SAX sensation Jess Gillam has hit top spot on the Official UK Classical Chart.

Her debut album Rise was only released on April 26 on Decca Classics but has already notched up enough sales to make her the youngest saxophonist ever to reach number one in the classical music charts.

"If someone had told me when I first picked up a saxophone in the Barracudas Carnival Band in Barrow that that I would get a classical number one for my first album release, I wouldn’t have believed them in a million years," said Jess. "It has been so exciting to record my debut with the team at Decca Classics. And special thanks to the producer John Harle, BBC Concert Orchestra and Milos for being a part of Rise. Music has been such an important part of my life and the tracks included on the album are very personal to me, so it’s overwhelming that there has been such an amazing response to it so far."

Rise showcases the 20-year old Ulverston musician's phenomenal talent as well as her diverse musical taste, featuring tracks ranging from John Williams and Shostakovich to David Bowie and Kate Bush.

After previously making music history as the first saxophonist to reach the final of the BBC Young Musician competition in 2016, 20-year-old Jess quickly went on to make her BBC Proms debut in 2017. Last year year blew the nation away with her Last Night of the Proms double performance, starring at Proms in the Park before dashing over to the Royal Albert Hall the same night to step on to the stage to play in front of an international television audience. Since, Jess has been invited to perform at such prestigious events as this year’s BAFTA ceremony – at which she brought the room to a standstill with her playing – and the National Portrait Gallery Annual Gala as well as international debuts in Finland, Switzerland, Spain, and the USA where she performed in New York as a chosen artist at the launch of WQXR’s 19 for 19 campaign.

Decca Classics managing director Dr Alexander Buhr, said: “Huge congratulations to all of the wonderful musicians who worked on this album, and first and foremost to Jess – a uniquely talented and inspiring artist. We are very proud to have her in the Decca family and I am certain she’ll be a major force on the label for years to come.”

In addition to her chart topping success, Jess also hosts her new BBC Radio 3 series This Classical Life.

Elsewhere, Rise has entered the Classic FM chart taking over at number one from Ludovico Einaudi's most recent album, Seven Days Walking - Day Two.