The Glasshouse expands Steve Reich at 90 festival weekend programme with immersive spatial audio installation
The Glasshouse International Centre for Music has announced the next wave of programming for Steve Reich at 90, the ambitious festival weekend celebrating the pioneering composer’s...
The Glasshouse International Centre for Music has announced the next wave of programming for Steve Reich at 90, the ambitious festival weekend celebrating the pioneering composer’s 90th birthday. Already the world’s biggest celebration of the composer in his anniversary year, the venue is now offering audiences more ways to experience Steve Reich’s work across the weekend.
Taking place from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October 2026, the festival brings together some of the most influential performers working with Steve Reich’s music today. Building on a programme which already includes performances by Royal Northern Sinfonia, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Colin Currie, Bryce Dessner and the Colin Currie Group, the venue today announces a new immersive spatial audio installation, a series of live talks with leading artists and free performances on the Concourse.
Adding to the festival’s rich programme, the newly announced Phase Pattern Pulse is a major new immersive installation co-commissioned by The Glasshouse and the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities at the University of Oxford. An immersive installation developed by Loss > < Gain in collaboration with the Colin Currie Group and Sound Intermedia, it will premiere at Oxford in September before coming to Gateshead as part of Steve Reich at 90.
Running throughout Saturday and Sunday, the installation invites audiences into a 360-degree listening environment that places them at the centre of Steve Reich’s music. Using spatial audio and lighting design from award-winning lighting designer Ed Warren, the experience reimagines three programmes of Steve Reich’s masterworks, including Drumming; Music for 18 Musicians; and Six Marimbas, Sextet, and Double Sextet; revealing new layers of pattern, pulse and texture.
Following its premiere at the Schwarzman Centre, the installation comes to The Glasshouse for Steve Reich at 90. Free to attend, the installation will run throughout Saturday and Sunday in Northern Rock Foundation Hall. Audiences can book a one-hour slot and experience one of three programmes, with different works rotating throughout the weekend. Visitors are encouraged to return to experience all three from inside this unique spatial audio environment. The installation is supported by d&b audiotechnik, whose sound technology helps bring the spatial audio experience to life.
Alongside the installation and concerts, broadcaster Tom Service will host a series of live talks on the Concourse with key artists from the festival. On Friday 2 October, a pre-concert talk brings together Colin Currie and Tom Service, offering insights into Steve Reich’s music and the opening night programme. On Saturday 3 October, following the evening concert, Colin Currie and Tom Service return for a post-concert conversation. On Sunday 4 October, Bryce Dessner joins Tom Service for a post-concert talk, reflecting on Steve’s influence and the collaborative spirit of the weekend.
BBC Radio 3 will be the festival’s broadcast partner, marking Steve Reich’s 90th birthday with a dedicated day of programming celebrating his music. Across Sunday 4 October, Radio 3 will broadcast live from The Glasshouse, featuring performances by Royal Northern Sinfonia and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, alongside a pre-recorded broadcast of Royal Northern Sinfonia’s concert including The Desert Music, recorded on the Friday evening. The day’s programming will also include interviews and conversations from the festival, alongside a focus on Bryce Dessner’s music and the influence Steve Reich has had on a new generation of composers.
The Glasshouse has also confirmed that the festival’s Saturday evening centrepiece, Music for 18 Musicians, will be livestreamed from Sage One on Steve Reich’s 90th birthday. Performed by the Colin Currie Group, the work is widely regarded as one of Steve Reich’s most celebrated compositions and will allow audiences around the world to share in the anniversary weekend.
Free performances on the Concourse stage add another dimension to the festival weekend. On Saturday 3 October, the Colin Currie Quartet performs Steve Reich’s Mallet Quartet alongside Aileen Sweeney’s Starburst. The festival concludes on Sunday evening with the Colin Currie Group performing Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ, one of the composer’s most distinctive and atmospheric works.
Building on a programme that already includes performances by Royal Northern Sinfonia, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Colin Currie, Bryce Dessner, and the Colin Currie Group, this next wave of programming adds another dimension to an already ambitious festival weekend celebrating one of the most influential composers of the last century. From large-scale concerts to intimate conversations and immersive sound environments, Steve Reich at 90 offers multiple ways to experience his music and enduring legacy.
Steve Reich said: “I’m delighted that audiences at The Glasshouse will be able to experience these works through this immersive 360-degree surround installation alongside the live performances across the festival weekend. To have so much of my music performed in one festival, and for audiences in the North East to experience it, makes this a very special occasion and an exciting way to celebrate this milestone.”
Colin Currie said: “This installation is a completely different way to experience Steve’s music. It unveils it in a new and deeply moving way. And it is not just that the music exists in a very high quality audio experience, it surrounds the listener in the most delightful and uplifting way. It’s fascinating and very exciting to hear my group’s recordings elevated to an even more effective and beautiful condition in a setting that can only be experienced in person at The Glasshouse. This venue is tailor made to present this festival of Steve’s music. All the different spaces and halls invite his repertoire to come alive in what will inevitably be a very joyous and exciting occasion”.
Tickets for Steve Reich at 90 are on sale at https://theglasshouseicm.org/
Free tickets for the audio installation Phase Pattern Pulse are available at https://theglasshouseicm.org/
