Alison Balsom

Alison Balsom (born 7 October 1978, Hertfordshire) is an English trumpeter. She grew up in Royston, Hertfordshire in England. She studied the trumpet at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Paris Conservatory, and also with Håkan Hardenberger. She is a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist. She has made three CD albums with EMI Classics and has been described by many as the best trumpeter of the young generation.

Discography

• Alison Balsom: Music for Trumpet and Organ (EMI Classics Debut, 2002)
• Alison Balsom & Crispian Steele-Perkins: The Fam'd Italian Masters (Hyperion, 2003)
• Alison Balsom: Bach works for Trumpet (EMI Classics, 2005)
• Alison Balsom: Caprice (EMI Classics, 2006)
• Alison Balsom: Haydn and Hummel Trumpet Concertos (EMI Classics, 2008)
• Alison Balsom: Italian Concertos (EMI Classics, 2010)

The BBC Music Magazine cover disc for December 2010 has: Haydn & Hummel concertos (not the 2008 EMI recordings); Albinoni's Oboe Concerto Op. 9 No. 2, transcribed for trumpet; and Vivaldi's Violin Concerto Op. 3 No. 9, arranged for trumpet and instrumental trio.

Awards

• Concerto finalist in the BBC Young Musicians Competition, 1998
• Feeling Musique Prize for quality of sound in the 4th Maurice André International Trumpet Competition.
• Young British Performer at the Classical Brit Awards, 2006
• Classic FM Listeners' Choice Award, 2006

Other websites

• Alison Balsom Official website
• Caprice album microsite Archived 2007-05-02 at the Wayback Machine
• Alison Balsom on MySpace