What we do

As a home for music and musical discovery, The Sage Gateshead offers both performance and participation projects.

Hear it Live

Performances for all tastes – popular, jazz, world, classical, dance, brass bands, experimental, folk and traditional and more.
There are concerts at different times of day – in the evening, late at night, mornings, and at lunch time. Concert tickets are available from £7 for most performances and can be booked online.

Join in and Make Music

Our extensive Join In and Make Music programme enables everyone of every age or ability to become involved in music. It covers early years, work with schools, vocal and instrumental learning, professional learning, community music, Further and Higher Education, and professional development. In addition to the work in The Sage Gateshead itself 70% of the work of this programme takes place in the communities we serve! Activities take place across all 10,000 square miles of the Northern region; nationally, and internationally.

Since opening in 2004 we have provided music-making sessions to over a million people in more than 1,000 places across North East England, reaching another million learners throughout the country through three national music education partnerships – making ours (we believe) the largest music learning and training programme delivered by a single institution anywhere in the world!

• You can learn and take part in music making – whatever your age or ability.
• You can have a go and learn to sing or play from scratch, or develop your existing skills.
• There are daytime and evening classes, summer schools, after school activities and weekend workouts.

Festivals

We hold many festivals giving you the opportunity to see great acts and also join-in the music making around a particular theme. These include:

• Gateshead International Jazz Festival – annually around March/April
• Folkworks Fiddles on Fire – biennially in April (Next one April 2013)
• Folkworks Hexham Gathering – annually in May
• SummerTyne Americana Festival – annually in July
• Folkworks Summer Schools – annually in August
• Folkworks Durham Gathering – annually in August
• Classical Season – all year round incorporating Summer Chamber Series, Recital Series, The Late Mix, The Classic FM Concert Series, Subscription Series, Up Close and Classical, Chamber Music, and more.

Eat and Drink

There is a café, a brasserie and four bars you can use without having to buy a concert ticket. We serve food and drinks of all sorts – from real ale to mineral water, from baguettes to smoked salmon; all competitively priced.