Musical youngsters from Hawthorn Primary School and West Newcastle Symphony Orchestra were given the opportunity to perform with Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra at Sage Gateshead in a special lunchtime performance.
The young musicians, who participate in Sage Gateshead’s In Harmony music programme, were invited to take to the stage in the venue’s Sage One Hall. They were joined by the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, who visited Sage Gateshead as part of their Great Northern Tour.
The talented youngsters played the BBC 10 Pieces version of Stravinsky’s Firebird for an audience of friends, family and music enthusiasts.
Sage Gateshead delivers the In Harmony project with Hawthorn Primary School as part of a national programme that aims to inspire and transform the lives of children in deprived communities, using the power and disciplines of community-based orchestral music making. Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra also participates in the programme in its local area, and the concert marked a link between the two groups.
Steve Jinski, Head of Musical Inclusion at Sage Gateshead said: “It is our priority to deliver musical opportunities to people of all ages, and the In Harmony programme in particular enables us to engage with young people from an early age. Some of them come from challenging backgrounds, and we see them benefit not just from making the music, but also from the social side of participating in the programme.
“Some of the young people will never have been in an environment like this before. Music making through programmes like In Harmony opens up a whole set of possibilities for them. It’s wonderful.”
Speaking at the event, Simon Emery, Artistic Director at Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Ensembles, said: “Working side by side in this way has mutual benefits, both for the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and In Harmony. For our students, they get the chance to tutor and understand how music education works and In Harmony get the chance to play with a young orchestra, which will hopefully give them some aspirations for what they want to do later on.”