So Many Reasons to Support Sage Gateshead...
Music can change lives. We see it happen here at Sage Gateshead, which is why every day our work focuses on ensuring everyone in the community can experience the joys of music.
Sage Gateshead is a charity so we rely on your support to bring music to people of all ages, abilities and walks of life, from babies to retirees, people with special educational needs and disabilities to young people not in education, employment or training.
Not only do we stage 400 concerts a year in our world-class concert halls but we give 190,000 people the opportunity to make music, through 10,000 classes and workshops.
Our music programmes run in the building and out across the region, helping people to grow in confidence and live a more independent lifestyle.
Here are just some of the reasons to support Sage Gateshead…
To enable children in the most deprived areas to play an orchestral instrument
Eric
In Harmony Newcastle Gateshead
Meet Eric. Eric lives in one of the most deprived wards in the country. He was a shy boy with little confidence. Then In Harmony Newcastle Gateshead came along and changed his life.
Every pupil at his school was given an orchestral instrument of their very own. Eric, who had never picked up an instrument before, chose the bassoon. He progressed quickly on the instrument and was encouraged to audition for the Centre for Advanced Training, which is part of Sage Gateshead’s Young Musicians Programme. He was successful and has been attending every Sunday since. At CAT he was also given the opportunity to play a second instrument. Eric chose the piano. He has travelled all over the country to perform and has passed music and theory exams. Imagine if this talent had gone untapped?!
His mum Piu said: “I am very grateful that Eric was given this opportunity and that he still continues to progress. It has given him confidence and attention to detail in all areas of his life. He notices his mistakes and will always work hard to correct them.”
To help emerging artists reach for the stars
Sarah Fisher
Sarah describes herself as a musician with a disability. She has cerebral palsy and gained a first-class degree in Community Music at Sage Gateshead, in spite of developing an aggressive involuntary arm movement in her arm during her studies. Actually, playing the piano and percussion helped to control it.
As an organisation that strives to support artists to realise their aspirations we have worked with Sarah, along with Unlimited (celebrating the work of disabled artists), to ensure she has been able to take advantage of every opportunity. Her humour, combined with her music and determination, let to Sarah performing her own show ‘Twitch’ at Sage Gateshead. Since then she has travelled the country inspiring young people with her infectious love for music and unique teaching style. Sarah said: “The opportunities that have opened up have been amazing and I’m so thankful for the support I’ve received from Sage Gateshead.”
Sage Gateshead is a Talent Development Partner for PRS for Music Foundation, supporting and providing opportunities for a broad range of musicians.
So school children from across the region can sing and perform together in a world-class concert hall
Big Sing
Our annual Big Sing sees nearly 2,800 children aged 7-11 from 58 schools across the North East, Cumbria and Yorkshire all come together at Sage Gateshead to sing songs they have previously been learning in school with inspiration from our musicians. This project is only possible year on year thanks to support from donors.
So adults with learning difficulties can sing in a world class concert hall
Sounds Good To Me
Stephen Nicol comes along every Wednesday evening to sing with his friends in ‘Sounds Good to Me’ – a choir for adults with additional needs.
He says: “Music for me is very important. When you sing songs it makes you happy. It helps me to develop my confidence and skills.”
The group sing popular songs together in a supportive environment, where they can take their time to learn the songs one line at a time. Some participants prefer to listen and that’s great, everyone is welcome to join. There are also opportunities to perform.
Stephen said: “The best thing about it is meeting new people, making new friends and having a group of people that you can feel safe with and in an environment where no one is going to criticise you.”
Sounds Good to Me runs because of your help.
So everyone can hear a world-class orchestra play live in front of them
Royal Northern Sinfonia is your orchestra and we believe that everyone should have the chance to hear them because, well, they’re pretty amazing! With your help we can ensure the orchestra can reach more people who may not be able to travel to Sage Gateshead and can inspire the next generation of classical music fans, by performing and educating at schools, community centres and other venues across the regional and wider afield.
So everyone can experience a music festival!
Our annual music festivals – Gateshead International Jazz Festival and SummerTyne Americana Festival – attract regional, national and international artists and audiences. As part of the weekend, we provide free music to audiences to ensure the festivals are accessible to all, and this is only possible thanks to supporters of Sage Gateshead.
Quick Donate
Ticket income alone is not sufficient to support our work. If you love Sage Gateshead and want to support our diverse range of programming and wide variety of musical learning opportunities, we’d sure appreciate it! As a charity, we rely on the generous support of the general public and every penny makes a difference.
Thank you.
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