Alexandra Ridout

At the age of 14 Alexandra gained a place on classical trumpet at the Junior Department of The Royal Academy of Music on a scholarship. A year later she also gained a place on the Junior Jazz course at The Royal Academy of Music. Alexandra successfully auditioned for the National Youth Jazz Collective Summer School for five years and in summer 2015 (aged 16) was one of two UK 16-19 year-olds chosen to attend the prestigious Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colony in Stockton, California. Alexandra became a full time member of NYJO (National Youth Jazz Orchestra) in January 2017 having ‘depped’ in the band many times in the previous year or two. After studying at The Purcell School for her sixth form, she began studying at The Royal Academy of Music on a scholarship from September 2017.

Since winning the BBC Young Musician 2016 Jazz Award Alexandra has been interviewed on ‘In tune’ on Radio 3, interviewed on ‘Jazz Now’ on Radio 3 and hosted the ‘True Brit’ show on Jazz FM.

In November 2016 the BBC invited Alexandra to be the featured soloist on flugelhorn with the Euroradio Jazz Orchestra’s performances of Kenny Wheeler’s 59 minute long ‘Sweet Sister Suite’. Their first performance on Thursday 17th November at The Royal Conservatiore of Scotland was recorded by the BBC and broadcast across the EU including Radio 3’s Jazz Now show on Feb 20th 2017.

Alexandra performs around the country in festivals, theatres and all major Jazz clubs with ‘The Alexandra Ridout Quintet’ her own band of talented young jazz musicians.

She is delighted to have been chosen by British Jazz luminary Clark Tracey to perform in his ‘Tribute to Stan Tracey’s Hexad’ during 2017 and from early 2018 to be a member of his latest Quintet who are to be seen regularly performing all over the country and have recently released their album called ‘No Doubt’ – The Clark Tracey Quintet.

Alexandra is also a member of many other bands/ensembles including NYJO, family band ‘The Ridouts’, The Barford/ Stoneman organ Quintet, Tom Ridout’s ‘No Excuses’Band (features on the album ‘No Excuses’), The Capitol Orchestra, Mathew Herbert Brexit Big Band and deps in The London Jazz Orchestra and Calum Gourlay’s Big Band.

She has been booked to play with Claire Teal’s mini Big Band, Guy Barkers Big Band Christmas at The Royal Albert Hall and performed twice at the 2018 Proms –as a featured guest for ‘40 years of The BBC Young Musician’ and with NYJO.

Photo credit Michael Putland