© Dan Brady
Welcome from our General Director
There can only be one way to start this foreword – inviting you to join us in celebrating our outstanding orchestra being awarded the title Royal Northern Sinfonia. If you’ ve never heard any of their virtuosic performances live, make this the season you treat yourself to that spellbinding experience.
Sometimes themes weave themselves into our planning, but this autumn we offer you simply a ravishing feast of outstanding artists in all kinds of music- in the sonic magnificence of Hall One( called one of the world’ s five best concert halls by conducting superstar Lorin Maazel); the intimate immediacy of Hall Two, or the friendly informality of Gateshead’ s glorious Old Town Hall, now with a brand new town centre attached! Hall One’ s parade of leading international artists ranges from Alison Moyet to Crosby, Stills and Nash and from the Soweto Gospel Choir to The Guy Barker Orchestra, while Hall Two’ s menu stretches from The Be Good Tanyas and Devon Sproule to Dr. Feelgood and Ralph McTell!
Meanwhile, Royal Northern Sinfonia’ s autumn is packed with attractive programmes in both halls( including a major centenary focus on Benjamin Britten), in a wide-ranging classical season that also launches our Beethoven sonata cycle from the astonishing Palestinian- Israeli pianist Saleem Abboud Ashkar.
We also welcome back the first of this season’ s festivals and series – BBC Radio 3’ s glorious feast of serendipitous adventure Free Thinking; the parade of revelatory talent in the North East Guitar Festival; the acoustic brilliance of Brass in Concert; JUICE( NewcastleGateshead’ s magical festival for children and young people) and Making Tracks(‘ Adventures in well-travelled music’) launching a truly exceptional autumn for explorers of world music.
Collectors of special programming moments may want to join us for Arve Henriksen’ s haunting Norwegian Requiem( commemorating Norway’ s Utøya tragedy), or Joanna McGregor’ s celebration of the extraordinary world of‘ Graphic Scores’, or the premiere of‘ A Mind Full of Nothing but Continue’ – a new choral work inspired by the Bupa Great North Run from the fertile pen of Maxïmo Park musician Paul Smith!
And with the arrival of autumn, learning and participation programmes all resume, packed with opportunities to get closer to the music( this time even playing in the‘ Rite of Spring’!) or to explore our many illustrated talks- whether you’ re already an experienced musician or an eager beginner.
Whatever your tastes I’ m very confident that somewhere in these pages you’ ll find an event you’ ll not want to miss – and hope you may also make some rewarding new discoveries!
Anthony Sargent General Director
www. sagegateshead. com Tickets: 0191 443 4661