The Glasshouse

• BBC Proms in the North East returns from 23-25 July 2026, marking its fifth year in the region and its biggest programme to date.
• For the first time, the weekend spans three cities, with events across Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough, reflecting a growing North East‑wide music region.
• Royal Northern Sinfonia sits at the heart of the festival, leading bold cross‑genre Proms performances alongside classical, contemporary, indie, folk, jazz and choral music.
• Programme highlights include North East artists including Northumberland folk pioneers The Unthanks, and South Tyneside-born Nadine Shah, in her BBC Proms debut, alongside Royal Northern Sinfonia, a Sunderland Proms premiere by Mendelssohn, Morton Feldman’s Crippled Symmetry and a large‑scale choral gathering featuring the BBC Singers.
• Accessible ticketing, emerging artist showcases and national BBC Radio 3 broadcasts continue the Proms’ commitment to reaching new audiences locally and sharing the region’s music‑making nationally.

BBC Proms in the North East returns from Thursday 23 to Saturday 25 July 2026, marking its fifth year in the region. For the first time, the festival will span three cities, with concerts and events across The Glasshouse in Gateshead, The Fire Station in Sunderland and Middlesbrough Town Hall, reflecting a growing North East wide collaboration and a shared belief that world‑class music belongs everywhere, with artists from the North East.

At the heart of the weekend is Royal Northern Sinfonia, continuing its run of bold, genre‑crossing Proms collaborations. The orchestra opens the festival at Middlesbrough Town Hall with a major opening night collaboration, before leading a programme that moves fluidly between classical, contemporary, indie and folk music across the three cities. Highlights include two new collaborations with Royal Northern Sinfonia from Nadine Shah and The Unthanks and special guests, the first performance at the BBC Proms of Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings in Sunderland, a continuation of the regionwide BBC Introducing partnership, a rare performance of Morton Feldman’s Crippled Symmetry, and a large‑scale choral gathering featuring the BBC Singers, Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia and Voices of the River’s Edge.

With Sage One undergoing a transformational summer refresh, audiences at The Glasshouse will experience the Proms from a fresh perspective in 2026, as the concourse takes centre stage. Its dramatic scale, cathedral‑like ceiling and open atmosphere will offer a distinctive way to experience live music, placing audiences at the heart of the performance.

Accessibility remains a defining principle of BBC Proms in the North East. Promming tickets will once again be available from £8, participatory activity and events designed to welcome audiences who may be experiencing live orchestral music for the first time. Activity in Sunderland and Middlesbrough plays a vital role in reaching new communities and widening access across the region.

Concerts from across the weekend will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3, bringing the sound of the North East to national and international audiences. Building on record‑breaking attendance and listening figures in 2025, the 2026 programme continues to demonstrate that world‑class music‑making is thriving across the region.

BBC Proms in the North East is delivered in partnership with North East Combined Authority and Tees Valley Combined Authority, whose support has helped make the expanded regional programme possible, particularly in new locations such as Middlesbrough.

Programme information

The 2026 programme spans three days of music across the region, bringing together established artists, new collaborations and emerging artists.

The festival opens at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Thursday 23 July with a collaboration between Royal Northern Sinfonia and The Glasshouse’s Artistic Partners The Unthanks and special guests, conducted by Ellie Slorach. Built around the unmistakable voices of Tyneside sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank, their work blends storytelling and harmony with a wider musical palette, shaped by bandleader and composer Adrian McNally. The performance will be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and is supported by Tees Valley Combined Authority.

Later that evening, BBC Introducing from The Glasshouse: Live at the Proms returns to Sage Two, celebrating artists who have launched their careers under the groundbreaking BBC Introducing region-wide partnership designed to create more opportunities for local musicians. The night features performances from Mercury Prize nominated corto.alto, the Glasgow project led by multi-instrumentalist and producer Liam Shortall; singer songwriter and composer Maddie Ashman, whose avant-pop music centres the cello and microtonal sound worlds and ATFK, a North East accordion and drum duo taking traditional sounds and turning them into bold new ideas.

The Proms’ commitment to future talent continues with free BBC Young Composer workshops on Thursday 23 July at myplace, Middlesbrough. Designed for 12-18 year olds making their own music in any style or genre, the sessions offer a space to build confidence, try out new ideas and develop original work with support from experienced composers and musicians. The workshops connect local creativity to a national programme which nurtures young composers through resources, development and a biennial competition.

