RISING STARS TO SHINE AT SAGE GATESHEAD

RISING STARS TO SHINE AT SAGE GATESHEAD

Four of Europe’s best up-and-coming young classical musicians are set to perform at Sage Gateshead on Saturday 18 January for the annual ECHO Rising Stars Weekend.

Each year the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) hand-picks outstanding individuals and supports them in their early career, including a tour of concerts halls across Europe. This tour includes a performance at Sage Gateshead, one of ECHO’s venues in the UK.

Starting at 1pm, the four performances will be split between Sage Two and the Northern Rock Foundation Hall. A day ticket, available from Sage Gateshead’s Box Office, allows entry to all four concerts.

Magnus Holmander (clarinet), opens the day with a programme featuring music by Donizetti and Brahms. The young Swedish musician studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and is forging a career working with contemporary music performers and composers.

João Barradas, an accordion player specialising in classical, jazz and improvised music, presents a short concert at 2.30pm, featuring Bach’s Passacaglia and Fuga in C minor.

At 4.30pm Simon Höfele (trumpet) – who is a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist and has, at age 25, already made solo debuts with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the BBC Philharmonic – will perform Hindemith’s Trumpet Sonata.

The 18-year-old Dutch violinist Noa Wildschut will complete the day, with a recital at 6pm featuring music by Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky.

As well as displaying the best of young performers, each concert includes a new piece of music, commissioned by ECHO, enabling audiences to experience the wealth of music from talented young composers across Europe.

Day Tickets for ECHO Rising Stars are £13.50 are available from Sage Gateshead’s Box Office, on 0191 443 4661 or at sagegateshead.com. A day ticket allows entry to all four performances.