BBC Proms transforms The Glasshouse into a grand stage of voices
BBC Proms in Gateshead on 25 July presents a programme that differs significantly from a traditional festival concert featuring a single headline star. "Choirs on the Concourse with Jess Gillam" brings together three choirs, saxophonist Jess Gillam and conductor Sofi Jeannin in the central space of The Glasshouse International Centre for Music. Instead of the usual seating in a concert hall, the audience will experience the music while standing on the Concourse, the large indoor space beneath the building's curved roof, overlooking the banks of the River Tyne.
The programme is built around the multilayered sound of the human voice, ranging from massive choral blocks to quiet, prayerful passages. The Concourse allows the sound to spread through the open interior while the audience remains close to the performers. The concert begins at 16:00, lasts approximately three hours and includes two intervals.
It is worth securing tickets in good time.
What makes "Choirs on the Concourse" stand out
BBC Proms began as a series of promenade concerts in 1895. The idea of making classical music more accessible has remained an important part of the festival's identity. The Gateshead event interprets that idea literally: the audience stands in a space that serves throughout the year as the building's main foyer and public "town square".
This is a single-day ticket for a specific concert, not a multi-day festival wristband. No VIP areas, campsite or separate festival packages have been announced for this event. Visitors under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult. A limited number of seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis, but a view of the stage from those seats is not guaranteed.
The concert will be recorded for later broadcast on BBC Radio 3. This further emphasises its role within the wider BBC Proms 2026 season, which runs from 17 July to 12 September, as well as within the regional festival weekend taking place in Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
A programme between early sacred music and new voices
The repertoire is not conceived as a chronological survey of choral history. Instead, older works enter into dialogue with compositions from the 20th and 21st centuries. The opening section features Charles Wood's "Hail, gladdening light" and Hildegard von Bingen's "Spiritus Sanctus Vivificans", after which the programme expands towards composers such as Christian Forshaw, Shruthi Rajasekar, Iain Farrington and Caroline Shaw.
Roderick Williams's "Never weather-beaten sail" is a new BBC commission and will receive its world premiere. The same section includes Charles Villiers Stanford's "The Bluebird", John Tavener's "Mother of God, here I stand" and Hubert Parry's "Lord let me know mine end".
After the first interval come works by James MacMillan, Dan Forrest, Jussi Chydenius, Frank Ticheli, Elaine Hagenberg and Ēriks Ešenvalds. Elizabeth Poston's "The Water Of Tyne" carries a special local connection, with its title referring to the river beside The Glasshouse.
After the second interval comes Alfred Schnittke's "Concerto for Choir". It is a work that demands great concentration from both performers and audience: monumental chords, long arcs and powerful contrasts should be particularly effective in the tall, open Concourse.
Who is performing
Sofi Jeannin conducts the BBC Singers, Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia and Voices of the River's Edge. Jess Gillam joins them on saxophone, an instrument whose tone can function as an extension of the human voice, while also providing a clear soloistic contrast to the choral sound.
The BBC Singers have been active since 1924 and perform repertoire ranging from early music to new commissions. In 2024, the ensemble received the Ensemble Award presented by the Royal Philharmonic Society, but the programme is not confined solely to a professional circle.
Voices of the River's Edge was founded for BBC Proms at The Glasshouse in 2022 and brings together singers aged 18 to 35. Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia contributes experience in large-scale choral-orchestral works. Tim Burke leads that choir, while Simon Davies-Fidler leads Voices of the River's Edge.
Jess Gillam has performed at the Last Night of the Proms, hosts "This Classical Life" on BBC Radio 3 and regularly returns to The Glasshouse. Here, she is not positioned separately in front of the choir, but acts as an instrumental voice within the shared soundscape.
A regional festival across three cities
BBC Proms in the North East 2026 runs from 23 to 25 July and, for the first time, connects Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough in a single three-day programme. Royal Northern Sinfonia is at the heart of several projects, but the weekend also encompasses indie, folk, new music, young performers and a major choral finale.
- At Middlesbrough Town Hall, The Unthanks and friends open the festival with Royal Northern Sinfonia.
- At Sage Two in The Glasshouse, BBC Introducing Live at The Proms is followed by a rare performance of Morton Feldman's "Crippled Symmetry".
- Nadine Shah and Royal Northern Sinfonia perform on the Concourse, one day before the choral programme with Jess Gillam.
- After the Gateshead concert, the festival programme concludes in Sunderland with performances of Mozart and Mendelssohn at The Fire Station.
The regional branch differs from the traditional image of Proms concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. The programme uses venues of different characters and, within the same weekend, connects chamber music, contemporary minimalism, folk, indie and the choral tradition.
