The Glasshouse

• Royal Northern Sinfonia: two world premieres and women artists at the fore
• Serving the region, with Royal Northern Sinfonia the backbone of a new Carlisle Series
• Schumann focus running through the season 
• Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia celebrates its 50th Birthday
• Other guest artists and ensembles include the Philharmonia with Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Hallé with Sir Mark Elder, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with András Schiff, pianists Angela Hewitt and Isata Kanneh-Mason, and Saxophonist Jess Gillam.

Announced today, the new 2023/34 classical Season at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music (formerly Sage Gateshead) and beyond underlines the breadth, quality and ambition of the work of The Glasshouse and Royal Northern Sinfonia, the UK’s only full-time chamber orchestra.

In its season, which Royal Northern Sinfonia provides the backbone of, The Glasshouse remains committed to bringing North East audiences the widest possible range of music, attracting some of the world’s greatest performers to its stages.

Fresh sounds from many of today’s most exciting established and emerging composers form one bold and imaginative thread that runs through the season.

A second world premiere follows on 20 October, this time for Royal Northern Sinfonia and its chorus. Written by a specialist in choral repertoire, Kerensa Biggs, whose music has been described by The New York Times as ‘poignant, ambivalent, quietly devastating’, her work sits as part of a snapshot of contemporary choral music, with Mozart’s Requiem crowning this celebratory concert that marks the 50th birthday of the Chorus.

Other contemporary works during the season include Justé Januliyté’s ‘Elongation of Nights’, whose music is self-described as ‘monochrome’, Kristine Tjøgersen’s extraordinary depiction of forest life, ‘Between Trees’, eliciting an extraordinary range of sounds from the orchestra, with instruments often played in highly unconventional ways, and Lera Auerbach’s ‘remix’ of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, ‘Sogno di Stabat Mater’.

That roster of contemporary composers also highlights another thread of the season – showcasing some of the great women artists in classical music. Alongside these contemporary composers we hear music from Clara Schumann in the shape of her Piano Concerto and a concert overture from Elfrida Andrée (1841-1929). In addition, guest artists during the year include saxophonist Jess Gillam, conductors Nil Venditti, Alondra de la Parra (with the Hallé) and Chloé van Soeterstède, and pianists Isata Kanneh-Mason and Angela Hewitt, as well as long-time Royal Northern Sinfonia collaborator Elizabeth Leonskaja.

The often under-appreciated and under-heard music of Robert Schumann also features heavily in the season, with the year containing all four symphonies, his uncompleted ‘Zwickau’ symphony, as well as his extraordinary oratorio ‘Das Paradies und die Peri’, conducted by Dinis Sousa. Dinis comments:

“The music is unlike anything else Schumann wrote. It’s a bit like an orchestrated song cycle and it is perfect music from start to finish. It flows non-stop within each of the three parts with some incredible harmonies and melodies taking unexpected turns. Schumann thought this was his best work “my biggest work and I hope my best” he wrote, and it was his most successful work in his lifetime. Even Wagner praised it. As one of my favourite of all of Schumann’s work, I am so excited to bring it to Gateshead so that audiences here have a chance to hear this unjustly neglected masterpiece”

Giving audiences in the region the opportunity to hear the widest variety of music-making possible is important to The Glasshouse, and it is pleased to host an array of other UK ensemble on its stages during the year. Two of these contribute to an important weekend in its calendar, the Bruckner Weekend (1-3 March 2024), marking the 200th anniversary of his birth and giving local audiences the chance to hear some epic music by this composer in the superb acoustics of Sage One.

The Bruckner Weekend welcomes the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic on Friday 1 March for Bruckner’s Symphony No.7, The Hallé and Sir Mark Elder on Saturday 2 March for his Symphony No.8 and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra on Sunday 3 March for his Symphony No.9. Royal Northern Sinfonia and Dinis Sousa also make an appearance with his ‘Great’ Mass No.3 on Saturday 2 March, and musicians from Royal Northern Sinfonia also take to the stage on Sunday 3 March to play music from the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of scale, with his String Quartet.

