Open House Weekend
Love music? Come on in.
Get your toes tapping with live sets from up and coming artists.
Be up close while our orchestra rehearse. Take a tour to discover the secrets of our building. Embarrass the kids with your moves on our family-friendly dance floor. Or maybe even hear music you’ve composed played by the musicians of Royal Northern Sinfonia.
Whatever you fancy, we’re flinging open our doors for a weekend of live music experiences – all for free.
And if you need a break from the buzz, you can always grab a bottle or a brew with a smashing view from our café or one of our bars.
Stop by for an hour, linger for an afternoon, or stick around for the whole weekend. Love music? Come on in.
Need to know
Tickets: Free – but you’ll need to book in advance for some events
Date & Time: Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 September, throughout the day
Access Info: Find out about our access facilities.
Getting Here: Plan your journey by foot, public transport or car.
Build your own line-up
With most of the weekend’s activities you can just turn up and get stuck in. But if you’re keen for a tour of the building or to join in with Big Family Music Making and Family Classics from Royal Northern Sinfonia, our orchestra, then it’s probably safer to book a (free) ticket in advance. Then you’ll be guaranteed a spot.
All weekend
Guided Tours
Discover the secrets of our building on a 90-minute walking tour.
When: Saturday – hourly from 10am, last tour 4pm.
Sunday – hourly from 10am, last tour 2pm.
Our pre-bookable free tickets have all been snapped up, but we’ll keep a limited number of places on each tour on a first-come, first-served basis. Pop your name down with a member of the team when you arrive and we’ll do our best to get you in.
Pop-up Music
Discover the region’s up-and-coming artists with acoustic sets on our Concourse stage, with the Quayside’s best view.
When:
Saturday, 11.30am & 2.30pm – Finn Forster
Saturday, 12.30 & 3.30pm – Heather Ferrier
Saturday, 1.30 & 4.30pm – Kindelan
Sunday, 11.30am & 1.30pm – Ceitidh Mac
Sunday, 12.30 & 2.30pm – Jamilah
Where: Concourse stage
Saturday 16 September
Come and sing with the Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia
Love singing? Join our one hour workshop with the Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia and their director, Tim Burke.
To join this session, send an email with the subject line ‘Come and Sing’ to classical@theglasshouseicm.org. Let us know your age, a brief background of your singing experience and whether you can read music. This workshop is very nearly full but we’re always keen to add an extra tenor or bass voice.
When: Saturday 11am – 12pm
Where: Northern Rock Foundation Hall
Come and play your sax with Jess Gillam
Saxophone superstar Jess Gillam leads two workshops for massed saxophone ensembles to blow the cobwebs away.
To join one of these sessions, send an email with the subject line ‘Come and Play’ to classical@theglasshouseicm.org.
When: Saturday 2pm (Grade 1-5), 3.30pm (Grade 6+)
Where: Northern Rock Foundation Hall
Interactive folk jam session with Anna Hughes & friends
Come to The Pub early evening for a folky session curated by our 2022 artist in residence Anna Hughes, featuring players including another former A-i-R in Holly Clarke, and Janice Burns. Who knows who else you’ll end up joining in with?
When: Saturday from 6pm
Where: The Pub on our Concourse
Royal Northern Sinfonia Open Rehearsal
Our orchestra is rehearsing for this evening’s concert, and we’re flinging open the doors to give a glimpse of the rehearsal process – and a sneak preview of the show!
When: Sage One
Where: 3pm – 5pm
Let’s be Friends!
From £40 a year, you can get load of gig presales, great perks – and that warm fuzzy feeling knowing you’re supporting grassroots live music in the North East.
Be a FriendSunday 17 September
Family Classics with Royal Northern Sinfonia
A free informal event for the whole family. Join our orchestra Royal Northern Sinfonia for amazing, awe-inspiring music by their favourite composers. Suitable for 5+ but everyone is welcome!
When: Sunday 12-1pm
Where: Sage One
The pre-bookable tickets have all been snapped up for this event, but we’ll have room for more people on the day. If you haven’t pre-booked make sure you arrive in plenty of time and speak to staff on the day to get your seat.
Royal Northern Sinfonia - Playing your music
This summer we offered you the opportunity to hear your composition performed by the Royal Northern Sinfonia and received a brilliant response. We’ve chosen nine brilliant, imaginative pieces together with conductor James Weeks – come along to hear them played live and find out from the composers about what inspired them.
Programme to include:
Christopher Charlton March Of The Penguin
Elliot Park Cuckold Come Out Of The Amery
Gabrielle Mills Dart RNLI
Jane Kitson Sophie’s Song
Mike Worboys Colour Washes
Patricia Livinstone Murmurations
Rhona Clarke Pie Jesu
Rhys Chambers Dreaming Of War
Robin Forbes Come You Not From Newcastle
When: Sunday 3:45-4:45
Where: Sage One
Big Family Music Making
Calling all kids under 7! Come make music with your family, friends and our lush specialist musicians.
When: Sunday 10.30-11.30am, 1-2pm and 2.30pm-3.30pm
Where: Northern Rock Foundation Hall
Our pre-bookable tickets have all been snapped up; there’s plenty more to do across the weekend but if you’d like to join one of these sessions speak to the team on the day about any returned or unused spaces and we’ll do our best to squeeze you in (safely, of course).
Showcase of up and coming artists
Step into Sage Two to enjoy sets from three brilliant artists who have wowed us with their performances at our From The Glasshouse gigs over the last 18 months.
Compered across the afternoon by Frankie & The Heartstrings’ Frankie Francis, catch free gigs from Neo-jazz singer-songwriter Ni Maxine, the thoughtful and tender storytelling of Marco Woolf, and stunning, genre-blending Teesside songwriter Jodie Nicholson.
When: Sunday 12pm – Ni Maxine, 1.30pm – Marco Woolfe, and 3.30pm – Jodie Nicholson
Where: Sage Two
