The Royal Northern Sinfonia and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra are coming together to present a musical event like no other on March 3rd at Sage Gateshead.
The performance features an inclusive ensemble of disabled and non-disabled musicians, and will showcase a newly commissioned piece by award-winning composer Kate Whitley.
The event will also be livestreamed for those who can’t make it in person, so be sure to grab your tickets at https://sagegateshead.com/whats-on/rns-musical-changemakers/ RNS Moves and BSO Resound, both established in 2018, are trailblazers in the classical music world.
Their innovative approach and cutting-edge instrumentation have redefined classical performance, making it more inclusive and accessible to everyone. The ensemble will perform “Falling,” a piece specially orchestrated by Whitley to showcase the group’s accessible electronic instruments.
The performance will also feature works by Ligeti, Sibelius, and Kodály, and will be conducted by RNS Principal Conductor Dinis Sousa. One of the musicians in the ensemble is Clarence Adoo MBE, who co-founded RNS Moves after a life-altering car accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. Despite his physical limitations, he was determined to continue playing music and German composer Rolf Gehlhaar was tasked with creating a bespoke instrument for him. The result was the Headspace, a MIDI wind instrument controlled by breath and head movements.
Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to witness the unity and musical talent of disabled-led ensembles from two of the UK’s leading symphony orchestras. Get your tickets now and support the inclusive future of classical music.
Composer Kate Whitley said:
“It’s been a total pleasure working on this project – it’s an incredible group of musicians and we’ve worked to create the piece together, which has been a really inspiring process. I’m lucky to be a part of it”
James Thomas, Director of Royal Northern Sinfonia and Classical Programme at Sage Gateshead said:
“Inclusivity is at the heart of what Royal Northern Sinfonia does, and we’re really pleased to be underlining our commitment to it by this RNS Moves collaboration with our friends at BSO Resound. The two ensembles have already hugely enjoyed their creative exchange, workshopping the music together last year, and we’re now very excited that this new project will be brought to the main stage at Sage Gateshead, giving audiences in the North East the chance to enjoy the music making of these ground-breaking ensembles.”
Clarence Adoo, founding member of RNS Moves said:
“This is a real beacon of high-quality playing, unique around the world. It doesn’t matter if someone has a disability – music makes a connection to all of us and people can create on all levels.” The ensembles will perform at Sage Gateshead on the 3rd March, accompanied by Royal Northern Sinfonia. The event is also available to livestream and tickets are on sale now via https://sagegateshead.com/whats-on/rns-musical-changemakers/.
