Celebrating 10 years since the opening of the magnificent Sage Gateshead, Royal Northern Sinfonia presents an inspiring new season of classical music that offers a dazzling array of international conductors and artists including the celebrated British pianist Paul Lewis performing Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1, critically acclaimed harpsichordist and conductor Laurence Cummings conducting a series of concerts of Bach’s music, and clarinettist Julian Bliss marks the 150th anniversary of Carl Nielsen’s birth with a performance of his Clarinet Concerto. Recognising the extraordinary output of Ludwig van Beethoven, Recognising the extraordinary output of Ludwig van Beethoven, Royal Northern Sinfonia will perform a complete cycle of his nine symphonies for the first time since its critically-acclaimed performances in 2008. In addition, the internationally acclaimed Palestinian-Israeli pianist Saleem Ashkar will continue his marathon performances of Beethoven’s complete set of 32 Piano Sonatas, performed in Sage Gateshead’s Hall Two. will perform a complete cycle of his nine symphonies for the first time since its critically-acclaimed performances in 2008. In addition, the internationally acclaimed Palestinian-Israeli pianist Saleem Ashkar will continue his marathon performances of Beethoven’s complete set of 32 Piano Sonatas, performed in Sage Gateshead’s Hall Two. As has become customary at Sage Gateshead, Royal Northern Sinfonia will showcase the remarkable talent and versatility of its own members, with concerto performances by its adored leader Bradley Creswick (Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto), the critically acclaimed principal flute Juliette Bausor (Mozart Flute Concerto in G major), principal cello Louisa Tuck (Hall Two recital), and the sinfonia’s co-leader Kyra Humphreys (Bach Violin Concerto). Members of Royal Northern Sinfonia are also heavily involved in the series of chamber concerts performed at Sage Gateshead’s Hall Two, where they will perform a varied programme of works ranging from Scarlatti to David Lang. Making classical music a vital force on Tyneside, Royal Northern Sinfonia has played a central role in the region’s cultural life for over half a century. In that time, it has built an illustrous career through performing, touring, recording and broadcasting. Since 2004, Norman Foster’s Sage Gateshead, the sinfonia’s home next to the iconic Gateshead Millennium Bridge and the Baltic art gallery, has become a cultural beacon following the transformation of the Gateshead’s (and neighbouring Newcastle’s) breathtaking Quayside. Inside the gleaming, glass panelled building, Royal Northern Sinfonia continues to reach new audiences in the region, the UK and abroad by combining virtuoso performances with a distinctly personal approach to the music.

1. Featuring “There is no better
Classical Season
2014/15
Season supported by
The Barbour Foundation
chamber orchestra
in Britain The Guardian”
In association with
Celebrating 10 Incredible Years of Sage Gateshead

2. Your experience Classical season savings
Make 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 concerts
Save 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.
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.
Please note that these packages only apply to Hall One concerts, Summer Concerts, Galas and Christmas events.
How to book
There 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
2 | 3 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com
2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD
Season
discounts
Sage Gateshead
experience
Make the most of this season and SAVE Your questions answered

3. 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
Our 10th
classical season
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, DL
Chairman, 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 CBE
General Director, Sage Gateshead
The Barbour Foundation Anthony Sargent CBE, General Director, Sage Gateshead
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
4 | 5 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD

4. 4,059
CAPTIVATING
1,500,000
PEOPLE
CONCERTS 6,000,000
AUDIENCES
FROM 77
COUNTRIES
1 ROYAL
NORTHERN
SINFONIA 100
UNIQUE
HOME
GROWN PRODUCTIONS
Looking
back
Classical 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.
Looking
forward
Introduction to the 2014/15 season
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
HAPPY
VISITORS
MAKING
MUSIC
11,000
TO THE REGION
£300,000,000
CONTRIBUTION
24,354 PERFORMERS
HOURS
OF LIVE
MUSIC
500
HOURS
OF
APPLAUSE
INCREDIBLY
TALENTED
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.
6 | 7 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD

5. Summer
Concerts
Concert
strands
Experience Sage Gateshead Your Way
Often spectacular
and theatrical, this
is where orchestral
music meets
contemporary genres,
including pop, swing
and musicals.
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.
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.
8 | 9 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD
Christmas
& New Year
Key
No interval
RNS spotlight
Pre-concert talk
Bus from Carlisle
Bus from Hexham
Bus 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 pages
13 - 23
Main
Series
See pages
24 - 27
Classic
FM
See pages
28 - 29
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 pages
30 - 31
Late
Mix
Enjoy something a bit
lighter in those warm
Summer months, with
chamber music and
contemporary popular
concerts.
See pages
10 - 12
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 pages
32 - 33

