Alison Balsom, the 2009 Female Artist of the Year,

Classical Brits

"She makes the trumpet sing with an irresistible exuberance and eloquence."

- Richard Morrison, The Times, September 2008

Alison Balsom has cemented an international reputation as one of classical music's great ambassadors. She was named Best Young British Performer at the 2006 Classical BRITs and was honoured with the Classic FM Listener's Award at the September 2006 Gramophone Awards. In 2007 the Echo Klassik Awards hailed her "Rising Artist of the Year" and in 2009 she became the first ever Briton to be crowned "Female Artist of the Year" at the Classical BRITs.

Libertango

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Whilst represented by the Young Concert Artists Trust, Alison caught the ear of EMI Classics, with whom she records exclusively. Her internationally celebrated Bach Trumpet and Organ disc of 2005 was quickly followed by the Caprice album which won her further critical acclaim. Alison's most recent recording which includes the gems of the trumpet repertoire, the Haydn and Hummel's Trumpet Concertos was named among the 24 records of 2008 by the New York Times. Under the auspices of BBC Radio 3's New Generation Artists scheme, Alison performed at the Wigmore Hall and with all of the BBC orchestras. Recent debuts included appearances with the Los Angeles, Japan and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestras, the San Francisco Symphony, Orchestre de Paris and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin.

Haydn Trumpet Concerto in Eb, 1st mov.

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    Interview before performance

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09/10 highlights include performances and with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Queensland and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras as well as tours with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Dresdner Kapellsolisten and Alison's own Balsom Ensemble. Alison headlined classical music's most celebrated concert - The Last Night of the Proms in September 2009 which reached its biggest ever global audience of an estimated 150 million. In 2009 Alison became an ambassador for the international charity War Child and in November 2009 she will curate a ground breaking concert at London's Bloomsbury Ballroom bringing together some of the world's most celebrated artists from both classical and popular culture to raise funding and awareness for the charity.

Hummel Trumpet Concerto in E flat, Rondo

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