Sage Gateshead Classical Season 2014/15

Classical Season2014/15

Season supported by The Barbour Foundation

In association with

Featuring “There is no better chamber orchestra

in BritainThe Guardian

”

Celebrating 10 Incredible Years of Sage Gateshead

2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD2 | 3

At Sage Gateshead, you’re guaranteed a world-class sound experience. Before you take your seat, here’s some answers to commonly asked questions, so you can relax and enjoy the experience.

Do I have to dress up for concerts?You can wear what you like! As long as you are comfortable and able to enjoy the experience, you can dress up or down – most eyes will be on the stage anyway.

Can I talk in concerts?We want you to feel comfortable in the concert hall, and whilst we don’t encourage talking, you should not feel pinned to your seat. Just be considerate and make sure you’re not disturbing anyone else’s experience.

When should I clap?Classical works vary in size, and some works have movements (so the work is sectioned, with gaps in between). Traditionally, people will clap after the final movement – you can find out when this is by purchasing a

programme, but generally you can follow the crowd. Remember, it’s not about what you do, it’s about your enjoyment of what’s happening on stage.

How do I find out about the music and performers?You can find out about what’s going on on-stage by purchasing a programme from one of our friendly vendors on the concourse. Programmes are also available to download from our website before and after concerts.

What about food and drink?We have a number of catering options available, including a brasserie for multiple course meals (open from 5pm) and a cafe serving fresh light bites and tasty treats (open all day). Bars can be found on every level, serving a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages which can be purchased before, after and during the interval of concerts. Avoid the queue during intervals by ordering your drinks at the bar before the concert. Menus are available online at sagegateshead.com.

On sale dates• Wednesday 28th May - Sage

Supporters, Principal Partners and Friends of Royal Northern Sinfonia

• Friday 6th June - Previous package bookers

• Friday 13th June - General Public

To join one of our memberships and benefit from priority booking please call us.

How to bookThere are plenty of ways to get your tickets for Sage Gateshead’s classical season:

• In person at the Ticket Office• By phone on 0191 443 4661• Online at sagegateshead.com• Complete and return the booking form at

the back of this brochure

For Sage Gateshead Ticket Office Opening Times check sagegateshead.com

Your experienceClassical season savingsMake the most of this year’s concert season with these great savings on multiple bookings on Hall One concerts, plus additional benefits.

Save 10% 5 - 8 concerts Save 15% 9 - 12 concertsSave 20% 13 - 19 concerts Save 25% 20+ concerts

Additional benefits • A choice of payment options, including a six month payment plan• Free exchanges within the 2014/15 season• Special offers and promotions• Priority booking period for next season

For more information, ask one of our friendly Ticket Office team at the East entrance.

Please note that these packages only apply to Hall One concerts, Summer Concerts, Galas and Christmas events.

Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com

Seasondiscounts

Sage Gateshead experience

Make the most of this season and SAVE Your questions answered

4 | 5 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEADBook your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com

This is our 10th classical season in Sage Gateshead, and before introducing the new season, we should take a moment to celebrate the decade of achievement on which 2014/15 builds.After twelve enormously successful years as Music Director (2002-2014), Thomas Zehetmair takes the new title of Conductor Laureate, recognising his ever more powerful bond of mutual trust and confidence with the players. We have undertaken an exhaustive international search over the past two years for a worthy successor as Music Director, and we will be announcing this exciting new appointment imminently.

Twelve years of Thomas’s revelatory leadership have lifted Royal Northern Sinfonia (already an acclaimed ensemble) to new heights of playing quality and repertoire range. Complete symphony cycles of Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, and (by December 2014) Tchaikovsky have been complemented by a sustained commitment to commissioning and showcasing the work of contemporary

Royal Northern Sinfonia also plays an important part in Sage Gateshead’s internationally admired learning, training and participation programmes, and (as recognised by their 2013 Royal appellation and winning the Special Achievement award in the region’s 2013 Culture Awards) has won a central place in the heart of its local community. Its audiences are fiercely loyal and supportive, and investors and donors to Sage Gateshead

composers – ringingly affirmed in Thomas Zehetmair’s Dreams and Ceremonies festival entirely of 20th Century masterpieces and newer 21st Century works, and by our continuing Late Mix series dedicated to unexpected programming juxtapositions which entice the mind and tickle the ear.

With Thomas, Royal Northern Sinfonia has been resident in the Hong Kong International Arts Festival and appeared regularly at the BBC Proms, Edinburgh Festivals and in leading halls across Europe. A strong roster of guest and visiting conductors from Frans Brüggen to Thomas Adès and Ilan Volkov to Sir Roger Norrington have further enriched Royal Northern Sinfonia’s work; the players all regularly play chamber music in Sage Gateshead’s acoustically diamantine Hall Two, and since opening Sage Gateshead regular collaborations with leading artists from other musical worlds, from Sting and the Pet Shop Boys to Ibrahim Ferrer and his Buena Vista Social Club, have further expanded the orchestra’s musical horizons.

explicitly value the importance of Royal Northern Sinfonia to the region.All these evolutionary developments now find Royal Northern Sinfonia, with its signature vivid performance style (‘as if the ink were still wet on the page’) playing in a home described by Lorin Maazel as ‘one of the five best halls in the world’ truly entering a golden age, as Sage Gateshead itself approaches its 10th anniversary.