6. What the World Needs Now... The Music of Burt Bacharach
Richard Balcombe conductor | Royal Northern Sinfonia
Celebrate 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 Concerts
7.30pm | Hall One
Sunday 29th June 2014
Wednesday 2nd July 2014
8.00pm | Hall Two
£10-£33
Memento Mori
BEETHOVEN String Quartet No.2 ‘Compliments’
BARTOK Violin Duos
SCHUBERT 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.
8.00pm | Hall Two
Wednesday 16th July 2014
8.00pm | Hall Two
Wednesday 23rd July 2014
A Farewell to Form
MOZART Flute Quartet in D major
SPOHR Nonet
SCHUBERT 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.
Caprice
SAINT-SAËNS Caprice on a Danish Air
SPOHR Quintet for Piano and Winds
POULENC Sextet for Piano and Winds
MOZART Quintet for Piano and Winds
Mozart’s favourite Quintet accompanies Poulenc’s cheeky Sextet, Saint-Saëns’s urbane-yet-
earthy Caprice and Spohr’s own elegant and ear-teasing Quintet.
£16
10 | 11 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD
£16
£16
Summer
concerts
Something a little lighter to draw in those sunny days

7. Classic FM Summer Strings
Bradley Creswick director | Royal Northern Sinfonia
ELGAR Introduction and Allegro
BARBER Adagio for strings
GRIEG Holberg Suite
MOZART Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
PUCCINI Crisantemi
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
At the height of summer, experience the gorgeous, enraptured sounds of the strings of
Royal Northern Sinfonia.
7.30pm | Hall One
Thursday 24th July 2014
Thursday 31st July 2014
8.00pm | Hall Two
£10-£33
Rosamunde
WOLF Italian Serenade
HAYDN String Quartet No.68 ‘Unfinished’
MARTINU Nonet
SCHUBERT 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.
Saturday 2nd August 2014
7.30pm | Hall One
Up, Up and Away... Songs of the 60s
Richard Balcombe conductor | Royal Northern Sinfonia
Enjoy 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 Sinfonia
BEETHOVEN 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.
7.30pm | Hall One
Saturday 20th September 2014
7.30pm | Hall One
Thursday 23rd October 2014
Beethoven Four
Mario Venzago conductor | John Lill piano | Royal Northern Sinfonia
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No.2
STRAUSS Capriccio
BEETHOVEN Symphony No.4
Music 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.
12 | 13 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD
£10-£33
£10-£33
£16
£10-£33
Summer
concerts
Something a little lighter to draw in those sunny days
Beethoven
symphony cycle
A complete cycle of symphonies from the master of the form

8. Beethoven Five
Ainars Rubikis conductor | Hyeyoon Park violin | Royal Northern Sinfonia
PROKOFIEV 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.
7.30pm | Hall One
7.30pm | Hall One
Thursday 29th January 2015
7.30pm | Hall One
Thursday 26th February 2015
Beethoven One
Olli Mustonen conductor/piano | Richard Martin trumpet | Royal Northern Sinfonia
SIBELIUS 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 Sinfonia
MAHLER 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.
7.30pm | Hall One
Thursday 2nd April 2015
Thursday 30th April 2015
7.30pm | Hall One
Beethoven Two
Mario Venzago conductor | Freddy Kempf piano
Royal Northern Sinfonia
BEETHOVEN 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.
14 | 15 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD
£10-£33
£10-£33
Wednesday 12th November 2014
Beethoven Seven
Julian Rachlin conductor/violin | Royal Northern Sinfonia
SCHNITTKE Sonata No.1 for Violin and Chamber Orchestra
MOZART Violin Concerto No.5 ‘Turkish’
BEETHOVEN Symphony No.7
Julian 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.
£10-£33
£10-£33
£10-£33
Beethoven
symphony cycle
A complete cycle of symphonies from the master of the form

