Over 300 Musicians Join Royal Northern Sinfonia for Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius at The Glasshouse
Royal Northern Sinfonia, Dame Sarah Connolly and more than 300 musicians join forces for Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius at The Glasshouse on 8 November.
More than 300 singers and instrumentalists will share the Sage One stage with Royal Northern Sinfonia on Sunday 8 November 2026, as The Glasshouse brings its Share the Stage series back for a performance of Edward Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius. Alongside musicians from across the North East, Cumbria and North Yorkshire, the concert brings internationally acclaimed soloists Dame Sarah Connolly, Benjamin Hulett and Roderick Williams to Gateshead.
Table Of Content
For many of the performers, the occasion will be more than another concert in the calendar. The project places non-professional musicians and singers alongside an established professional orchestra and chorus, giving people from across the region the chance to rehearse towards a major classical performance. Royal Northern Sinfonia Music Director Dinis Sousa conducts, with the Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia and Voices of the River’s Edge also taking part.
Share the Stage brings the region together
This is the third instalment of The Glasshouse’s Share the Stage series, developed from Sousa’s ambition to make the experience of performing a large-scale work more accessible. Participants have spent months preparing for the occasion, with rehearsals leading towards the full ensemble gathering in the days before the performance.
The project draws together people with different levels of musical experience, including singers who do not read music confidently. Its emphasis is as much on taking part as on the finished performance. With hundreds of contributors involved, the afternoon will also be one of the largest musical gatherings in Sage One since the hall reopened in September following an upgrade costing in the region of £4 million.
What is Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius about?
Elgar’s substantial choral work follows a man’s journey towards death and into the afterlife, with moments of uncertainty, fear, consolation and hope. Its scale makes it well suited to a massed ensemble, but the piece also depends on the emotional clarity of the solo voices. The three soloists for this performance are mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly, tenor Benjamin Hulett and baritone Roderick Williams.
The line-up also includes chorus director Tim Burke, Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia, Voices of the River’s Edge and the massed musical forces of the North East. Rather than simply placing a community chorus behind professional soloists, the Share the Stage format allows amateur and professional performers to contribute to the same substantial work.
Tickets and concert information
Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius takes place in Sage One at The Glasshouse, Gateshead, on Sunday 8 November 2026 at 3pm. The venue lists a running time of approximately two hours, including a 20-minute interval, with tickets priced from £5 to £53. Under-14s must be accompanied by an adult.
For the latest availability and accessibility information, visit The Glasshouse’s official event page. More background on the project and its community rehearsals is available on the Share the Stage programme page. See the venue’s other upcoming gigs and SoundBite event listing.
Ticket prices, running times and event arrangements may change. Check the official event page before travelling.