On Friday 24 July, the programme turns to contemporary classical with Morton Feldman’s Crippled Symmetry in Sage Two, performed by Royal Northern Sinfonia’s Music Director Dinis Sousa (piano and celesta), Helena Gourd (flute and bass flute) and Jude Carlton (percussion). Inspired by the intricate patterns of Turkish rugs, Feldman’s mesmerising work drifts between precision and freedom, its hypnotic motifs forming and reforming in slow motion. The performance takes place on Feldman’s centenary year and will be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

On Friday night, Mercury Prize-nominated artist Nadine Shah joins Royal Northern Sinfonia in her Proms debut for a major late-night Proms collaboration on The Glasshouse Concourse, with Ellie Slorach conducting. A powerful voice in the UK indie rock scene, Shah is a South Tyneside-born singer songwriter with a catalogue that confronts grief, identity, politics and recovery.

Saturday 25 July brings a powerful choral centrepiece as Choirs on the Concourse fills The Glasshouse with voices from across the North East, alongside the world-renowned BBC Singers. Conducted by Sofi Jeannin, the event features Voices of the River’s Edge and Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia, with music including selections from Parry’s Songs of Farewell and Tavener’s Song for Athene. Saxophonist Jess Gillam also appears as part of the programme, adding a distinctive voice to an event that celebrates collective music-making on a grand scale.

On Saturday evening the festival travels to The Fire Station, Sunderland for Royal Northern Sinfonia: Mozart and Mendelssohn, directed by Artistic Partner of The Glasshouse, violinist Maria Włoszczowska. The programme moves from Grażyna Bacewicz’s vivid Divertimento to Mendelssohn’s inventive Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings in D minor, which will be its first ever performance at the BBC Proms, and closes with Mozart’s radiant Symphony No. 39. With pianist Christian Ihle Hadland joining the orchestra, the concert brings the world’s finest classical music to Sunderland. The concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.

Fraser Anderson, Chief Executive, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music said: “It’s brilliant to see the BBC Proms in the North East growing year on year. What started here in Gateshead has become three days of music that stretches across the region and brings people together for live music of all kinds. Taking centre stage is an exciting and eclectic range of musicians: connecting great artists with audiences is what we’re all about.

We love working with our colleagues at the BBC to bring one of the world’s greatest music festivals to this most musical region, and are hugely grateful to North East and Tees Valley Combined Authorities for helping to make this possible.”

Sam Jackson, Controller, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms, said: “I’m delighted to be returning to the North East of England for another residency as part of BBC Proms across the UK. Audiences can expect a programme packed with musical gems performed by local and international artists, with every note broadcast on Radio 3. The Proms was founded on the belief that everyone should have access to the very best classical music, and our residencies this year in the North East and Bristol, as well as a one-off concert in Mold, North Wales, will reach audiences on their own doorsteps.”

Adrian McNally, composer, Musical Director and pianist for The Unthanks said: “Rachel and Becky Unthank have parents from Teesside and lots of family still living there so playing in Middlesbrough is always a special event for us. Doing so with Royal Nothern Sinfonia is another level however, especially after our first shows together earlier this year. They were such an artistic and commercial success for us. We look forward to building on that for the BBC Proms and can’t wait to unveil the special guests that will be joining us at Middlesbrough Town Hall.”

Nadine Shah said: This summer I’ll be making my proms debut with Royal Northern Sinfonia. The performance will take place in the North East at our finest establishment, The Glasshouse in Gateshead. It’s high art, it’s fancy, call me “Nadine Shah lah-de-dah”. It’s about time, on the Tyne. 

Kim McGuinness, North East Mayor said: “I am excited we’re bringing a world-famous festival like The Proms back to Gateshead and Sunderland, and making it an opportunity for our own North East talent to take centre stage. The Proms coming back to our region with its biggest programme yet is something to be really proud of, and I for one am thrilled by the idea of Nadine Shah performing with Royal Northern Sinfonia. This is about creating real opportunity for our artists, our communities and our young people, showing just how far their talent can take them. This festival shows the confidence and creativity of our North East.”

Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor said: “We are committed to bringing world-class events to our region, and hosting the BBC Proms in Middlesbrough is a powerful example of what can be achieved through strong partnerships with organisations like the BBC. This event ensures that people across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool can experience the Proms on their own doorstep, while also championing one of our outstanding local venues and delivering an important boost to our local economy.”

Kesia Bruce, General Manager, Middlesbrough Town Hall said: “We are delighted to welcome the BBC Proms to Middlesbrough Town Hall for the very first time. It’s a landmark moment for the venue and for our town, and one that builds on our strong musical heritage. We’re proud to be part of such a world-renowned celebration of music, and we look forward to welcoming audiences to experience an unforgettable evening of live music.”

