THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS to Feature 300+ Non-Professional Musicians

Dame Sarah Connolly, Roderick Williams and Benjamin Hulett will join Royal Northern Sinfonia and musicians from across the North East, Cumbria and North Yorkshire for a major performance at The Glasshouse this November.

Hundreds of non-professional singers and instrumentalists from across the region are preparing to perform alongside Royal Northern Sinfonia and internationally acclaimed soloists in a major performance of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music.

Taking place on Sunday 8 November 2026, the concert is the third event in The Glasshouse's Share the Stage series, which brings professional and non-professional musicians together to rehearse and perform major works.

The project is driven by Royal Northern Sinfonia Music Director Dinis Sousa's ambition to bring professional and non-professional musicians together to perform major works on the same stage. Dinis will conduct the performance, which features mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly, tenor Benjamin Hulett and baritone Roderick Williams, alongside Royal Northern Sinfonia, Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia, Voices of the River's Edge and musicians and singers from across the region.

Share the Stage is built around the idea that classical music is not just something to listen to - it is something people can take part in, whatever their age or musical experience. Participants include people with little or no formal musical training, who have been learning and rehearsing alongside professional musicians over a number of months. 

Over 300 vocalists and instrumentalists will take to Sage One for the largest music gathering since the hall reopened in September following its in the region of £4m upgrade. 290 of these being passionate non-professionals between the ages of 23 and 85. 

The concert follows The Glasshouse's 2024 Share the Stage performance of Michael Tippett's A Child of Our Time, which brought together more than 300 singers and instrumentalist and attracted widespread critical acclaim.  

Sarah Connolly, who performed in the 2024 concert, returns for this year's event and joining her is acclaimed baritone Roderick Williams. For Roderick, the performance is an opportunity to celebrate both the power of Elgar's music and the shared experience of making music together. 

Roderick Williams said, 'The Dream of Gerontius is such a powerful work to perform, partly because of the depth of its subject matter, the ambition and scope of the choral and orchestral score, and the fact that it was written for truly operatic soloists. All of this makes it hugely rewarding to sing.

“Performing alongside enthusiastic non-professional musicians is a reminder of the value of live performance and how fortunate we are to make music together.

“I've always been inspired by people's desire to sing together, whether that's supporting a sports team, at a Christmas singalong, or simply singing Happy Birthday. There's something very special about bringing so many people together through music, and that's what makes projects like Share the Stage so important.'

At the heart of the project are the people taking part. Families, friends and musicians from different generations are coming together, alongside participants with very different musical experiences.  

Among those returning this year is 73-year-old Suzanne Shell from Morpeth, who rediscovered singing through Share the Stage in 2024 after more than 50 years away from serious singing.

Suzanne grew up in a musical family and sang throughout her school years, but hadn't sung seriously since she was 19. After seeing that no audition was needed for Share the Stage, she decided to “dare herself” to take part. The first rehearsals proved challenging and she considered whether she would be able to continue, but encouragement from her son persuaded her to stick with it. The eventual performance of A Child of Our Time became what she describes as “one of the best moments of my life.”

Suzanne Shell said, “There was a point when I wondered whether I could do it, but my son reminded me that I'd never given up on anything in my life and told me I had to finish it. I stuck it out and the performance was one of the best moments of my life. I'll never forget it.

“Coming back this year, I'm much more relaxed because I know that with the guidance and support we get, we'll get there. I'm just looking forward to hearing us all together and getting those goosebumps moments that tell me I'm part of something amazing. I'd say to anyone thinking about doing something like this: give it a go. It's good for the soul.”

For some, the project is an opportunity to perform a major classical work for the first time. For others, it is a chance to return to music, develop their skills or perform alongside musicians they would not usually have the opportunity to work with.

Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius follows a man's journey from death into the afterlife. The work combines intimate solo passages with powerful orchestral and choral moments, including Praise to the Holiest in the Height.

Dinis Sousa, Music Director of Royal Northern Sinfonia, said, “The Dream of Gerontius is an extraordinary piece of music to perform. It moves between moments that feel incredibly intimate and these huge, overwhelming passages where the orchestra, soloists and chorus come together with enormous power.

“That makes it a wonderful piece for Share the Stage. There is something very special about bringing hundreds of people together to make this music, with Royal Northern Sinfonia and our guest soloists performing alongside singers and instrumentalists from communities across the region. Everyone on that stage has a part to play in creating the performance, and I think the scale and energy of that will be incredible to experience in Sage One.”

James Thomas, Executive Director of Royal Northern Sinfonia and Classical Music at The Glasshouse, said, “Share the Stage is about opening up the experience of making great music and giving people the opportunity to be right at the heart of it. You don't have to be a professional musician, or have followed a particular route into music, to experience what it feels like to perform an extraordinary work alongside a professional orchestra.

“This year we have people coming together from across the North East, Cumbria and North Yorkshire, with hugely different musical backgrounds and levels of experience. For one afternoon they will all be part of the same company of musicians on the Sage One stage. That sense of participation and shared ownership of music is incredibly important to us and to what Royal Northern Sinfonia and The Glasshouse are here to do. It's something unique to the North East and we're immensely proud of it.”