Thank you to our season supporter

Our 10th classical season

The Barbour Foundation Anthony Sargent CBE, General Director, Sage Gateshead

10 years ago Sage Gateshead opened, creating a home for music in the North East and providing Royal Northern Sinfonia with a spectacular home worthy of this exceptional group of players.I am thrilled that The Barbour Foundation is able to support Royal Northern Sinfonia in this 10th birthday season and I look forward to many exciting concerts in the year ahead.Dame Margaret Barbour DBE, DLChairman, The Barbour Foundation

We are enormously grateful and delighted that The Barbour Foundation has chosen to renew their support of our Classical Season and Royal Northern Sinfonia, particularly in Sage Gateshead’s 10th Birthday year. The Barbour Foundation has shown extraordinary generosity and commitment to Sage Gateshead, as visionary Founding Partners when this building was still a concept and then throughout our first decade. We are truly indebted to the Foundation, and to Dame Margaret Barbour, for all their support.Anthony Sargent CBEGeneral Director, Sage Gateshead


Looking backClassical highlights 2004-14

As well as celebrating Sage Gateshead’s 10th birthday, this forthcoming season we look forward to some fresh relationships and exploring new directions that will set our course for the next ten years. Royal Northern Sinfonia remains at the heart of our classical programme and this year provides numerous highlights, including a complete cycle of Beethoven’s ground-breaking symphonies.After uplifting and inspiring debuts in previous seasons, we welcome Lars Vogt, Julian Rachlin and Alexandre Bloch as major contributors this year, as well as Spanish flautist-turned-conductor Jaime Martin for his debut in the North East. Beethoven’s masterpieces will be showcased alongside works by Mahler, Shostakovich, Schnittke, Prokofiev and Ravel, as well as probably his most obvious successor, Johannes Brahms, whose four amazing concertos also feature this year.

A composer whose output has had a major impact on the classical world, numbering over a thousand opuses in total, we immerse

ourselves in the world of J.S. Bach with visiting period specialist and harpsichordist, Laurence Cummings. Our very own Bradley Creswick, Kyra Humphreys and Juliette Bausor feature as soloists alongside the stunning soprano Mhairi Lawson.

As ever, we welcome a varied roster of outstanding soloists and industry favourites, including John Lill, Paul Lewis, Freddy Kempf, Veronika Eberle, Julian Bliss and Hyeyoon Park.

A performer exuding energy and charisma, we are also delighted to be celebrating Bradley Creswick’s 30th anniversary as Leader of Royal Northern Sinfonia. To mark the occasion, Bradley performs a selection of personal favourites, including Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and Dvorák’s beautifully nostalgic Romance for an extra special treat. Throughout the year, members of Royal Northern Sinfonia display their virtuosity with concerto performances, as well as in our Up Close recitals, Simply Sinfonia and the ever popular post-concert Spotlight series.

No classical programme would be complete without our esteemed guest ensembles and artists, and this year is no exception as we welcome St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Hallé plus we welcome back Opera North who follow their Wagner Ring Cycle with The Flying Dutchman.

Packed with variety, this season there is truly something for everyone, with Thomas

VIENNA PHILHARMONIC • BELCEA QUARTET • BEETHOVEN CYCLE (50TH ANNIVERSARY) • EFTERKLANG • IN HARMONY • JOSÉ CARRERAS • KATHERINE JENKINS • LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA • SIMON RATTLE • OPERA NORTH: RING CYCLE • IAN BOSTRIDGE • ALFRED BRENDEL • ROYAL NORTHERN SINFONIA COLLABORATIONS WITH: PET SHOP BOYS; RAUL MALO; STING; WEST SIDE STORY

Zehetmair’s ambitious 10th birthday concert, John Wilson’s Sunday Matinee Classics, our Late Mix Cabaret concerts and our tribute to rock legends, Queen.

We look forward to welcoming you to Sage Gateshead.

Looking forwardIntroduction to the 2014/15 season

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2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD8 | 9 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com

Concert strandsExperience Sage Gateshead Your Way

With so much on offer, grouping our concerts into Strands makes it much easier to choose what kind of performance is best suited to you.

Follow our guide above to make sure you don’t miss out on your favourite concerts.

There really is something for everyone at Sage Gateshead.

Pre-Concert Talks on selected concerts start an hour before the start time. ‘Royal Northern Sinfonia Spotlight’ follow a 20 minute break after the end of the performance.

KeyNo intervalRNS spotlightPre-concert talkBus from CarlisleBus from HexhamBus from Alnwick

Call 0191 443 4661 for bus information.

The meat in our classical season, the main series provides an opportunity to hear much-loved classics as well as discover those ‘new favourite’ works.

See pages13 - 23

MainSeries

See pages24 - 27

Royal Northern Sinfonia is Classic FM’s orchestra in the North East.These concerts are a great way to get to grips with classical music, with the nation’s favourite master works as regularly played on Classic FM.

ClassicFM

See pages28 - 29

Often spectacular and theatrical, this is where orchestral music meets contemporary genres, including pop, swing and musicals.

Galas

Be adventurous and delve a little deeper into classical music with these late night concerts, exploring the very old and the very new in the intimate setting of Hall Two.

See pages30 - 31

LateMix

Enjoy something a bit lighter in those warm Summer months, with chamber music and contemporary popular concerts.

See pages10 - 12

SummerConcerts

Get in the festive mood and come in from the cold for Christmas and New Year, Sage Gateshead style, with seasonal sing-alongs and family favourites.

See pages32 - 33

Christmas& New Year


What the World Needs Now... The Music of Burt BacharachRichard Balcombe conductor | Royal Northern SinfoniaCelebrate 50 years of Burt Bacharach’s writing, arranging and producing in this concert of brand new symphonic arrangements. With hits including Tom Jones’s What’s New Pussycat?, Dionne Warwick’s Walk on By and The Carpenters’ Close To You, join Royal Northern Sinfonia as we celebrate one of the 20th century’s most prolific and popular musicians.Presented with GRB ConcertsSu

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BEETHOVEN String Quartet No.2 ‘Compliments’ BARTOK Violin DuosSCHUBERT String Quartet No.14 ‘Death and the Maiden’Experience Schubert’s grim, harsh but engrossing musical journey in the first of our summer chamber music concerts.