The Glasshouse as part of the performance
The Glasshouse is located on Gateshead Quays, above the southern bank of the River Tyne, opposite central Newcastle. The building opened in 2004 and is recognisable by its large, curved metal-and-glass shell. Inside are Sage One, Sage Two, rehearsal and music-education spaces, and the large Concourse connecting the entire complex.
Sage One accommodates approximately 1,700 visitors, while Sage Two holds up to 600 people. Those capacities do not apply to "Choirs on the Concourse", because the number of places available for the foyer arrangement has not been published. This is an indoor concert in a space that retains a sense of openness and views of the urban landscape.
During summer 2026, Sage One is undergoing refurbishment, so the Concourse is taking on a larger festival role. The high ceiling and open layout erase the strict boundary between stage and auditorium, suiting a programme in which voices merge, separate and come together again.
Places are disappearing quickly.
Travelling to Gateshead and reaching the venue
The venue's address is St Mary's Square, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 2JR. A separate postcode, NE8 2BA, is used for navigation to the car park. The car park is directly behind the building, less than 200 metres from the entrance, and the system records vehicles using automatic number-plate recognition cameras. Payment is cashless. Spaces for Blue Badge holders are available beside the entrances and in the main car park, and their use is free after the badge details have been registered at the payment machine.
Gateshead Metro station is approximately a ten-minute walk away. With a concert ticket, travel to and from that station, including the Shields Ferry, is available at no additional charge for two hours before and after the concert. Newcastle Central Station is about a 20-minute walk away.
Because of the Tyne Bridge refurbishment and the closure of the A167 Gateshead Highway flyover, the condition of the route should be checked on the day of the event. Taxis can drop passengers off at the west entrance, and bicycle racks are located beside the main entrances.
On the day of the concert, the building is scheduled to be open from 14:45 to 21:00. As the performance begins at 16:00, arriving early makes it easier to pass through the security check, find a place and become oriented within the space. Entry for latecomers may depend on a suitable break in the performance.
Bags, food and intervals
Bags are checked at the entrance. Small bags are permitted, but backpacks of any size and bags larger than A4 format, meaning 210 x 297 millimetres, must be left in the cloakroom. The cloakroom is free, but its capacity is limited. Exceptions for medical and accessibility needs are possible by prior arrangement.
For BBC Proms concerts, only food and drink purchased inside The Glasshouse may be brought into the building, unless a visitor has a medical reason. During festival events, the Box Office Bar, Sage Two Bar and Pub Bar are open, with quick meals, sandwiches, pastries and cakes also available. The entire venue operates without cash, so visitors should have a card, mobile device or smartwatch available for payment.
The two intervals provide time for a break. A limited number of seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and do not guarantee a view of the stage.
Accessibility of the venue
The Glasshouse has two step-free entrances, one facing Tyne Bridge and the other facing Millennium Bridge. The main public spaces, box office, toilets, catering facilities and performance areas are connected by accessible routes, and accessible toilets are located on every floor. A lift connects the car park with the entrance level.
The accessibility programme includes assistance with choosing a place and the option of a ticket for a personal assistant. As the concert is predominantly standing, seating arrangements or the bringing in of medical equipment should preferably be agreed in advance.
What experience can first-time visitors expect
This is not a typical concert with a seated audience and sound coming from a single direction. The format is closer to immersion in a mass of choral sound. The professional precision of the BBC Singers meets the local identity of Voices of the River's Edge and the experience of Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia.
The repertoire also does not require prior knowledge of every composer. Tavener's recognisable melodic tranquillity, Parry's seriousness, Caroline Shaw's contemporary clarity and Schnittke's concluding power give the programme a comprehensible emotional arc. Jess Gillam introduces an instrumental colour that may help new listeners follow the transitions between different periods and styles more easily.
Visitors should prepare for three hours of standing, quiet passages in which even the smallest movement by the audience will be audible, and powerful choral climaxes. The event may attract regular classical concertgoers, choral singers, BBC Radio 3 listeners, families with older children and those attending their first BBC Proms event in person.
Tickets for this event are in demand.
Before setting off, visitors should check their booking once again, save their ticket for the Metro inspection and allow enough time for the security check. A wristband or outdoor-stay equipment is not required for a single-day festival visit: the key elements of the experience are comfortable footwear, a light bag and readiness for a concert in which the audience stands within the architecture of the sound itself.
Sources:
- The Glasshouse - event page used for the date, duration, intervals, performers, repertoire, age rules, standing format and information about the radio recording.
- The Glasshouse - festival pages and media release used for the three-day schedule in Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
- The Glasshouse - pages covering travel, parking, accessibility, bags and catering used for practical information.
- BBC Proms Calendar - archival information about the first Proms concert held in 1895.
- Royal Albert Hall - dates of the BBC Proms 2026 season.