GemArts and The Glasshouse Celebrate 20 Years of Partnership with a Landmark Spring Season of South Asian Arts in the North East
- Landmark spring season celebrates a 20+ year partnership between GemArts and The Glasshouse
- Rare Indian classical duet opens Riverside Ragas on 13 March, followed by GemArts Holi Festival at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
- Season highlights include emerging UK talent, global icons, and the 10th anniversary year of Masala Festival
An internationally significant artistic partnership between GemArts and The Glasshouse International Centre for Music will be in the spotlight this March, bringing world-class South Asian music and a major cultural celebration to the region.
On Friday 13 March, The Glasshouse welcomes two global icons of Indian classical music with a landmark Riverside Ragas performance featuring sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez and celebrated Carnatic flautist Shashank Subramanyam, a rare meeting of Hindustani and Carnatic traditions on one stage.
The following day on the quayside, Saturday 14 March, GemArts Holi Festival of Colours takes place at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. Produced and programmed by GemArts in partnership with BALTIC, the festival invites communities from across the North East to enjoy creative workshops, henna stations, live South Asian performances and delicious Indian street food throughout the day. This year’s edition also debuts the new Holi on the Tyne stage on BALTIC Square, featuring an exciting line‑up including Spice FM’s Sand & Gaurav, DJ Shai Guy, Rhythmix Dholies, Dhol Buzz & Lezim Rhythm, Mi Marathi Dhol Tasha, bollywood and kathak dance performances by Breeze George and Madhura Godbole, Bombay Baja Brass Band, and global bhangra superstar Juggy D, culminating in the festival’s signature mass colour throw to joyfully welcome the arrival of spring.
Together, the events highlight a collaboration spanning more than two decades, one that began before The Glasshouse opened and has since grown into one of the UK’s most important regional partnerships for South Asian music and culture. Through programmes such as Riverside Ragas, the partnership has built audiences, supported UK-based artists, and connected global traditions with local communities. Artists including Roopa Panesar, Jasdeep Singh Degun, and Eeshar Singh have all performed as part of the platform, using it to grow towards orchestral, cross-genre and international work.
Over the years, GemArts and The Glasshouse have presented some of the most celebrated names in South Asian music in the region, including Remember Shakti, Zakir Hussain, Shivkumar Sharma, Hariprasad Chaurasia, and Anoushka Shankar, alongside large-scale projects such as Orchestra Qawwali and collaborations with Royal Northern Sinfonia. The partnership has also championed cross-genre work, including performances with British Asian jazz artists such as Yazz Ahmed and Arun Ghosh, including a late-night concert at the BBC Proms at The Glasshouse in 2023.
Beyond major venues, GemArts’ work is deeply rooted in communities across Gateshead and Newcastle, with performances, workshops, and festivals taking place in neighbourhood spaces as well as concert halls. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Masala Festival in 2026, another milestone in the long-running collaboration between the organisations, which continues to combine international artists, regional talent, and community participation.
At the centre of this work is GemArts Director Vikas Kumar, MBE DL, who grew up in Bensham, Gateshead, and founded the organisation in response to the lack of visible South Asian cultural representation in major venues at the time. With a background in business, he helped build GemArts from a volunteer-led initiative into a nationally recognised organisation. He emphasises that the organisation’s success is collective:
“For more than twenty years, GemArts and The Glasshouse have shown what long-term partnership can achieve, not only in presenting world-class music and artistic vision, but in building representation, nurturing talent, and working hand-in-hand with our communities. Everything we’ve achieved over the last two decades has been a team effort, from our staff, trustees and volunteers to the artists, audiences, partners and communities who shape what we do.”
The March events also launch the Riverside Ragas 2026 season, which continues in April with cross-genre collaboration Confluence, A rich cross-genre meeting of violin, guitar and tabla and in May with An Evening of Ghazals featuring Tauseef Akhtar.
Together, the March concert and Holi festival offer a rare opportunity to experience internationally renowned artists and vibrant community celebration in the North East, reflecting a partnership that continues to shape the region’s cultural identity.
Ends
Event listings:
- Friday 13 March – Riverside Ragas featuring Ustad Shahid Parvez & Shashank Subramanyam, The Glasshouse
- Saturday 14 March – GemArts Holi Festival of Colours, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead
- Friday 24 April – Confluence, The Glasshouse
- Friday 22 May – An Evening of Ghazals with Tauseef Akhtar, The Glasshouse
- 13 – 19 July 2026 – Masala Festival 2026 (10th Anniversary Edition), Venues across Gateshead and Newcastle
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
- Since opening in 2004, The Glasshouse has hosted over 10,000 performances, welcoming nearly 5 million audience members. It would take more than 27 years to see every show if you attended one every day.
- Over two decades, the charity has delivered around 230,000 music lessons, reaching young people and adults 2.7 million times across its education programmes.
- As its resident orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia has toured globally, performing across four continents and livestreaming to audiences across five.
- The Glasshouse has supported the careers of thousands of artists like Ward Thomas who have worked their way from free stages to headline shows in its main hall, achieving national and global recognition.
- Since 2004, The Glasshouse has welcomed over 400,000 delegates for conferences and events, hosting organisations such as Greggs, NHS, and British Engines.
- Over the past two decades, The Glasshouse has generated £500 million in economic impact for the North East.
- The iconic building, designed by Foster + Partners, has 630 panes of glass and stands 40 metres tall. In its opening year, it was exhibited at the Venice Biennale and won the RIBA Inclusive Design Award in 2005.
- Celebrating 20 years – In December 2024, The Glasshouse marked its 20th birthday. Over the next year, the charity will reflect on two decades of achievements and look ahead to its third decade, with major initiatives like the Music Academy and Music Pass for newborns, making music accessible to all.
About GemArts
GemArts is an award-winning arts organisation based in the North East of England. A leader in the South Asian and diversity arts sector, GemArts creates and programmes high-quality concerts, performances, events, festivals, workshops, and commissions with regional, national, and international artists across all art forms. www.gemarts.org.