The Glasshouse welcomes outstanding UK orchestras across the rest of the season too, with highlights including a rare visit from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and their Principal Artist András Schiff in an all-Mendelssohn programme, (19 April), the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with their new Principal Conductor Kazuki Yamada (6 Oct) with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Camille Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No.2 (soloist Hisako Kawamura) and the Philharmonia Orchestra (5 April) with their Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali in a programme that culminates with Sibelius’ Symphony No.5.

Other outstanding artists appearing through the season include cellist Steven Isserlis (15 June), violinist Christian Tetzlaff (22 March) and, with the RLPO, pianist Paul Lewis (22 Sept).

Alongside the rich season at The Glasshouse Royal Northern Sinfonia serves the region as a whole, providing the core of concerts series in Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Kendal, as well as being the driving force behind the re-launch of Carlisle’s Classical Season, which has been absent since 2018. In addition, the orchestra gives concerts across the region throughout the rest of the year with appearances in Darlington, Hexham, Berwick and Durham amongst others.

In addition, in events still to be announced, the versatility of Royal Northern Sinfonia and commitment to engaging with as wide an audience as possible are evidenced through programming including Steve Reich’s Different Trains, classic film scores including Home Alone and Psycho, a series of chamber music concerts in the cosy surroundings of Sage Two and a screening of films by Charlie Chaplin accompanied by live score.

James Thomas, Director Royal Northern Sinfonia and Classical Programme commented:

“It’s been such a pleasure to work on developing this season alongside my colleagues at The Glasshouse. One of the things that really attracted me to the role here was the incredible versatility of Royal Northern Sinfonia, which enables us to reach a really wide audience. Whether your classical tastes are for the rare and little played or some of the greatest works of the canon with some of today’s most exciting artists, we have something for you. I’m particularly excited to hear Mozart’s Requiem in the hands of conductor Stephen Layton and curious to hear what Cassandra Miller brings to our season-opening concert. I’m also really looking forward to the thread of Schumann that runs through the season – his music is under-heard and I know Dinis and Royal Northern Sinfonia will make a compelling case for his work. In addition to everything at The Glasshouse, I’m very proud that we have led the way in bringing back a professional orchestral series to Carlisle for the first time for 6 years. The hunger there for live orchestral music making is palpable and we can’t wait to add it to our existing series in Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Carlisle”

The Season starts on Saturday 16 September with Dinis Sousa leading Royal Northern Sinfonia in a performance of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto with pianist Elizabeth Leonskaja.

Tickets for concerts start from £17, with our popular Bar5 initiative offering £5 tickets, including a free drink, at many events for the under 30s.

Tickets are on sale now at www.theglasshouseicm.org/

ENDS

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

Phone: 0191 4434602

LISTINGS:

Saturday 16 September, 7.30pm 

BEETHOVEN’S EMPEROR CONCERTO

Ludwig van Beethoven  Piano Concerto No. 5 ‘Emperor’

Cassandra Miller  New Work (world premiere)

Robert Schumann  Symphony No. 3 ‘Rhenish’

Dinis Sousa conductor

Elizabeth Leonskaja piano

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £17, also streaming live

Our opening concert is a statement of intent for the year ahead. We open with the mix of bold, heady melodies and delicate beauty found in Beethoven’s legendary concerto – revolutionary for its time. Cassandra Miller is one of the most sought-after composers of today. Like Beethoven, she’s always seeking the new, pushing the boundaries of the art form. Her music is characterised by its tender, fragmented beauty – and we look forward to seeing what she has in store for audiences tonight. Schumann’s simply joyous ‘Rhenish’ symphony closes your evening.

