The Glasshouse

• • Christmas at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music returns with seasonal favourites, festive nights out and fun for families. 

• • The Glasshouse are offering #MusicForAll tickets at £5 (and £2.50 for kids) which will be distributed via charity partners and are sponsored by Fenwick.

• • Audiences can get involved with three new Make Music One-Offs, including masterclasses, workshops and performances.

From queer orchestral extravaganzas to The Messiah. From favourites like Kate Rusby to a special film screening of The Snowman with Royal Northern Sinfonia, The Glasshouse has a huge range of warming winter treats and nights out to make Christmas extra special this year.

Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker is given a 21st century makeover in Alexandra Dariescu’s The Nutcracker and I, a ground-breaking multimedia performance for solo piano with dance and state-of-the-art animation (Sage One, Sunday 3 December, 11.30am + 2pm + 4.30pm).

Following her long-awaited debut album ‘Sample The Sky’ which will be released on Friday 13 October, Laura Misch takes to the Sage Two stage with her live band – Marysia Osu on harp and Tomáš Kašpar on guitar. Audiences can expect an enchanting journey through organic electronic productions and embodied lyrics in an ode to care, connection and listening to the natural world (Sage Two, Wednesday 6 December, 8pm).

The Glasshouse regulars Martin Stephenson & The Daintees return to Sage Two on Saturday 9 December. An exuberant tour-de-force, his live performances combine heart-in-your-mouth intimacy with playful humour.

Join Royal Northern Sinfonia for three special screenings of beloved holiday favourite Home Alone. A seasonal favourite, John Williams’ charming score is performed live to picture by Royal Northern Sinfonia (Sage One, Saturday 9 & Sunday 10 December, various times).

Get your drag rags on for queer orchestral extravaganza A Christmas Gaiety, the party of the season hosted by drag sensation Peaches Christ and conductor Edwin Outwater. There’ll be singing, dancing and a special guest or three (including drag superstars Baga Chipz and Le Gateau Chocolat) alongside Royal Northern Sinfonia (Sage One, Wednesday 13 December, 7.30pm)

With her trademark leather jump suit, instantly hooky songs, and big bass guitar, glam rock icon Suzi Quatro visits Sage One on Thursday 14 December, 7.30pm. Musical force of nature Jess Gillam returns to The Glasshouse for an explosive concert designed to showcase the diversity, dynamism and versatility of the saxophone and to inspire audiences to reflect, dance and smile through Christmas classics (Sage Two, Thursday 14 December, 8pm).

Following their Mercury nominated 2020 album Spook the Herd, Lanterns on the Lake return to The Glasshouse on Friday 15 December, Sage One, 7.30pm. Originally formed in 2015 for a one-off yuletide concert, A Winter Union brings together five leading lights of the British roots scene to create a festive folk band like no other (Monday 18 December, 8pm, Sage Two).

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Handel’s Messiah, now established as part of The Glasshouse’s Christmas traditions. Directed by Peter Whelan, expect a performance that brings out all the rage, sorrow, joy and jubilation of this timeless classic on Saturday 16 December (Sage One, 3pm).

Featuring new arrangements of festive favourites penned by pianist Paul Edis, with the velvet-voiced Jo Harrop and a swinging 9-piece band, A Jazzy Christmas has become an annual tradition at The Glasshouse (Saturday 16 December, 2pm + 8pm, Sage Two).

Jazz FM’s prestigious ‘Soul Act of The Year 2022’, Mica Millar has quickly become one of the brightest new stars of British soul music. She brings her flawless vocals and highly esteemed seven-piece band to Sage Two on Tuesday 19 December, 8pm.

Hailed as ‘the start of Christmas’ for many, Kate Rusby rounds off 2023 and celebrates her 50th birthday in style, returning to The Glasshouse for an evening full of warmth, sparkles and her festive music from new and previous Christmas albums (Wednesday 20 December, 7pm, Sage One).

Grammy award winners The Swingles present a banquet of music to keep out the cold, with folk and jazz-inspired original songs served alongside traditional carols and festive favourites (Wednesday 20 December, 8pm, Sage Two).

Visit The Glasshouse and let yourself be whisked off into the cold, starry night by The Snowman. This enchanting screening of the family favourite film, accompanied live by Royal Northern Sinfonia, runs from Friday 22 December – Sunday 24 December (various times) and there is a relaxed performance with BSL interpretation on Friday 22 December.

