cymru amongst others, including a solo performance at the Bridgewater Hall for the Halle’s Elgar Centenary Celebrations. In 2012 she was awarded a Junior Award by the Hattori Foundation.

In 2014 Jessica graduated with a First Class Honours Degree from Birmingham Conservatoire, where she studied with Jonathan Rimmer, Marie-Christine Zupancic and piccolo with Andrew Lane. She was a full scholarship recipient at the Junior RNCM where she won their annual Concerto Competition playing the Liebermann Concerto, in addition to the Most Outstanding Contribution to the Junior School prize, the Ian McPherson Prize and the Katy Jones Memorial Prize. At 15 she was invited to play to Sir James Galway in his master class at Cadogan Hall, and subsequently was awarded a scholarship to his international master class in Switzerland, where she won the Hayne’s Flutes head joint. Sir James Galway invited Jessica to participate in his master class at the NFA Convention in New York, 2009, and she has since played in his master classes in Milan. She has also participated in master classes with William Bennett, Denis Bouriakov, Trevor Wye, Fenwick Smith, and Julie Stewart. She was a regional winner in the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition in 2008.

Jessica was recently principal flute of the CBSO Youth Orchestra, and has played co principal flute with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, National Youth Chamber Orchestra of Great Britain and Halle Youth Orchestra, including performances at the BBC Proms.

Jessica is currently studying privately in Germany with Robert Winn.

Musicians’ Company Award: Silver Medal – Birmingham 2014

Page Updated: 2015