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A Farewell to FormMOZART Flute Quartet in D major SPOHR NonetSCHUBERT String Quartet No.15 Schubert’s goodbye to the quartet form is a work of compelling instability but remarkable purpose, one of his final acts of despair and protest.

CapriceSAINT-SAËNS Caprice on a Danish Air SPOHR Quintet for Piano and Winds POULENC Sextet for Piano and Winds MOZART Quintet for Piano and WindsMozart’s favourite Quintet accompanies Poulenc’s cheeky Sextet, Saint-Saëns’s urbane-yet-earthy Caprice and Spohr’s own elegant and ear-teasing Quintet.

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Summer concertsSomething a little lighter to draw in those sunny days


Classic FM Summer StringsBradley Creswick director | Royal Northern SinfoniaELGAR Introduction and Allegro BARBER Adagio for strings GRIEG Holberg SuiteMOZART Eine Kleine Nachtmusik PUCCINI Crisantemi VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas TallisAt the height of summer, experience the gorgeous, enraptured sounds of the strings of Royal Northern Sinfonia.

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o Rosamunde WOLF Italian SerenadeHAYDN String Quartet No.68 ‘Unfinished’ MARTINU NonetSCHUBERT String Quartet No.13 ‘Rosamunde’ In his romantic excursion, Schubert captures for a moment the lost world of youth and health, before losing it once more, as if he knew he could never be well again.

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Richard Balcombe conductor | Royal Northern SinfoniaEnjoy some of the hottest 1960’s chart hits including Andy Williams’ Music to Watch Girls By, Petula Clark’s Downtown and Dusty Springfield’s I Only Want To Be With You. There will also be hits from the Beach Boys, Cilla Black and The Mamas and Papas plus some iconic TV Themes including Thunderbirds, The Avengers and Mission Impossible.Presented with GRB Concerts

Beethoven Six ‘Pastoral’Lars Vogt conductor | Alissa Margulis violin Royal Northern SinfoniaBEETHOVEN Overture: Egmont BRAHMS Violin Concerto BEETHOVEN Symphony No.6 ‘Pastoral’Royal Northern Sinfonia’s Beethoven symphony cycle begins here with the reflective beauty of the Pastoral, the ferocity of his Egmont Overture and the nobility of Brahms’s Violin Concerto.

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Mario Venzago conductor | John Lill piano | Royal Northern SinfoniaBRAHMS Piano Concerto No.2 STRAUSS Capriccio BEETHOVEN Symphony No.4Music of real intimacy, Brahms’ second Piano Concerto reveals a matured composer as he blends beauty with fire and tenderness with drama in the most remarkable of ways. Beethoven’s Fourth is fresh and pure, joy versus darkness, all wrapped-up with his unmistakable dignified balance.

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Summer concertsSomething a little lighter to draw in those sunny days

Beethoven symphony cycleA complete cycle of symphonies from the master of the form


Beethoven FiveAinars Rubikis conductor | Hyeyoon Park violin | Royal Northern SinfoniaPROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No.2 SIBELIUS Suite for Violin and Strings BEETHOVEN Symphony No.5 Hear Beethoven’s ‘game-changer’ symphony, his fifth, alongside the exploratory harmonies of Prokofiev’s second Violin Concerto.

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ne Beethoven OneOlli Mustonen conductor/piano | Richard Martin trumpet | Royal Northern SinfoniaSIBELIUS Pelleas and Melisande SHOSTAKOVICH Concerto for Piano and Trumpet BEETHOVEN Symphony No.1 A programme of doomed lovers, fairground games and wizardry.

Beethoven Nine ‘Choral’Nicholas McGegan conductor | Elizabeth Atherton soprano Diana Moore mezzo-soprano | Ben Johnson tenor David Wilson-Johnson baritone | Royal Northern Sinfonia Chorus of Royal Northern SinfoniaMAHLER Selection from Des Knaben Wunderhorn BEETHOVEN Symphony No.9 “Choral” After Mahler’s touching nature songs, Nicholas McGegan fires-up Beethoven’s compelling, life-affirming final symphony.

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Mario Venzago conductor | Freddy Kempf piano Royal Northern SinfoniaBEETHOVEN Coriolan Overture RAVEL Piano Concerto MILHAUD Le Boeuf sur le Toit BEETHOVEN Symphony No.2 Like his Coriolan Overture, Beethoven’s second symphony grabs you by the scruff of the neck – a world away from the relaxed, bluesy hues of Ravel’s concerto and Milhaud’s funky ballet score.

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ne Beethoven SevenJulian Rachlin conductor/violin | Royal Northern SinfoniaSCHNITTKE Sonata No.1 for Violin and Chamber Orchestra MOZART Violin Concerto No.5 ‘Turkish’BEETHOVEN Symphony No.7Julian Rachlin ignites Beethoven’s most blazingly triumphant orchestral work, with its instantly recognisable second movement, and picks up his bow for Mozart’s exotically inspired Violin Concerto.

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Beethoven EightAlexandre Bloch conductor | Veronika Eberle violin | Marie-Elisabeth Hecker cello Royal Northern SinfoniaSCHUBERT Overture ‘In the Italian style’ BRAHMS Concerto for Violin and CelloSTRAUSS Serenade for Winds BEETHOVEN Symphony No.8Alexandre Bloch conducts Beethoven’s wry, moody eighth symphony – a work that sticks its tongue out at its audience despite its perfection and originality.

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ne Beethoven Three ‘Eroica’Jaime Martin conductor | Paul Lewis piano Royal Northern SinfoniaBRAHMS Piano Concerto No.1BEETHOVEN Symphony No.3 ‘Eroica’ With its volume, length and emotional power, Beethoven’s Eroica left critics and audiences dumbfounded. Two centuries on – even next to the staggering emotional breadth of Brahms’s First Piano Concerto – you can still hear why. This year we are delighted to welcome back Paul Lewis, undoubtedly one of our greatest pianists.