Friday 22 September, 7:30pm

ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA: GERSHWIN’S RHAPSODY IN BLUE

Leonard Bernstein Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

Aaron Copland Piano Concerto

George Gerswhin Rhapsody in Blue

Sergei Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances

Domingo Hindoyan conductor

Paul Lewis piano

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Tickets from £19

If one word were to characterise this programme it would be… bold. Bold rhythms, bold melodies and a bold use of the orchestra and its palette of sound. Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances are a whirlwind tour of the musical highlights of West Side Story, complete with orchestral shouts and finger clicks. Gershwin’s rhapsody brings memories of hot summer evenings. Its jazz sensibilities are echoed in Copland’s concerto, especially the cheeky second movement. Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances ends the night with blazing symphonic drama.

Friday 29 September, 7:30pm

BEETHOVEN’S FOURTH SYMPHONY

Jörg Widmann Con Brio

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 4

Jaume Santonja conductor

Bruno Philippe cello

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £17

A journey from darkness to light, Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony is a compact masterpiece, opening with dark, threatening music, and ending in effervescent style – a piece to blow away the cobwebs. Tchaikovsky’s Rococo variations sees an amiable tune transformed time after time, culminating in a thrilling trot. To start we have ‘Con Brio’ (‘with panache’) – inspired by Beethoven’s music but as if that music had been put through a mincer and emerged in all sorts of weird and unpredictable ways… an intriguing and entertaining start to your evening.

Friday 6 October, 7:30pm

CITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: RIMSKY-KORSAKOV’S SCHEHERAZADE

Sergei Prokofiev Classical Symphony

Camille Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade

Kazuki Yamada conductor

Hisako Kawamura piano

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Tickets from £19

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, or so they say. Prokofiev flattered the classical era (think Mozart and Haydn) to perfection with his first symphony – music that is vibrant, festive and cheerful. Saint-Saën’s flamboyant piano concerto is a lavish, satisfying feast of melody, grabbing your attention right from the start. We close with Scheherazade, inspired by ‘The Tales of the Arabian Nights’, in which the composer’s signature style of rich and colourful orchestral sound is combined with an array of seductive musical flavours.

Friday 13 October, 7.30pm

MOZART’S SINFONIA CONCERTANTE

Lera Auerbach Sogno di Stabat Mater

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra

Franz Schubert arr. Mahler Death and the Maiden

Maria Włoszczowska director/violin

Timothy Ridout viola

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £17

We all love a concerto, putting the spotlight onto a soloist and letting them shine. Equally there’s nothing like a symphony for its epic sweep, showcasing what an orchestra can do. Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante mixes both genres, putting two soloists on equal footing with the orchestra, and along the way providing one sweet melody after another. Mahler’s dramatic reworking of Schubert’s passionate Death and the Maiden ends the evening. A subversive contemporary take on a much older piece starts the night, combining strings with the sonorous tones of the vibraphone.

Friday 20 October, 7.30pm

MOZART’S REQUIEM

Roderick Williams Ave verum corpus Reimagined

Joanna Ward I Cannot Get To My Love

Oliver Tarney  The Spirit of the Lord

Jonathan Dove  Sappho Sings

Kerensa Briggs  New Work (world premiere)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  Requiem

Stephen Layton conductor

Mhairi Lawson soprano

Sophie Harmsen mezzo-soprano

James Gilchrist tenor

Neal Davies baritone

Chorus of the Royal Northern Sinfonia

Timothy Burke chorus director

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £17, also streaming live

Mozart brings an operatic sense of drama to his Requiem, an exuberant celebration of life, rather than a work about death. From the thundering power of the ‘Dies Irae’ to the emotive ‘Lacrimosa’ to the ‘Confutatis’ which contrasts achingly beautiful lines with sections of anger and energy, the Requiem’s diversity feels like a fitting end to Mozart’s career, being his final work. The first half of the concert brings things up to date with a snapshot of present-day choral writing including a piece by local composer Joanna Ward that generates a stunning range of sounds and textures from the choir.

