The Glasshouse and Royal Northern Sinfonia: 2026/27 Classical Season

The Glasshouse, one of the UK’s leading music hubs, announces a new season. A statement of intent – the boldest, most international, and most strongly artist-driven in its 20 year history. This energy is redefining what a music centre in the North East can be – with Royal Northern Sinfonia and its communities at its heart.

The season opens on 19 September with Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte. It is the first instalment of a rare foray into opera for Royal Northern Sinfonia and its Chorus in the shape of a multi-year Mozart–Da Ponte project led by Music Director Dinis Sousa, whose dynamic artistic leadership threads throughout the season. The cast includes Christina Gansch, Alexandra Oomens, Jonas Hacker, Cody Quattlebaum, Rebecca Evans and Neil Davies.

Alongside Dinis Sousa, Maria Włoszczowska, Nil Venditti and Ellie Slorach form a strong family of musical voices shaping the year ahead. They are joined by long-time collaborator John Wilson and Sinfonia of London as artistic partners with three concerts including Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto with Benjamin Grosvenor, his Symphonic Dances and Holst’s The Planets.

Norwegian composer Kristine Tjøgersen provides one of the season’s most striking new works – a major UK premiere co-commissioned by Royal Northern Sinfonia, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, WDR Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra XXI, conducted by Dinis Sousa and paired boldly with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to close the season in June 2027. The performance brings together outstanding soloists: Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Alice Coote, Laurence Kilsby and Matthew Rose.

Sage Two, meanwhile, continues to evolve as a home for the unusual and the adventurous, with a strand of contemporary programmes championed by Dinis Sousa running through the season. Alongside artist-curated work from Maria Włoszczowska, this includes Kurtág’s Kafka Fragments, an exploration of American experimental music featuring Cage, Ives and Crumb, and Peter Maxwell Davies’ Eight Songs for a Mad King paired with Missa super l’homme armé – a striking journey from intimate to theatrical extremes. Together with the major new commission from Kristine Tjøgersen, these concerts reflect a growing focus on bold, exploratory music at the heart of the programme.

Three festival weekends form highlight moments throughout the year. The first, Reich at 90, on the composer’s birthday weekend in October is curated by Colin Currie and brings together Bryce Dessner, author and broadcaster Tom Service and all-star contemporary ensemble Colin Currie Group to celebrate the composer whose rhythmic imagination reshaped late-20th-century music.

A week in April sees all five Beethoven piano concertos and Choral Fantasy performed by six of the world’s most distinctive pianists – Paul Lewis, Alice Sara Ott, Stephen Hough, Elisabeth Brauss, Jonathan Biss and Elisabeth Leonskaja – an immersive portrait of the composer presented by John Suchet.

And in May, a Sci-Fi weekend marks two major milestones: 50 years since Star Wars: A New Hope and the centenary of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. Holst’s The Planets, the full Metropolis score live, and two Star Wars in Concert performances promise to draw audiences far beyond the classical core.

March marks another anniversary, 300 years since one of the greatest works in Western music, Bach’s St Matthew Passion was written. Dinis Sousa brings his clarity and vivid storytelling to a performance which brings together a stellar line-up of singers including Hilary Cronin, Nick Pritchard and Florian Störtz, the Monteverdi Choir and Royal Northern Sinfonia.

January brings an international spotlight through the ECHO Rising Stars Festival, a full day celebration presented in partnership with the European Concert Hall Organisation. Four exceptional young artists – violinist Ava Bahari, soprano Camila Mandillo, cellist Petar Pejčić and the Javus Quartett – take over the building with concerts, pop-up performances and artist conversations.

Threaded between these moments is an impressive constellation of guest artists. Mitsuko Uchida returns for a rare recital in November; Isabelle Faust brings Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in February; and Sir Mark Elder returns to conduct The Hallé in Richard Strauss’ epic Ein Heldenleben. Marin Alsop, Benjamin Grosvenor, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Anastasia Kobekina, Fabien Müller, Peter Moore and others are joined by returning conductors Riccardo Minasi and Sofi Jeannin, while Antje Weithaas makes her debut directing Royal Northern Sinfonia. The repertoire spans Mahler’s Sixth Symphony, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, Copland, Brahms, and Crumb – anchored in familiar favourites while championing works beyond the mainstream.

At the heart of The Glasshouse’s season is a commitment to participation, especially evident in November’s Dream of Gerontius, when hundreds of non-professional singers from across the North East will share the stage with the orchestra and chorus for the third time in the Share the Stage series of major events. The project will be led by Music Director Dinis Sousa with guest soloists Sarah Connolly, Benjamin Hulett and Roderick Williams. It’s a project that raises the bar for community music-making, creating incredible memories for those both on and off stage.

The Glasshouse’s regional reach stretches further too with performances in Kendal, Middlesbrough, Carlisle and Sunderland ensuring Royal Northern Sinfonia’s presence across the North, while new travel schemes linking towns such as Alnwick, Morpeth and Hexham to the venue in Gateshead offer a new way for audiences to join and enjoy a night out.

Underpinning the season is The Glasshouse’s commitment to being the most affordable music venue in Europe. Among the ticket options is the venue’s now-famous £10 ticket scheme for those aged 30 and under, covering not only the concert ticket but transport and a drink – a radical access point to world-class performance.

Dinis Sousa, Music Director of Royal Northern Sinfonia said: “For me, this season is really about the joy of making music with people I admire and sharing that with our audiences. We’re lucky to be working with such an incredible group of artists – from long-time collaborators to new faces who we’re excited to bring here for the first time.

“There are some very special moments ahead, whether it’s performing Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the Monteverdi Choir, or welcoming artists like Isabelle Faust, Mitsuko Uchida or Sheku Kanneh-Mason. And our commitment to getting as many people as possible involved with classical music remains central to our mission at The Glasshouse, and I’m really excited to be doing our third iteration of Share the Stage, this time with Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius bringing the wider musical community of the North East together.”

James Thomas, Executive Director, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Classical Music said: “This feels like a really important moment for us. It’s our most ambitious season yet and something we’re incredibly proud of. Royal Northern Sinfonia is one of the top chamber orchestras in the world and this season brings together an exceptional group of artists around them. What I love is the sheer breadth of what’s on offer – from major moments like our celebration of Steve Reich, which will be one of the biggest anywhere this year, to Bach’s St Matthew Passion with Dinis and the Monteverdi Choir. It’s a season that really shows who we are and where we’re heading.”