Glorious BachLaurence Cummings conductor/harpsichord | Kyra Humphreys violin Mhairi Lawson soprano | Thomas Walker tenor | Royal Northern Sinfonia Chorus of Royal Northern SinfoniaBACH Orchestral Suite No.4 BACH Violin Concerto No.1BACH Cantata No.50 ‘Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft’ BACH Cantata No.191 ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo’ BACH Orchestral Suite No.3Two of the leading voices on period performance, Laurence Cummings and Mhairi Lawson bring to life a selection of Bach’s best cantatas and suites, including the unforgettable ‘Air on G String’.

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Bach and his ContemporariesLaurence Cummings harpsichord | Mhairi Lawson Soprano Royal Northern SinfoniaDelve into the Baroque with a selection of works from Bach’s contemporaries, including works by Scarlatti, Couperin, Telemann and Bach himself.Featuring ‘Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen’.

Coffee CantataLaurence Cummings conductor/harpsichord | Bradley Creswick violin Mhairi Lawson soprano | Thomas Walker tenor | Matthew Brook baritone Juliette Bausor flute | Royal Northern SinfoniaBACH Orchestral Suite No.1 BACH Violin Concerto No.2BACH Cantata No.211’Schweigt Stille’ BACH Orchestral Suite No.2The final sejourn with the Baroque master in this series features his fun coffee cantata. Hear within his Orchestral Suite No.2 a rather recognisable Badinerie.

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Bestof Bach A selection of some of the finest works from the illustrious Baroque genius


St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra Yuri Temirkanov conductor | Nikolai Lugansky piano St Petersburg Philharmonic OrchestraROSSINI Overture: Barber of Seville RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No.3SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No.10An evening of Russia’s finest, with visiting orchestra St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and their Principal Conductor performing a selection of works by liberated composers unleashing their raw passion.

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Thomas Zehetmair conductor | Francesco Piemontesi piano Royal Northern SinfoniaBEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No.4 TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No.6 ‘Pathétique’Working at polar ends of the 19th century, these key composers mark the transition of symphonic repertoire from Classical to Romantic, as Royal Northern Sinfonia celebrates Sage Gateshead’s 10th birthday.

TempestSaleem Ashkar pianoPiano Sonata No.7 Piano Sonata No.17 ‘Tempest’Piano Sonata No.18 ‘The Hunt’ Piano Sonata No.31Continuing his popular Beethoven Piano Sonata Cycle Saleem Ashkar visits No.17, Beethoven’s tempestuous portrayal of forces beyond human control, and No.18, a piece which bounds with life.

PathétiqueSaleem Ashkar pianoPiano Sonata No.2 Piano Sonata No.8 ‘Pathétique’Piano Sonata No.12 ‘Funeral March’ Piano Sonata No.32We arrive at the final sonata written by Beethoven, No.32, with its thundering opening movement and its profound final variations, along with glances at the grave with his Pathétique and Funeral March sonatas.

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o WaldsteinSaleem Ashkar pianoPiano Sonata No.6 Piano Sonata No.21 ‘Waldstein’Piano Sonata No.16 Piano Sonata No.30Forget Beethoven the frustrated firebrand and angry activist, in this concert we hear music of grace and relaxation.

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10th birthday concertsJoin us as we celebrate 10 years of incredible music making in the North East

Beethoven sonata cycleSaleem Ashkar continues his Beethoven Sonata Cycle in 2014/15


From These IslesRoyal Northern SinfoniaHOLST Wind Quintet STANFORD SerenadeELGAR Piano QuintetFollowing the First World War, Elgar took to a remote rented cottage, where he produced the vivid Piano Quintet. It provides a total contrast to the serene reflection and flowing motion of Holst’s lighthearted Wind Quintet and the contented joy of Stanford’s Serenade.

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Simply Sinfonia: SerenadeBradley Creswick director | Louisa Tuck cello | Steven Hudson oboe Royal Northern SinfoniaELGAR Serenade for Strings HAYDN Cello Concerto No.2 VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Oboe Concerto MOZART Symphony No.39Amid the languorous, luscious 20th-century English works in this concert come two masterworks from central Europe of the 18th century – Haydn’s noble, delicate D major Cello Concerto and a truly remarkable symphony by Mozart.

Simply Sinfonia: Adagio for StringsKyra Humphreys director/violin | Timothy Orpen clarinet Royal Northern SinfoniaBARBER Adagio for Strings MOZART Violin Concerto No.4 COPLAND Clarinet Concerto MOZART Symphony No.29The orchestra takes the lead in this self-directed concert, the result of which is often incredibly electric and fresh. Kyra Humphreys directs in this programme of pure and poignant works.

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Mario Venzago conductor | Julian Bliss clarinet Royal Northern SinfoniaPURCELL Suite: The Fairy Queen NIELSEN Clarinet Concerto BRAHMS Symphony No.2This meeting of glowing melancholy and piercing brightness created what many consider to be Brahms’s finest symphony, with its famous lullaby tune. Mario Venzago conducts it here after Nielsen’s elfin Clarinet Concerto and Purcell’s magical score for The Fairy Queen.