Friday 10 November, 7.30pm

BEETHOVEN’S FIFTH SYMPHONY

Franz Schubert comp. Zehetmair Scherzo from the ‘Unfinished’ Symphony (UK premiere)

Karl Amadeus Hartmann Concerto funèbre

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart comp. Zehetmair Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola, Cello and Orchestra (UK premiere)

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5

Thomas Zehetmair conductor/violin

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £17

Da-da-da-daaaa. Perhaps the most famous four notes in history? Ubiquitous today, used in films from Howards End to Austin Powers, on TV, and even in video game soundtracks, those four notes were revolutionary, even a bit shocking, for the audience that gathered for the premiere back in 1808. Experience that shock of the new with this performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, plus a selection of intriguing rarities including Hartmann’s concerto for violin and strings; sombre, dark, intense and even perhaps a little terrifying at times…

Friday 24 November, 7.30pm

BRAHMS’ SECOND PIANO CONCERTO

Johannes Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2

Justé Januliyté Elongation of Nights

Robert Schumann Symphony No. 4

Dinis Sousa conductor

Sunwook Kim piano

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £17

Think of tonight’s concert as a sandwich. Two delicious, very hearty slices of music from the Romantic era surround a delicate and tangy filling. Elongation of Nights is full of exquisite shimmering strings, starting as a fine thread of sound then broadening to something urgent and insistent, before fading back to a memory. Brahms’ epic second concerto starts your evening off, while Schumann’s symphony is intense, grabbing your attention right from the start, and closes your night in satisfyingly thrilling style.

Saturday 16 December, 3pm

HANDEL’S MESSIAH

George Frederic Handel Messiah

Peter Whelan director

Nardus Williams soprano

Jess Dandy contralto

Laurence Kilsby tenor

Ashley Riches bass-baritone

Chorus of the Royal Northern Sinfonia

Timothy Burke chorus director

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £19

Handel’s visionary, ecstatic Messiah – a perfect start to the festive season. Messiah is one of those pieces which we think we all know, and then you sit in front of it and are once again wowed and reminded just what a genius Handel was. Full of memorable tunes, it’s an ever-dramatic rollercoaster of emotion that takes in rage, sorrow, joy and jubilation. Join us and be uplifted in this Christmas treat

Monday 1 January, 3pm

VIENNESE NEW YEAR’S DAY CONCERT

A selection of popular Viennese favourites

Antonio Méndez conductor

Rebecca Bottone soprano

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £19

Our popular New Year’s Day concert returns with another slice of Viennese musical deliciousness. Expect waltzes, polkas and more in this afternoon of music which takes inspiration from the famous New Year’s concerts in Vienna’s Musikverein.

Friday 26 January, 7.30pm

THE HALLÉ: STRAVINSKY’S FIREBIRD

Claude Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune

Aram Khachaturian Violin Concerto

Igor Stravinsky Firebird Suite (1945)

Alondra de la Parra conductor

Nemanja Radulović violin

The Hallé

Tickets from £19

Exhilaration is the hallmark of Stravinsky’s ‘Firebird’. A vivid musical depiction of a fairytale, its music can be sweet, tender, mysterious or magical one moment… dark, intense, powerful and even harrowing the next. Edge of seat stuff. Debussy’s ‘Prélude’ is in some ways the opposite – smooth, laid back, like a fevered dream, drifting in and out of consciousness. In places, Khachaturian’s violin concerto continues that dreamlike, intoxicatingly rich melody, while at the same time incorporating music inspired by the energy of folk-dance rhythms of the composer’s native Armenia.

Friday 16 February, 7.30pm

BEETHOVEN’S ‘EROICA’ SYMPHONY

Robert Schumann Symphony in G Minor ‘Zwickau’

Clara Wieck Schumann Piano Concerto

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 3 ‘Eroica’

Dinis Sousa conductor

Isata Kanneh-Mason piano

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £17, also streaming live

Robert Schumann Symphony in G Minor ‘Zwickau’ Clara Wieck Schumann Piano Concerto Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 3 ‘Eroica’ Dinis Sousa conductor Isata Kanneh-Mason piano Royal Northern Sinfonia Tickets from £17 Also streaming live Bigger, longer and very very different to anything that had gone before, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (‘Eroica’, meaning ‘heroic’) was a game-changer that challenged its audience and changed musical history – a wild journey of emotional extremes. Clara Schumann’s dazzling piano concerto is a similarly bold artistic statement, at times reminiscent of the music of Chopin. Her husband Robert Schumann’s sadly unfinished Symphony in G, inspired by Beethoven, provides an energetic start to your evening.