Tamsin Austin, Venue Director, The Fire Station said:
“We are delighted to once again be hosting a BBC Prom at The Fire Station, Sunderland, and to welcome our great friends Royal Northern Sinfonia for an evening of Mozart and a first BBC Proms performance of Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings.  It is yet another landmark moment for live music in Sunderland. Hearing world class orchestral music up close, in the outstanding acoustics of our intimate concert hall, is a huge treat and we are really looking forward to sharing it with audiences. The performance will also be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, enabling listeners to join us from across the UK. We are grateful to our partners at The Glasshouse and BBC Radio 3 for their support in making this event possible.”

Now in its fifth year, BBC Proms in the North East sits within a wider movement to position the region as one of the UK’s leading music destinations. Alongside Music City initiatives in Newcastle Gateshead and Sunderland, and recent national moments including the MOBO Awards, Mercury Prize and Radio 1’s Big Weekend, the Proms forms part of a dynamic story about a region with music in its DNA and a national profile to match. The Proms anchors a growing pan-regional music partnership with the BBC, developing the regional music economy, creating new opportunities for audiences and the next generation of talent.

BBC Proms in the North East takes place from Thursday 23 to Saturday 25 July 2026 across The Glasshouse in Gateshead, The Fire Station in Sunderland and Middlesbrough Town Hall.

Tickets and full programme details at: theglasshouseicm.org

-ENDS-

Media contact:

Jackie Thompson, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Jackie.thompson@theglasshouseicm.org

LISTINGS

Thursday 23 July 2026 – Middlesbrough Town Hall
The Unthanks and friends, with Royal Northern Sinfonia
Time: 19:30
Broadcast: BBC Radio 3 (recorded for future broadcast)
Performers: The Unthanks, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Ellie Slorach (conductor)

Thursday 23 July 2026 – Sage Two, The Glasshouse
BBC Introducing Live at The Proms
Time: 20:00
Broadcast: BBC Radio 3 / BBC Introducing (recorded)
Performers: corto.alto, Maddie Ashman, ATFK
Presenter: Shakk (BBC Introducing)

Thursday 23 July 2026 – myplace, Middlesbrough
BBC Young Composer Workshops
Time: Various sessions
Participants: Young composers aged 12–18
Led by: BBC Young Composer artists and mentors

Friday 24 July 2026 – Sage Two, The Glasshouse
Crippled Symmetry
Time: 19:00
Broadcast: BBC Radio 3 (recorded for future broadcast)
Works:
Morton Feldman Crippled Symmetry
Performers:
Helena Gourd (flute, bass flute)
Jude Carlton (percussion)
Dinis Sousa (piano, celesta)

Friday 24 July 2026 – The Glasshouse Concourse
Nadine Shah and Royal Northern Sinfonia
Time: 21:00
Broadcast: BBC Radio 3 (live)
Performers: Nadine Shah, Royal Northern Sinfonia
Conductor: Ellie Slorach

Saturday 25 July 2026 – The Glasshouse Concourse
Choirs on the Concourse
Time: 16:00–19:00
Broadcast: BBC Radio 3 (recorded for future broadcast)

16:00-17:00
BBC Singers and Jess Gillam

Charles Wood Hail, gladdening light
Hildegard von Bingen Alleluia, O virga mediatrix
Christian Forshaw My soul, there is a country
Shruthi Rajasekar Sat on the shore
Iain Farrington Like as the waves
Caroline Shaw and the swallow
Roderick Williams Never weather-beaten sail (BBC Commission, world premiere)
Alec Roth Night Prayer
John Tavener Song for Athene
Parry Lord let me know mine end

17:20 – 17:50pm
Voices of the River’s Edge

18.:10 – 18:55
BBC Singers and Chorus of RNS
Alfred Schnittke Concerto for Choir (sung in English)

Performers:
Jess Gillam saxophone
BBC Singers
Sofi Jeannin conductor
Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia
Tim Burke chorus director
Voices of the River’s Edge
Simon Davies-Fidler choir director

Saturday 25 July 2026 – The Fire Station, Sunderland
Royal Northern Sinfonia: Mozart and Mendelssohn
Time: 19:30
Broadcast: BBC Radio 3 (live)
Works:
Grażyna Bacewicz Divertimento
Mendelssohn Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings in D minor (first performance at the Proms)
Mozart Symphony No. 39 in E flat major

Performers:
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Christian Ihle Hadland piano
Maria Włoszczowska director, violin