Royal Northern Sinfonia Up Close: Steven HudsonSteven Hudson oboe | John Reid pianoBACH Sonata in G Minor SCHUMANN Three Romances for Oboe BRITTEN Temporal VariationsRAVEL Sonatine for Oboe and Piano JULIAN ANDERSON The Bearded Lady POULENC Sonata for Oboe and Piano COLIN Premier Solo de Councours for Oboe and Piano

Sponsored by:

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MainseriesThe meat in our season - inspiring and provocative musical journeys


Royal Northern Sinfonia Up Close: Louisa TuckLouisa Tuck cello | John Reid pianoDEBUSSY Sonata for cello and piano JANÁČEK Pohadka SCHUMANN Five pieces in Folk Style for cello and pianoSCHUMANN Phantasiestücke KATHRYN TICKELL New composition FAURÉ Sonata No.2 for cello and pianoLouisa Tuck and John Reid present a journey through Europe in Hall two traveling through colourful Debussy to raw Janáček and folksy Schumann, ending with a brand new work from North-East composer and Sage Gateshead friend, Kathryn Tickell.

The French ConnectionRoyal Northern SinfoniaSAINT-SAËNS Septet CAPLET Piano Quintet SCHMITT Sonatine FAURÉ Piano Quintet A chamber programme resounding with continental elegance with a selection of Romantic works for strings, wind and piano.

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Unfinished BusinessRichard Farnes conductor | Bradley Creswick violin | Royal Northern SinfoniaMOZART Symphony No.32 TCHAIKOVSKY Violin ConcertoDVORÁK Romance No.1 SCHUBERT Symphony No.8 ‘Unfinished’Royal Northern Sinfonia leader Bradley Creswick marks 20 years as leader by playing the heart-on-sleeve showpiece by Tchaikovsky: his unforgettable Violin Concerto.

HalléAndrew Manze conductor | Benjamin Grosvenor piano | Sarah Fox soprano HalléMOZART Ch’io mi scordi di teLISZT Piano Concerto No.2MAHLER Symphony No.4The Hallé return to Sage Gateshead to perform Liszt’s rapturous second Piano Concerto. Hear the ghosts of Mozart and Beethoven peer through the clean dances and calming lullabies of Mahler’s Symphony No.4.

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Simply Sinfonia: PavaneBradley Creswick director | Juliette Bausor flute | Royal Northern SinfoniaFAURÉ Pavane MOZART Flute Concerto in G MajorSAINT-SAËNS Odelette MOZART Symphony No.36Music of typically French poise by Saint-Saëns and Fauré make up this programme alongside Mozart’s glistening Flute Concerto.

The Romantics Lars Vogt conductor/piano | Royal Northern SinfoniaJANÁČEK Concertino SCHUMANN Piano Concerto in A minorDVORÁK Symphony No.8Dvořák’s eighth, a work of pure intent and full of grand gestures, accompanies Schumann’s Piano Concerto – a love letter in music and a touching insight into one of the most passionate romances of the nineteenth century.

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MainseriesThe meat in our season - inspiring and provocative musical journeys


American DreamJohn Wilson conductor | Leon McCawley piano | Royal Northern SinfoniaJOHN ADAMS The Chairman Dances GERSHWIN Piano Concerto in F major COPLAND Hoe Down from Rodeo BARBER Essay No.1 BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story A programme that packs a punch, swinging from Copland’s Hoe Down and Bernstein’s rocket fuelled Symphonic Dances to Gershwin’s electric Piano Concerto.

Russian FantasyJohn Wilson conductor | Denis Kozhukhin piano Royal Northern SinfoniaBORODIN Prince Igor Overture RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of PaganiniTCHAIKOVSKY Extracts from Sleeping BeautyRachmaninoff’s devilish fantasy and Borodin’s imposing overture.

An Afternoon with Sir Thomas AllenJohn Wilson conductor | Sir Thomas Allen baritone | Royal Northern SinfoniaJohn Wilson welcomes international opera star and regional figure Sir Thomas Allen for a selection of relaxed English operetta arias and popular songs including traditional songs Dance to Thee Daddy, The Last Rose of Summer and Coates Knightsbridge March. Orchestral interludes include Delius On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring and Walton’s magnificent BBC Proms favourite Crown Imperial.

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Classic FMJohn Wilson’s Sunday afternoonsJoin John Wilson at 3pm for these popular classics

We are delighted to announce the John Wilson Series - three afternoon Classic FM concerts with music for all the family.If you are booking all three don’t forget you could save a minimum of 10% by purchasing tickets for another two or more Classic FM concerts.


Hall of Fame ShowcaseStephen Bell conductor | Royal Northern SinfoniaHear the year’s Hall of Fame chart toppers fresh from Classic FM’s 2015 countdown, as voted for by listeners.Likely contenders for the top spot are Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.2.

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ne at the Movies: John BarryNicholas Dodd conductor | Royal Northern SinfoniaIncluding music from: James Bond Midnight Cowboy Out of AfricaLet Royal Northern Sinfonia sweep you off your feet with some of John Barry’s most evocative and picturesque scores, from the menace and power of Zulu to the expanse and romance of Dances with Wolves.

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Jamie Phillips conductor | Susanna Hurrell soprano | Ben Johnson tenor Royal Northern SinfoniaCelebrate this Valentines with the greatest works of passion performed by newly-weds Susanna Hurrell and Ben Johnson. Including excerpts from Bizet’s sultry Carmen, Puccini’s ultimate opera of love and loss La Boheme as well as much-loved movements from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. Also includes Gershwin Girl Crazy Overture, Elgar Salut d’Amore and John Williams’s Love Theme from Star Wars plus many more to set the mood.