9. Beethoven Eight
Alexandre Bloch conductor | Veronika Eberle violin | Marie-Elisabeth Hecker cello
Royal Northern Sinfonia
SCHUBERT Overture ‘In the Italian style’
BRAHMS Concerto for Violin and Cello
STRAUSS Serenade for Winds
BEETHOVEN Symphony No.8
Alexandre Bloch conducts Beethoven’s wry, moody eighth symphony – a work that sticks
its tongue out at its audience despite its perfection and originality.
7.30pm | Hall One
Thursday 14th May 2015
7.30pm | Hall One
Friday 12th June 2015
£10-£33
Beethoven Three ‘Eroica’
Jaime Martin conductor | Paul Lewis piano
Royal Northern Sinfonia
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No.1
BEETHOVEN 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 Bach
Laurence Cummings conductor/harpsichord | Kyra Humphreys violin
Mhairi Lawson soprano | Thomas Walker tenor | Royal Northern Sinfonia
Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia
BACH Orchestral Suite No.4
BACH Violin Concerto No.1
BACH Cantata No.50 ‘Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft’
BACH Cantata No.191 ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo’
BACH Orchestral Suite No.3
Two 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’.
7.30pm | Hall One
Thursday 9th October 2014
Sunday 12th October 2014
8.00pm | Hall Two
7.30pm | Hall One
Thursday 16th October 2014
Bach and his Contemporaries
Laurence Cummings harpsichord | Mhairi Lawson Soprano
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Delve 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 Cantata
Laurence Cummings conductor/harpsichord | Bradley Creswick violin
Mhairi Lawson soprano | Thomas Walker tenor | Matthew Brook baritone
Juliette Bausor flute | Royal Northern Sinfonia
BACH Orchestral Suite No.1
BACH Violin Concerto No.2
BACH Cantata No.211’Schweigt Stille’
BACH Orchestral Suite No.2
The 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.
16 | 17 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD
£10-£33
£16
£10-£33 £10-33
Beethoven
symphony cycle
A complete cycle of symphonies from the master of the form
Best
of Bach
A selection of some of the finest works from the illustrious Baroque genius

10. St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Yuri Temirkanov conductor | Nikolai Lugansky piano
St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
ROSSINI Overture: Barber of Seville
RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No.3
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No.10
An 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.
7.30pm | Hall One
Wednesday 5th November 2014
7.30pm | Hall One
Sunday 21st December 2014
Royal Northern Sinfonia Celebrates
Thomas Zehetmair conductor | Francesco Piemontesi piano
Royal Northern Sinfonia
BEETHOVEN 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.
Tempest
Saleem Ashkar piano
Piano Sonata No.7
Piano Sonata No.17 ‘Tempest’
Piano Sonata No.18 ‘The Hunt’
Piano Sonata No.31
Continuing 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.
£16-£20
Pathétique
Saleem Ashkar piano
Piano Sonata No.2
Piano Sonata No.8 ‘Pathétique’
Piano Sonata No.12 ‘Funeral March’
Piano Sonata No.32
We 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.
8.00pm | Hall Two
Wednesday 29th October 2014
Friday 20th February 2015
8.00pm | Hall Two
8.00pm | Hall Two
Saturday 16th May 2015
£16-£20
Waldstein
Saleem Ashkar piano
Piano Sonata No.6
Piano Sonata No.21 ‘Waldstein’
Piano Sonata No.16
Piano Sonata No.30
Forget Beethoven the frustrated firebrand and angry activist, in this concert we hear
music of grace and relaxation.
£16-£20
18 | 19 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD
£13-£36
£10-£33
10th birthday
concerts
Join us as we celebrate 10 years of incredible music making in the North East
Beethoven
sonata cycle
Saleem Ashkar continues his Beethoven Sonata Cycle in 2014/15

