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Last weekend saw a trio of award-winning classical music superstars – violinist Hyeyoon Park, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and pianist (and Sage Gateshead’s Artist-in-Focus) Benjamin Grosvenor – appear at Sage Gateshead for two performances of Beethoven’s celebrated Triple Concerto.
Performing alongside Royal Northern Sinfonia and Principal Conductor Dinis Sousa, the concerts also opened with award-winning Swedish composer Britta Byström’s miniature Walk to Beethoven and end with Mendelssohn’s uplifting “Italian” Symphony Number 4, celebrating the composer’s love of the country.
And ahead of the performance on the 15th April local young people from Sage Gateshead’s Make Music: Young People and In Harmony programmes got the chance to play alongside the three artists as part of a special workshop and Q&A session.
Make Music: Young People is a dedicated programme supporting young people in Newcastle and Gateshead of all ages and musical abilities. From individual tuition to exciting bands and choirs, young people benefit from tailored support and performance opportunities.
In Harmony Newcastle Gateshead is one of six In Harmony programmes in England, funded by Arts Council England, the Department for Education, individual donors, trusts and foundations. Aiming to inspire and transform the lives of children and young people in areas of socio-economic disadvantage through orchestral music making, it offers young people an opportunity to develop musical skills, increase their confidence and resilience, and support educational attainment.
The hour-long session saw the young musicians aged 8 - 14 embark on a collaborative afternoon of music-making, getting the chance to learn directly from these world-class artists. The groups then had the chance to attend the concert performance at Sage Gateshead, with 200 complimentary tickets offered to the young musicians and their families.