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£10-£33

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Classic FM

In partnership with the nation’s favourite classical radio station


Queen SymphonyTolga Kashif conductor | Royal Northern SinfoniaKASHIF Queen Symphony The music of rock legends Queen, re-imagined for orchestra by Classical Brit winner Tolga Kashif.Imagine a composer of the imagination and daring of a Tchaikovsky, a Holst or a Mussorgsky. Imagine him let loose with the entire Queen catalogue of melodies, atmospheres and textures, and a vast orchestra and a huge choir. Then you’ll be close to imagining where this work begins. This is something monumental and quite outrageous. Brian May

Made in Britain - The Best of the British MusicalsDavid Firman conductor | Graham Bickley soloist | Ricardo Afonso soloist Abbie Osmon soloist | Sophie-Louise Dann soloist | Royal Northern SinfoniaA celebration of British musicals from the era of Gilbert & Sullivan, right through to Lloyd-Webber blockbusters. Featuring music from Blood Brothers, Chess, Miss Saigon, Cats, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies and others. Presented with GRB Concerts

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ne Songs for a Swingin’ OrchestraRichard Balcombe conductor | Catherine Porter soloist | Graham Bickley soloist Royal Northern SinfoniaThe sound of orchestral swing from some of the 20th century’s most prolific and popular crooners including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat ‘King’ Cole, Judy Garland and Linda Ronstadt, all accompanied by classic arrangements from Nelson Riddle.Presented with GRB Concerts

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Richard Farnes conductor | Opera NorthCast Includes: Béla Perencz The Dutchman Alwyn Mellor Senta Mats Almgren Daland Mati Turi ErikWAGNER The Flying DutchmanOpera North continues its Wagnerian voyage with the myth of the Dutchman, doomed to wander the seas eternally in search of redemption through a woman’s faithful love. Sung in German with English titles.Financially supported by the Opera North Future Fund.

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Galas

Hear orchestras go beyond classical with pop, swing and others


Power of TenRoyal Northern SinfoniaLIGETI Ten Pieces for Wind Quintet RIEGGER Study in Sonorities for 10 violins XENAKIS ST/10 DAVID LANG String Quartet HOVHANESS Symphony No.10Pulitzer prize-winning composer David Lang curates an exploration of the boldest, most evocative sonorities to celebrate 10 years of Sage Gateshead, including the world premiere of his own brand new String Quartet co-commissioned by Sage Gateshead and the New York Philharmonic.

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Royal Northern SinfoniaCOPLAND Nonet KORNGOLD Suite: Much Ado about Nothing BARBER Summer Music for Wind Quintet STRAVINSKY Dumbarton OaksFrom the melismatic and plangent to the joyous and energetic, this programme from the New World features Stravinsky’s smiling concerto and Barber’s warming Summer Music for an evening cabaret.

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Chorus of Royal Northern SinfoniaRACHMANINOFF VespersIn this grand and intensely moving hymn to creation, Rachmaninov combines the spiritual and virtuosic to spectacular effect. Hear it here, performed late in the evening as intended, by the Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia.

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Goldberg Variations Royal Northern SinfoniaBACH Goldberg Variations (arr. Bernard Labadie)One of the greatest works for keyboard, written to soothe the insomniac Count Kaiserling, heard here in full orchestral glory courtesy of Bernard Labadie’s enlightening arrangement.

Songs of EnglandJames Gilchrist tenor | Royal Northern SinfoniaWARLOCK The Curlew IRELAND Fantasy Sonata VAUGHAN WILLIAMS On Wenlock Edge Poems of love and nostalgia, and songs of despair and loneliness form the basis of this concert, as lyric tenor James Gilchrist joins Royal Northern Sinfonia for English music he has made his own.

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Late MixFeeling adventurous? Explore the further reaches of the classical world


The SnowmanAlan Fearon conductor | Royal Northern SinfoniaBLAKE The SnowmanEnjoy the magical experience of watching this seasonal family favourite, accompanied by live orchestra.Eight performances available.

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neRejoice!Simon Halsey conductor | Helen Skelton presenter | Royal Northern Sinfonia Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia | Quay ChoirsBlue Peter presenter Helen Skelton hosts this family favourite, with the best carols and tunes to get into the Christmas mood. Supported by The Vardy Foundation

New Year in ViennaJohn Suchet presenter | Royal Northern Sinfonia Bring in the New Year in style, as we waltz our way through some of the finest Viennese dance music, with host Classic FM’s John Suchet.

MessiahThomas Zehetmair conductor | Julia Bauer soprano | James Laing countertenor Samuel Boden tenor | Benjamin Bevan baritone | Royal Northern Sinfonia Chorus of Royal Northern SinfoniaHANDEL MessiahHandel’s oratorio of epic proportions, with its much-loved Hallelujah Chorus, brings in the Christmas season.

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£15-£17; Family ticket £50 (4 tickets to include at least 1 adult and 1 child)

Christmas & New YearNowhere does festive like Sage Gateshead

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Royal Northern Sinfonia, Orchestra of Sage Gateshead, the UK’s only full-time chamber orchestra, has built a distinctive reputation as a fresh-thinking and versatile orchestra. It was founded in 1958 by the BBC musicologist and producer Michael Hall. The Queen bestowed the title of ‘Royal’ on Northern Sinfonia in 2013 recognising it internationally as one of the UK’s finest orchestras – the first time any UK orchestra has been so honoured for over 20 years.Royal Northern Sinfonia has a dedicated approach to stylistic excellence in all genres and has developed an extensive and ambitious repertoire. Core classical music remains at the heart of the programme whilst precision and deep musical understanding are equally applied to its chamber, contemporary, light music and cross-genre performances.

Royal Northern Sinfonia contributes to the cultural life of the region and was awarded the Special Contribution to the Region at the Culture Awards 2013.

Performances for families and schools, gala concerts with community choirs and workshops and premieres of student compositions are regular projects.

Individual members coach and mentor Sage Gateshead’s Young Musicians Programme and In Harmony project.

The orchestra has worked with many of the most in-demand artists in the world including Sir Mark Elder, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Gidon Kremer, Ian Bostridge, Pierre Laurent-Aimard and Heinz Holliger, whilst also offering opportunities for the next generation of star conductors and musicians. Its commitment to contemporary music is highlighted by frequent commissions and premieres, most recently by Simon Bainbridge, David Lang and John Woolrich.