The Puppini Sisters visit Sage Two with a Christmassy combination of arrangements of classic songs from the 30s to the 50s and jazzy reinventions of pop hits (Friday 22 December, 8pm) and award-winning songwriter Jez Lowe returns with his toe-tapping folk music quartet The Bad Pennies for a night of good humoured seasonal music and stories from the North East (Saturday 23 December, 2.30pm + 8pm, Sage Two).

New for 2023, prepare to be shaken and stirred by iconic theme songs and thrilling Bond anthems in 007 In Concert with Royal Northern Sinfonia joined by titans of the West End stage (Saturday 30 December, 7.30pm, Sage One).

Bringing the seasonal celebrations to a close, Royal Northern Sinfonia’s popular Viennese New Year’s Day Concert returns with an afternoon of music which takes inspiration from the famous New Year’s concerts in Vienna’s Musikverein (Monday 1 January, 3pm, Sage One).

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved, including three one-off Make Music workshops. Kids under 7 and their families can sing and dance along to holiday favourites in Big Family Festive Gigs (Northern Rock Foundation Hall, Saturday 2 + Sunday 3 December, various times), singers of all abilities can get in the festive spirit with the Christmas Choir Workshop (The Barbour Room, Saturday 2 December, 10am), and budding guitarists are invited to a hands-on masterclass in Electric Guitar Technique with Tim Bloomer (The Barbour Room, Thursdsay 14 December, 6.30pm). The Glasshouse will also host Northumbrian Flowers for a Christmas Wreath Workshop (Saturday 9 December, 9.45am).

To make sure everyone can join the festive fun, The Glasshouse are distributing #MusicForAll tickets at £5 for adults and £2.50 for children across the majority of shows. These will be distributed via charity partners and are sponsored by Fenwick.

There are also discounts available for group bookings, family tickets, North East first timers, and for under 30s attending Handel’s Messiah, 007 In Concert, and Viennese New Year’s Day Concert.

Abigail Pogson, Managing Director of The Glasshouse, said:

“Christmas at The Glasshouse is music, joy, family, friends, community. This year we’ve got The Snowman, Home Alone, Christmas Cabaret and great nights out in all genres of music. We’ve got shows for all ages and our £5/£2.50 tickets are back to ensure as many people as possible can celebrate the season with us. As summer draws to a close, we can all start planning this year’s festivities.”

All tickets are on sale now at https://theglasshouseicm.org/celebrate-christmas-at-sage-gateshead/

-ENDS-

Free to use images here.

Media enquiries: Jackie Thompson, Jackie.thompson@theglasshouseicm.org

Phone: 0191 4434602

NOTES TO EDITORS

About The Glasshouse

International Centre for Music

The Glasshouse International Centre for Music is a home for live music lovers.

It’s a place where you can hear rock legends or pop icons on the same night as folk trios or string quartets. Where new musicians are nurtured and showcased on the same stages as platinum-selling performers. And where youth choirs and tambourine-shaking toddlers practise in the same spaces as its acclaimed orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia.

Because as an international centre for music they’re focused on creating and celebrating outstanding music – whether that’s unearthing or growing talent from the region or bringing the world’s best artists to their stages. And as a charity they’re focused on making sure all of that is available to anyone – no matter where you’re from, how old you are, how much money you have, or what challenges you face.

Which is why every year more than 2 million people are able to join for top-notch gigs, concerts, and classes – in their venue at Gateshead Quays, out in communities across the North East, and through livestreamed performances and digital lessons.

Whether you’re making it up or taking it in, you’ll find music lives and grows there.

More about The Glasshouse

International Centre for Music

• • From global stars to artists starting out, The Glasshouse has hosted 10,022 performances, totalling 4.7m tickets. To have seen every performance would have meant seeing one show every day for 27 years.

• • It’s hosted over 220,000 music lessons for North East folk. The region’s young people have learnt to play, sing or produce with us, on over 1.7m occasions.

• • Royal Northern Sinfonia perform at The Glasshouse, tour the region, and have played to international audiences on four continents, with livestreams reaching people across five.

• • Like stepping stones, artists like Ward Thomas have worked their way from their free stages to selling out its big hall and getting global recognition.

• • The Glasshouse regularly opens its doors to a wide range of conferences and events. Since 2004, they’ve welcome over 400,000 delegates from the likes of Greggs, NHS and British Engines, and many, many more.

• • The charity is one of Gateshead’s biggest employers, and so far it’s generated £500m of economic value to the region.

• • The charity has been the proud guardians of The Glasshouse for almost 20 years, safeguarding it when live music was put on hold during the pandemic.

• • The centre has 630 panes of glass, and stands 40m tall.