Alison Balsom, O.B.E.
Alison Balsom isn't one to toot her own horn, though she should be. Perhaps Britain’s most beloved contemporary classical musician, she is fast becoming one of the most sought-after soloists in the world, bringing attention to the beauty of an instrument that's historically been dominated by male artists.
But no longer is the trumpet the domain of male brass musicians. Balsom has single-handedly squashed the stereotype of the trumpet playing jazz man playing a shiny horn in a low-lit nightclub. The 38-year-old from Hertfordshire is very much an English rose, whose tall, striking blonde appearance and classical repertoire are better suited to Europe’s grandest concert halls than an after-hours cabaret stage.