Glasshouse in Gateshead announces its 2025/2026 season: from Haydn & Mozart to Kurtág, Gubaidulina & Berio

Royal Northern Sinfonia at the Glasshouse

The Glasshouse International Centre for Music has announced its 2025/26 season. The Royal Northern Sinfonia form a large component of the season, the orchestra celebrating both Dinis Sousa’s continuation as artistic leader until 2030 and violinist Maria Włoszczowska’s role as artistic partner.

Sousa’s concerts with the Royal Northern Sinfonia include working with soprano Louise Alder in Mozart, baritone Bryn Terfel in Schubert (orchestrated songs) and pianists Imogen Cooper and Paul Lewis in Mozart piano concertos. There is also music by György Kurtág and Sofia Gubaidulina as well as a smaller scale event in Sage Two celebrating Luciano Berio. And also in Sage Two, Maria Włoszczowska directs reduced versions of Strauss’ Metamorphosen and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with soprano Hilary Cronin.

Other events include Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale directed by Live Theatre’s Artistic Director Jack McNamara and a collaboration with guitarist Sean Shibe featuring Cassandra Miller’s Chanter. Nil Venditti, principal guest conductor, returns for two concerts including Beethoven and Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto with Maria Włoszczowska.

Haydn runs through the season, Giovanni Antonini conducts the ‘London’ Symphony and Piano Concerto No. 11 with Kristian Bezuidenhout. Dinis Sousa conducts The Creation , and Maria Włoszczowska closes her own season of chamber-scale concerts with Haydn’s Farewell Symphony.

John Wilson (who was born and brought pup in Gateshead) and his Sinfonia of London join the Glasshouse as artistic partners with regular concerts featuring Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Bliss and Delius plus Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Alexandre Kantorow.

Visiting orchestras include: The Hallé under Kahchun Wong; London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Elim Chan with cellist Nicolas Altstaedt; and Vasily Petrenko with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and pianist Tom Borrow for Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra return with Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 under Domingo Hindoyan.

RNS Moves – Royal Northern Sinfonia’s sister inclusive ensemble – brings its ground-breaking music-making to new audiences this season, making debut appearances at the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester) and King’s Place (London)

Full details from the Glasshouse’s website.