GemArts joins The Glasshouse as new Artistic Partner ahead of their biggest collaboration yet

The Glasshouse, currently celebrating its 20th birthday and most creatively ambitious era yet, today welcomes GemArts as new Artistic Partner. Joining four existing Artistic Partners – Corinne Bailey Rae, Maria Włoszczowska, The Unthanks and John Wilson’s Sinfonia of London – the partners are supported to curate and create new work within the North East. This growing family of Artistic Partners shows how The Glasshouse is a real home for artists. It’s a place where they can try new things, create fresh work and connect directly with audiences.

GemArts is an award-winning arts organisation and nationally recognised leader in the South Asian and diversity arts sector. No stranger to The Glasshouse, GemArts and the venue share a relationship spanning more than 20 years, with concerts programmed even before the building first opened. Together they’ve collaborated on the long-running Riverside Ragas series, presenting world-class Indian classical musicians alongside South Asian artists working in folk, jazz and contemporary genres, while also nurturing and celebrating regional talent across the North East. Through the partnership, The Glasshouse will host six performances per year, including during the Masala Festival.

On Saturday 27 September, The Glasshouse and GemArts welcome their biggest co-production yet, with Orchestral Qawwali Project. Widely regarded as the biggest step forward in Sufi music in decades, the Orchestral Qawwali Project captivates audiences through its unique combination of Sufi poetry, Indian Classical Dance and orchestral arrangements. Written and directed by critically acclaimed composer, Rushil Ranjan, the project features the soaring vocals of Abi Sampa – widely regarded as the UK’s first female Qawwal. Early booking is encouraged for this critically celebrated ensemble after a series of sell our performances across the UK.

As Artistic Partners, GemArts’ popular Riverside Raga series continues with Tar Rang – 100 Colours, 100 Strings, a spellbinding jugalbandi (a kind of duet) between Satwinder Pal Singh (sarangi) and Kaviraj Singh (santoor and vocals) (Friday 19 September); Ghazal Lounge, an ensemble bringing a new contemporary approach to Ghazals in the UK with hypnotic melodies, soul-stirring rhythms and unforgettable energy (Friday 10 October); and Sanskrati Wahane and Gurdain Rayatt, young sitar prodigy and one of the UK’s foremost tabla players (Friday 28 November).

Vikas Kumar, Director at GemArts said: “We’re thrilled to be joining The Glasshouse as an Artistic Partner. We’ve worked together for many years, but this partnership takes things to a new level, giving South Asian artists a platform on one of the region’s biggest stages and connecting even more people through music. It feels like the right moment to build something really exciting together.”

As with GemArts, all of the Artistic Partners have projects unfolding throughout the region in the coming months:

Grammy and MOBO award winning artist Corinne Bailey Rae will lead a music and dance project in Brighton Avenue School in Gateshead. Inspired by the transformative impact of her own school music lessons, this project will bring together dancers and musicians to explore improvisation and creative freedom in a series of workshops throughout September and October. The project will culminate in a live performance for the school and invited guests on 16 October.

The Unthanks, the North East’s folk torchbearers, launch their eclectic new event: The Friday Night Club on Friday 26 September. Curated and hosted by the band, the first of what will be quarterly shows features singer-songwriter Clara Mann, author Fiona Mozley, musician Tim Dalling and members of Royal Northern Sinfonia – the home orchestra of The Glasshouse.

Gateshead-born conductor John Wilson returns with his own orchestra Sinfonia of London this autumn with a feast of English music – Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, Benjamin Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, Arthur Bliss’ Music for Strings, Frederick Delius’s Late Swallows and Edward Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro (Friday 17 October). They return on Thursday 18 December with A Christmas Songbook – a swinging evening of festive classics and Big Band hits from Let’s Face the Music and Dance to Winter Wonderland.

Maria Włoszczowska continues to amaze audiences throughout the region. She joins musicians from Royal Northern Sinfonia and guest soprano Hilary Cronin for two mighty pieces of music distilled down for performance more intimate settings – Richard Strauss’ Metamorphosen and Morgen!, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 (Saturday 27 September). Maria and Royal Northern Sinfonia will also visit Sunderland and Kendal with Brahms’ passionate and demanding Violin Concerto (Thursday 16 October, The Fire Station; Saturday 18 October, Westmorland Hall).

Alongside concerts, these artistic partnerships open up opportunities for young people and communities across the region to make music with leading artists.

Wendy Smith, Creative Director at The Glasshouse said: “Having five Artistic Partners at once is a huge step for us and it’s a clear sign of the artist-led, creatively ambitious era we’re in. Each of these partnerships brings something different, from folk to classical to international sounds. Together they show The Glasshouse is all about world-class music rooted here in the North East, made accessible to everyone.”

Tickets for all concerts are on sale now at www.theglasshouseicm.org/whats-on/