11. From These Isles
Royal Northern Sinfonia
HOLST Wind Quintet
STANFORD Serenade
ELGAR Piano Quintet
Following 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.
Thursday 8th January 2015
8.00pm | Hall Two
7.30pm | Hall One
Thursday 25th September 2014
7.30pm | Hall One
Thursday 22nd January 2015
8.00pm | Hall Two
Wednesday 26th November 2014
Simply Sinfonia: Serenade
Bradley Creswick director | Louisa Tuck cello | Steven Hudson oboe
Royal Northern Sinfonia
ELGAR Serenade for Strings
HAYDN Cello Concerto No.2
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Oboe Concerto
MOZART Symphony No.39
Amid 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 Strings
Kyra Humphreys director/violin | Timothy Orpen clarinet
Royal Northern Sinfonia
BARBER Adagio for Strings
MOZART Violin Concerto No.4
COPLAND Clarinet Concerto
MOZART Symphony No.29
The 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.
7.30pm | Hall One
Thursday 12th February 2015
£16
The Fairy Queen
Mario Venzago conductor | Julian Bliss clarinet
Royal Northern Sinfonia
PURCELL Suite: The Fairy Queen
NIELSEN Clarinet Concerto
BRAHMS Symphony No.2
This 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 Hudson
Steven Hudson oboe | John Reid piano
BACH Sonata in G Minor
SCHUMANN Three Romances for Oboe
BRITTEN Temporal Variations
RAVEL 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
20 | 21 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD
Sponsored by:
£10-£33
£16
£10-£33
£10-£33
Main
series
The meat in our season - inspiring and provocative musical journeys

12. Royal Northern Sinfonia Up Close: Louisa Tuck
Louisa Tuck cello | John Reid piano
DEBUSSY Sonata for cello and piano
JANÁČEK Pohadka
SCHUMANN Five pieces in Folk Style for cello and piano
SCHUMANN Phantasiestücke
KATHRYN TICKELL New composition
FAURÉ Sonata No.2 for cello and piano
Louisa 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 Connection
Royal Northern Sinfonia
SAINT-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.
8.00pm | Hall Two
Wednesday 22nd April 2015
7.30pm | Hall One
7.30pm | Hall One
Thursday 12th March 2015
Thursday 28th May 2015
8.00pm | Hall Two
Thursday 19th March 2015
7.30pm | Hall One
Thursday 21st May 2015
£16
Unfinished Business
Richard Farnes conductor | Bradley Creswick violin | Royal Northern Sinfonia
MOZART Symphony No.32
TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto
DVORÁK 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.
Simply Sinfonia: Pavane
Bradley Creswick director | Juliette Bausor flute | Royal Northern Sinfonia
FAURÉ Pavane
MOZART Flute Concerto in G Major
SAINT-SAËNS Odelette
MOZART Symphony No.36
Music of typically French poise by Saint-Saëns and Fauré make up this programme
alongside Mozart’s glistening Flute Concerto.
£10-£33
Hallé
Andrew Manze conductor | Benjamin Grosvenor piano | Sarah Fox soprano
Hallé
MOZART Ch’io mi scordi di te
LISZT Piano Concerto No.2
MAHLER Symphony No.4
The 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.
Thursday 16th April 2015
7.30pm | Hall One
£10-£33
The Romantics
Lars Vogt conductor/piano | Royal Northern Sinfonia
JANÁČEK Concertino
SCHUMANN Piano Concerto in A minor
DVORÁK Symphony No.8
Dvořák’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.
22 | 23 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD
£16
£10-£33 £13-£36
Main
series
The meat in our season - inspiring and provocative musical journeys

13. Russian Fantasy
John Wilson conductor | Denis Kozhukhin piano
Royal Northern Sinfonia
BORODIN Prince Igor Overture
RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
TCHAIKOVSKY Extracts from Sleeping Beauty
Rachmaninoff’s devilish fantasy and Borodin’s imposing overture.
American Dream
£10-£33
John Wilson conductor | Leon McCawley piano | Royal Northern Sinfonia
JOHN 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.
Classic FM
John Wilson’s Sunday afternoons
Join John Wilson at 3pm for these popular classics
An Afternoon with Sir Thomas Allen
£10-£33
John Wilson conductor | Sir Thomas Allen baritone | Royal Northern Sinfonia
John 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.
Sunday 5th October 2014
3.00pm | Hall One
3.00pm | Hall One
Sunday 18th January 2015
3.00pm | Hall One
Sunday 15th March 2015
£10-£33
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.
24 | 25 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD

14. If Music Be The Food of Love...
Jamie Phillips conductor | Susanna Hurrell soprano | Ben Johnson tenor
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Celebrate 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.
Hall of Fame Showcase
Stephen Bell conductor | Royal Northern Sinfonia
Hear 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.
7.30pm | Hall One
Saturday 14th February 2015
7.30pm | Hall One
Sunday 26th April 2015
Friday 8th May 2015
7.30pm | Hall One
at the Movies: John Barry
Nicholas Dodd conductor | Royal Northern Sinfonia
Including music from:
James Bond
Midnight Cowboy
Out of Africa
Let 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.
26 | 27 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD
£10-£33
£10-£33
£10-£33
Classic FM
In partnership with the nation’s favourite classical radio station