Part of a vibrant programme of music at Sage Gateshead, Royal Northern Sinfonia takes regular opportunities to collaborate with artists from other art forms including Sting, Pet Shop Boys, Joanna Newsom, Efterklang, Spiritualized, Lau and Raul Malo.

Performances in its landmark home are complemented by an extensive programme of activity in the local and regional community as well as nationally and internationally including Hong Kong Arts Festival and the BBC Proms.

2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEADBook your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com

AboutRoyal Northern SinfoniaThe UK’s only full-time chamber orchestra


First ViolinThe Huntington Chair

Bradley Creswick, LeaderKyra Humphreys, Co-LeaderSara Wolstenholme, PrincipalIona Brown, PrincipalJane NossekAlexandra RaikhlinaSarah Roberts

Second ViolinThe Rosemary Hinton Chair

Sophie AppletonJenny ChangJonathan Martindale

ViolaThe Layfield Chair

Michael Gerrard, Section LeaderMalcolm Critten, PrincipalTegwen JonesJames Slater

CelloThe Share Family Chair

Louisa Tuck, Section LeaderDaniel Hammersley, PrincipalJames CraigGabriel Waite

Double BassSiân Hicks, Principal

FluteThe Robinson Family Chair

Juliette Bausor, Section LeaderEilidh Gillespie, Principal

OboeThe Richardson Family Chair

Steven Hudson, Section LeaderMichael O’Donnell, Principal

ClarinetThe Janet Ramsaran Chair

Timothy Orpen, Section LeaderJessica Lee, Principal

BassoonThe Pyman Family Chair

Stephen Reay, Section LeaderRobin Kennard, Principal

HornThe Friends of Royal Northern Sinfonia Chair

Peter Francomb, Section LeaderChristopher Griffiths, Principal

TrumpetThe Alan Johnson Chair

Richard Martin, Section LeaderMarion Craig, Principal

TimpaniThe Christine Swales Chair

Marney O’Sullivan, Section Leader

For 40 years the Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia has been an integral, ever-present part of the Royal North-ern Sinfonia musical family drawing on talented and committed singers from across the North of England.Choruses allow an orchestra to present the great, stand-out works from history; Mozart’s Requiem, Bach’s Passions and Haydn’s Masses and performances of these have formed the core repertoire for Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia. However its role in Sage Gateshead’s classical programme is altogether more ambitious matching the breadth of repertoire of the orchestra itself. Regular performances of the classics are frequently placed alongside modern masterpieces and the chorus now regularly features in both Hall One and our more eclectic Hall Two series, Late Mix.

Former Royal Northern Sinfonia Timpanist Alan Fearon founded the chorus and led them until summer 2014, playing a crucial role in the choral and vocal strategy at Sage Gateshead. The chorus has worked

with many guest conductors and with every Music Director since Rudolph Schwartz, the orchestra’s second Music Director, including for the last twelve seasons Thomas Zehetmair.

From 2004 to 2012 renowned choral conductor Simon Halsey led the chorus as Principal Conductor Choral Programme.

Amongst the recordings the chorus has made are Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mozart’s ‘Requiem’, Vaughan Williams’s operas ‘Sir John in Love’ and ‘Riders to the Sea’, Bliss’s ‘Pastorale’, and ‘Songs of Northumbria’.

Royal Northern SinfoniaOrchestra listOrchestra of Sage Gateshead

Chorus of Royal Northern SinfoniaPart of Royal Northern Sinfonia’s musical family

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Sage Gateshead is both a live music venue and a centre for music-making and learning that enables everyone to become involved in, stimulated and excited by music of any genre. We deliver a range of music programmes and projects across the whole of the North East and Cumbria as well as at Sage Gateshead. These include classes for early years and families, schools and adults as well as a Silver Programme for people over the age of 50. We also deliver two music degree courses with the University of Sunderland (BMus in Popular, Contemporary and Jazz and BA in Community Music).

There are opportunities to explore and create all kinds of music, for people of all ages, at every level of ability and experience. So, whether you are young or old, a beginner or have years of experience; you want to pursue music professionally or as a social pastime or you would just like to join a choir, play in a band, brush up on your music theory, or learn the steel pans – we

are sure you will find an opportunity to join in, enjoy and learn with us.

All our programmes and classes are delivered by a highly experienced team of community musicians and tutors, many of whom perform regularly across the region, nationally and internationally.

For more information, please visit sagegateshead.com/join-in. You can also email us at [email protected] or call 0191 443 4661.

Thank you to each and every one of you who helped us to raise more than £600,000 last year. It’s an expensive business putting on concerts and running a world renowned learning and participation programme; ticket income alone is not enough to sustain our work.

Your generosity combined with support from Corporate Partners, grant making trusts and our partners Arts Council England and

Gateshead Council allows Royal Northern Sinfonia and Sage Gateshead to continue providing the very best musical experiences for people in the North East.

The easiest way to support us is to join one of our membership schemes listed below. You can join or make an alternative donation at ticket office when booking your tickets, online or contact the fundraising team on 0191 443 5038.

Supporting the very best music for the future

Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com

Join in & make musicYour Sage Gateshead

Friends of Royal Northern SinfoniaMembership starts from £27.50 and benefits include:

• Priority Booking for the classical season• Exclusive member’s evenings• Quarterly newsletter

Sage SupportersMembership starts from £40 and benefits include:

• Priority booking on the Classical Season and selected concerts

• Food, drink, parking and shop discounts• Notice of newly confirmed concerts• Special Events

Sage CircleMembership is £84 per month and benefits include:

• All the benefits of Sage Supporter membership

• Acknowledgement of your support on our website

• Personal booking service with no booking fee

• Annual Dinner

Principal PartnersMembership is from £167 per month and benefits include:

• All the benefits of Sage Circle• Direct Association with one of Royal

Northern Sinfonia’s Principal Players or Music Director

• Crediting in all Royal Northern Sinfonia programmes

• Opportunities to meet the Musicians• Exclusive open rehearsals and events

Support usYour Sage Gateshead

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Sage Gateshead values its partnerships with individuals, trusts and foundations and companies. As a registered charity (number 1087445) this support is vital to allow us to continue and develop our work. In addition, we are enormously grateful for the core revenue support and commitment provided by Arts Council England North East and Gateshead Council.