Friday 22 March, 7.30pm

MENDELSSOHN’S VIOLIN CONCERTO

Felix Mendelssohn Violin Concerto

Naomi Pinnock The field is woven

Robert Schumann Symphony No. 2

Dinis Sousa conductor

Christian Tetzlaff violin

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £17

Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto provides a real ‘feel good’ start to tonight’s concert. It is one of the most popular concertos there is, and it’s not hard to see why – packed full of memorable tunes, and a brilliant vehicle for the soloist to wow us with their expertise. Schumann’s symphony is darker; moody and rebellious (just like its composer) and ending the concert on a note of triumph. In-between, Naomi Pinnock’s delicate and intimate music shimmers like a mirage.

Friday 5 April, 7.30pm

PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA: SIBELIUS’ FIFTH SYMPHONY

Carl Nielson Helios Overture

Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3

Jean Sibelius Symphony No. 5

Santtu-Matias Rouvali conductor

Bruce Lui piano

Philharmonia Orchestra

Tickets from £19

Theatrical, tense, triumphant, it’s no wonder that Sibelius’ Fifth Symphony has such a special place in audiences’ hearts – a musical poem depicting the vast beauty of the Scandinavian landscape. The third piano concerto is perhaps Rachmaninov’s grandest. It has a sense of inevitable forward motion right from the start which becomes irresistible in a breathtaking final movement. Romantic, lush and unforgettable. Your evening is kickstarted however by something quite different – a gently radiant depiction of sunrise.

Sunday 14 April, 3pm

SCHUMANN’S PARADISE

Robert Schumann Das Paradies und die Peri

Dinis Sousa conductor

Louise Alder soprano

Madison Nonoa soprano

Adèle Charvet mezzo-soprano

Andrew Staples tenor

Matthew Brook baritone

Chorus of the Royal Northern Sinfonia

Timothy Burke chorus director

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £17

Love, heroism, redemption. Schumann’s majestic oratorio ‘Paradise and the Peri’ has them all. Peri are exquisite winged spirits found in Persian mythology, and this epic, deeply romantic piece follows a fallen Peri’s attempts to gain back access to heaven. Massively popular in Victorian times, this is a very rare chance for North East audiences to hear this exotic work. As none other than Sir Simon Rattle has said: “It’s the great masterpiece you’ve never heard”.

Friday 19 April 2024, 7.30pm

ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT: SCHIFF’S MENDELSSOHN

Felix Mendelssohn:

Symphony No. 5, ‘Reformation’

Piano Concerto No. 2

Symphony No. 3, ‘Scottish’

Sir András Schiff conductor/piano

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Tickets from £17

Hear the music of Mendelssohn in a new light, with the period instruments of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment revealing fresh textures and harmonies. In this feast of his music, there’s his evocative depiction of the Scottish landscape, the celebratory ‘Reformation’ symphony and the Piano Concerto No. 2 – lesser known but full of melody and with a gentle, reflective central section and a suitably high-energy finish

Saturday 27 April. 3pm

ANGELA HEWITT PLAYS MOZART

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:

Piano Concerto No. 6

Piano Concerto No. 24

Symphony No. 38 ‘Prague’

Angela Hewitt director/piano

Maria Włoszczowska director

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £17

A rare treat as one of today’s greatest pianists and a real Mozart specialist, Angela Hewitt, plays not one but two of his piano concertos – music of invention, delicacy and everflowing melody. You’ll witness a riot of creativity in the second half too. Mozart’s Prague symphony is the richest of musical experiences, with its sprightly and cheeky ending providing a joyfilled conclusion to the concert. Toe-tapping guaranteed.