15. Queen Symphony
Tolga Kashif conductor | Royal Northern Sinfonia
KASHIF 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
£10-£33 £15-£42
Songs for a Swingin’ Orchestra
Richard Balcombe conductor | Catherine Porter soloist | Graham Bickley soloist
Royal Northern Sinfonia
The 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
£10-£33
Hear orchestras go beyond classical with pop, swing and others
Made in Britain - The Best of the British Musicals
David Firman conductor | Graham Bickley soloist | Ricardo Afonso soloist
Abbie Osmon soloist | Sophie-Louise Dann soloist | Royal Northern Sinfonia
A 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
7.30pm | Hall One
Saturday 7th February 2015
7.30pm | Hall One
Friday 6th March 2015
Galas
7.30pm | Hall One
Sunday 29th March 2015
Friday 3rd July 2015
7.30pm | Hall One
Opera North: The Flying Dutchman
Richard Farnes conductor | Opera North
Cast Includes:
Béla Perencz The Dutchman
Alwyn Mellor Senta
Mats Almgren Daland
Mati Turi Erik
WAGNER The Flying Dutchman
Opera 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.
£10-£33
28 | 29 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD

16. Power of Ten
Royal Northern Sinfonia
LIGETI Ten Pieces for Wind Quintet
RIEGGER Study in Sonorities for 10 violins
XENAKIS ST/10
DAVID LANG String Quartet
HOVHANESS Symphony No.10
Pulitzer 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.
8.00pm | Hall Two
Tuesday 18th November 2014
Thursday 5th February 2015
9.00pm | Hall Two
£16
New World Cabaret
Royal Northern Sinfonia
COPLAND Nonet
KORNGOLD Suite: Much Ado about Nothing
BARBER Summer Music for Wind Quintet
STRAVINSKY Dumbarton Oaks
From 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.
Sunset in Russia
Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia
RACHMANINOFF Vespers
In 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.
9.00pm | Hall Two
Wednesday 4th March 2015
9.00pm | Hall Two
Wednesday 8th April 2015
Saturday 6th June 2015
9.00pm | Hall Two
£16
Goldberg Variations
Royal Northern Sinfonia
BACH 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 England
James Gilchrist tenor | Royal Northern Sinfonia
WARLOCK 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.
£16
30 | 31 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD
£16
£16
Late
Mix
Feeling adventurous? Explore the further reaches of the classical world

17. The Snowman
Alan Fearon conductor | Royal Northern Sinfonia
BLAKE The Snowman
Enjoy the magical experience of watching this seasonal family favourite, accompanied by
live orchestra.
Eight performances available.
Monday 22nd - Wednesday 24th
Various (see calendar at rear) | Hall One
December 2014
7.30pm | Hall One
Saturday 6th December 2014
3.00pm | Hall One
Sunday 7th December 2014
Thursday 1st January 2015
3.00pm & 7.00pm | Hall One
7.00pm | Hall One
Sunday 14th December 2014
Rejoice!
Simon Halsey conductor | Helen Skelton presenter | Royal Northern Sinfonia
Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia | Quay Choirs
Blue 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
£15-£17; Family ticket £50 (4 tickets to include at least 1 adult and 1 child)
New Year in Vienna
John 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.
£10-£33
Messiah
Thomas Zehetmair conductor | Julia Bauer soprano | James Laing countertenor
Samuel Boden tenor | Benjamin Bevan baritone | Royal Northern Sinfonia
Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia
HANDEL Messiah
Handel’s oratorio of epic proportions, with its much-loved Hallelujah Chorus, brings in the
Christmas season.
£10-£33 £10-£33
Christmas &
New Year
Nowhere does festive like Sage Gateshead
32 | 33 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD

18. Royal Northern Sinfonia, Orchestra of
Sage Gateshead, the UK’s only full-time
About
Royal Northern Sinfonia
The UK’s only full-time chamber orchestra
34 | 35
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.
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.
Individual members coach and mentor Sage
Gateshead’s Young Musicians Programme
and In Harmony project.
Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD

19. First Violin
The Huntington Chair
Bradley Creswick, Leader
Kyra Humphreys, Co-Leader
Sara Wolstenholme, Principal
Iona Brown, Principal
Jane Nossek
Alexandra Raikhlina
Sarah Roberts
Second Violin
The Rosemary Hinton Chair
Sophie Appleton
Jenny Chang
Jonathan Martindale
Viola
The Layfield Chair
Michael Gerrard, Section
Leader
Malcolm Critten, Principal
Tegwen Jones
James Slater
Cello
The Share Family Chair
Louisa Tuck, Section Leader
Daniel Hammersley, Principal
James Craig
Gabriel Waite
Double Bass
Siân Hicks, Principal
Flute
The Robinson Family Chair
Juliette Bausor, Section
Leader
Eilidh Gillespie, Principal
Oboe
The Richardson Family Chair
Steven Hudson, Section
Leader
Michael O’Donnell, Principal
Clarinet
The Janet Ramsaran Chair
Timothy Orpen, Section
Leader
Jessica Lee, Principal
Bassoon
The Pyman Family Chair
Stephen Reay, Section
Leader
Robin Kennard, Principal
Horn
The Friends of Royal Northern Sinfonia
Chair
Peter Francomb, Section
Leader
Christopher Griffiths,
Principal
Trumpet
The Alan Johnson Chair
Richard Martin, Section
Leader
Marion Craig, Principal
Timpani
The 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 Sinfonia
Orchestra list
Orchestra of Sage Gateshead
Chorus of
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Part of Royal Northern Sinfonia’s musical family
36 | 37 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD

20. 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
38 | 39
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 lp@sagegateshead.com or call
0191 443 4661.
Supporting the very best music for the future
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.
Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com
Join in
& make music
Your Sage Gateshead
Friends of Royal Northern Sinfonia
Membership starts from £27.50 and benefits
include:
• Priority Booking for the classical season
• Exclusive member’s evenings
• Quarterly newsletter
Sage Supporters
Membership 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 Circle
Membership 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 Partners
Membership 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
us
Your Sage Gateshead

21. 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.
Thank
you
Sage Gateshead owes so much to its valuable partnerships
40 | 41
Corporate Partners
Founding Partners
The Sage Group plc
The Barbour Foundation
Northern Rock Foundation
Garfield Weston Foundation
Joan and Margaret Halbert
Founding Endowment
Donors
The Shears Foundation
The David Goldman
Programme
The Go-Ahead group plc
Northern Arts Board
Fenwick Ltd
Northumbrian Water
Benfield Charitable Trust
The Sir James Knott Trust
Greggs plc
The David Boardman Trust
Roland Cookson Fund
1989 Willan Trust
10th Birthday Endowment
Donors
The Barbour Foundation
The Vardy Foundation
Stuart Halbert Foundation
Clore Duffield Foundation
Mr & Mrs M Howard
Ms W Oloman
Legacy Bequests
Stuart Ayre
Jan Dyer
Trust and Foundation
Supporters
J Paul Getty JNR
Charitable Trust
The Foyle Foundation
Garfield Weston Foundation
The Hadrian Trust
The Kavli Trust
The Monument Trust
The PRS for Music
Foundation
The Sir James Knott Trust
The Shears Foundation
The Vardy Foundation
The WA Handley
Charitable Trust
Youth Music
Platinum Partner Gold Partners Silver Partners Bronze Partners
Baker Tilly
The Open University
Barclays
O’Brien Waste
Recycling Solutions
Rutherford Wilkinson
Ltd
Rathbone Investment
Management
Solution Group
Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD

22. Hall One seating plan How to get to Sage Gateshead
Metro
Thanks 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.
Rail
The 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).
Bus
We 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 Parking
We 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.
Level 1 Stalls Level 2
D
C
A
C
C
C
B A B
Level 3
D
C
B
A
C C C
A A
B A A
B B B
B B
B B
A A A
A A
B
Stage Stage Stage
Hall Two
Hall 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:
studentstandby@sagegateshead.com 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.
Seat maps and
ticket information
Your Sage Gateshead
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
maps
Your Sage Gateshead
42 | 43 Book your tickets: 0191 443 4 661 | sagegateshead.com 2004 - 2014 CELEBRATING 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF SAGE GATESHEAD

23. Sage Gateshead
St Mary’s Square
Gateshead Quays
Gateshead
NE8 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 4661
Welcome Desk: 0191 443 4666
Celebrating 10 Incredible Years of Sage Gateshead
Photography: Mark Savage
Concert text: Andrew Mellor
Brochure 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