Corporate Partners

Founding PartnersThe Sage Group plcThe Barbour FoundationNorthern Rock FoundationGarfield Weston FoundationJoan and Margaret Halbert

Founding Endowment DonorsThe Shears FoundationThe David Goldman ProgrammeThe Go-Ahead group plcNorthern Arts BoardFenwick LtdNorthumbrian WaterBenfield Charitable TrustThe Sir James Knott TrustGreggs plcThe David Boardman TrustRoland Cookson Fund1989 Willan Trust

10th Birthday Endowment DonorsThe Barbour FoundationThe Vardy FoundationStuart Halbert FoundationClore Duffield FoundationMr & Mrs M HowardMs W Oloman

Legacy BequestsStuart AyreJan Dyer

Trust and Foundation SupportersJ Paul Getty JNR Charitable TrustThe Foyle FoundationGarfield Weston FoundationThe Hadrian TrustThe Kavli TrustThe Monument Trust

The PRS for Music FoundationThe Sir James Knott TrustThe Shears FoundationThe Vardy FoundationThe WA Handley Charitable TrustYouth Music

Platinum Partner Gold Partners Silver Partners Bronze Partners

Baker TillyThe Open UniversityBarclaysO’Brien Waste Recycling SolutionsRutherford Wilkinson LtdRathbone Investment ManagementSolution Group

2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEADBook your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com

Thank youSage Gateshead owes so much to its valuable partnerships


How to get to Sage GatesheadHall One seating planMetroThanks to the generosity of Nexus you can travel free on the Metro to and from Gateshead if you have a ticket for a concert here: simply retain your concert ticket for inspection on the Metro two hours before and after an event.

RailThe nearest station is Newcastle Central (around three hours to London King’s Cross, one and a half hours to Edinburgh). You can either catch the yellow Quaylink Q1 bus from outside the station (about a 15 minute journey) or walk across the Swing Bridge (about 15 minute walk).

BusWe run buses from Hexham (via Corbridge), Alnwick (via Amble, Warkworth, Felton, Morpeth, Wideopen and Gosforth) and Carlisle (via Brampton) to a selection of our concerts. You can book a seat on the bus for £7.50 return per concert.

Please book your bus tickets when you book your concert tickets.

We are also on the Q1 Quaylink bus service (the yellow buses) which drops off in St Mary’s Square.

Car ParkingWe have our own car park directly behind the building, with pedestrian lift access.

There are spaces for blue badge holders by the lifts in the car park or other spaces immediately to the rear of the building along the rear access road. If you arrive after 5pm you can pre-pay your parking charges before the concert to avoid any delays upon exiting.

There is a drop off and pick up point in St Mary’s Square adjacent to our West (Tyne Bridge) doors.

Hall TwoHall Two is a flexible, ten-sided space, and is set up for each concert according to what will provide the best experience for the audience. There are three levels: Levels 1 and 2 are price area A, and Level 3 is price area B. Further information is available on our website www.sagegateshead.com/your-visit

Concessions for people over 60, unemployed, students, and U16s are available at a £2 reduction for all of the concerts in this bro-chure. Please note concessions are NOT available in conjunction with packages.Students are entitled to £5 standby tickets (on the day) for all Royal Northern Sinfonia concerts in our Classical Season. £5 standby tickets are available for students on the day for other selected non-classical concerts at Sage Gateshead. Email: [email protected] with ‘Standby’ in the subject line. Valid NUS card required.For every performance one free ticket is available for the essential carer of those who need assistance to attend the performance. Group Bookings are available if purchasing 10 or more tickets. Ask Ticket Office for details.

A copy of our full conditions is available on our website. Or you can request a copy by sending us a stamped addressed envelope. A package handling fee of £2.50 applies per transaction. No additional fees apply when booking individual tickets along with your package. Individual tickets incur a £1.50 per ticket handling fee (up to a maximum of 10 fees per transaction). We regret that no refunds can be given except where an event is cancelled. However, Ticketplan refund protection is available at £2 per ticket (see website for more details). We will always attempt, where possible, to exchange unwanted tickets for concerts as long as we have the tickets returned to us at least 24 hours prior to the performance, for an administration fee of £2.50 (this fee does not apply to package bookers exchanging within the same season).Pricing - Please note that prices are subject to change. These will not vary for Friends of Royal Northern Sinfonia, Sage Supporters and Principal Partners.

Location mapsYour Sage Gateshead

Seat maps and ticket informationYour Sage Gateshead

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Celebrating 10 inCredible Years of sage gateshead

Sage GatesheadSt Mary’s SquareGateshead Quays GatesheadNE8 2JR

Chairman: Lord Falconer of Thoroton

Visit www.sagegateshead.com for information on all our projects at Sage Gateshead, around the region and nationwide.

Ticket Office: 0191 443 4661Welcome Desk: 0191 443 4666

Photography: Mark Savage Concert text: Andrew MellorBrochure design: Violet Bick

The information in this brochure is correct at the time of going to print: we reserve the right to make changes which circumstances may necessitate.

North Music Trust is registered in England as a company limited by guarantee, number 4044936 and as a charity, number 1087445. www.sagegateshead.com

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Sage Gateshead Classical Season 2014/15