Friday 10 May, 7.30pm

BRAHMS’ FIRST SYMPHONY

Elfrida Andrée Concert Overture

Alexander Glazunov Saxophone Concerto

Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 1

Chloé van Soeterstède conductor

Jess Gillam saxophone

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £17, also streaming live

Pounding timpani, inexorably rising violins and musical tension ratcheting up with unyielding momentum: the opening of Brahms’ first symphony must have been quite the shock for the audience attending its 1876 premiere. Drama is everywhere in this powerful piece that provides emotional stress and release right through to the galloping energy of its exhilarating, visionary, conclusion. Earlier, superstar saxophonist Jess Gillam solos in Glazunov’s concerto, a piece that’s full of twists and turns and which showcases the gentle and soulful side of the instrument.

Friday 24 May, 7.30pm

MOZART’S CLARINET CONCERTO

Fazil Say Chamber Symphony

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Concerto

Igor Stravinsky Danses Concertantes

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 1

Nil Venditti conductor

Cristina Mateo clarinet

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £17

Fresh, optimistic and convivial, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto is the centrepiece of this concert, which closes with Beethoven’s graceful yet high-voltage Symphony No. 1. Along the way experience the rhythmic energy of Stravinsky’s spiky Danses Concertantes and Fazil Say’s Chamber Symphony, inspired by the music of Turkey.

Saturday 15 June, 7.30pm

DVOŘÁK’S CELLO CONCERTO

Antonin Dvořák Cello Concerto

Kristine Tjøgersen Between Trees

Robert Schumann Symphony No. 1 ‘Spring’

Dinis Sousa conductor

Steven Isserlis cello

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Tickets from £17, also streaming live

Imagine yourself inside a forest. You overhear a squirrel eating… then suddenly you’re underground – a space crowded with roots, fungal threads and insects. Back above ground there’s birdsong and fluttering wings. Kristine Tjørgesn’s one-of-a-kind piece skilfully describes all of this and much more besides, through a truly unique musical experience. While more conventional, Dvořák’s emotionally intense cello concerto is rich, satisfying, and full of pleasing melodies and stirring themes. Schumann’s fresh and zesty symphony evokes spring and closes our season on a note of optimism.

About Royal Northern Sinfonia

Royal Northern Sinfonia is the orchestra of the North East and Cumbria, based at The Glasshouse in Gateshead. They are the UK’s only full-time chamber orchestra – 37 awe-inspiring musicians coming together to play gorgeous classical music by the world’s greatest composers, old and new.

Since their first concert in 1958, Royal Northern Sinfonia have earned an exceptional reputation for vibrant, passionate music-making across the UK and beyond, representing the North East on a worldwide stage. In 2023, they headlined the first weekend-long BBC Proms festival to take place outside of London, travelled to South Korea for Tongyeong International Music Festival and became the resident orchestra in new concert series in Middlesbrough and Carlisle.

Royal Northern Sinfonia regularly collaborate with top conductors and classical stars, such as Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Benjamin Grosvenor and Dame Sarah Connolly, and have taken to the stage with pop legends Maximo Park, Sam Fender and Self Esteem. Highlights of the next year include a Schumann symphony cycle with Principal Conductor Dinis Sousa, a UK wide tour with clarinettist Julian Bliss, the Big Bruckner Weekend at The Glasshouse and guest appearances from Elisabeth Leonskaja, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Christian Tetzlaff, Jess Gillam, Angela Hewitt and Steven Isserlis.

Royal Northern Sinfonia are working hard to make classical music more accessible and more inclusive. That means playing in more places across the North than ever before, championing new artists and new music, and encouraging musicians of all ages and stages to keep growing their skills – from sitting side by side with The Glasshouse’s Young Sinfonia to partnering with the Royal Philharmonic Society to support women conductors.

The Royal Northern Sinfonia family also includes Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia, made up of over 80 singers from across the region who perform regularly with the orchestra and on their own, and RNS Moves, an inclusive ensemble of disabled and non-disabled musicians who create unique, ground-breaking interpretations of classical favourites and brand new sounds.

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

• 1. 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.

• 1. 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.

• 1. 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.

• 1. 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.

• 1. 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.

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

• 1. 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