Jess Gillam Band at Christmas

Jess Gillam brings her band to the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall on Wednesday 9 December, with the saxophone taking centre stage for a programme of Christmas favourites. It's part of the York Concert 2026/27 season, so it's one of the city's main classical dates that winter.

Gillam is a Classic BRIT award-winning saxophonist and a regular BBC presenter, and for this one she's not on her own — she's backed by a seven-piece Jess Gillam Ensemble. The set is built around Christmas songs reimagined for saxophone, and the programme spans a fair bit of ground. Ryuichi Sakamoto's Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence sits alongside Coventry Carol, Silent Night, Carol of the Bells and Gaudete, so there's a mix of the well-known carols and a few more distinct pieces. Gillam describes the evening as weaving musical threads across the centuries, and that's a fair summary of the range on display.

It's a mid-week date, so if you're planning to go, keep in mind it's a Wednesday night rather than a weekend. The concert starts at 7:30 PM at the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, which is on the University of York campus. Tickets run from £10 to £35, depending on where you sit.