Brinkburn Music Festival

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go to Northern Sinfonia's webpages at the Sage

Northern Sinfonia and its Music Director Thomas Zehetmair command a unique position in Europe, with repertoire spanning three centuries and including commissioned new work. This is the second full season since Northern Sinfonia moved into its own spectacular Lord Foster-designed home for music, The Sage Gateshead, where the orchestra is central to the extensive classical programme.

The orchestra also appears at the world's other leading venues including the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Musikverein in Vienna and the Royal Albert Hall, where it performed at the 2006 BBC Proms to great critical acclaim. Northern Sinfonia is always adding to its varied list of performance spaces, including Swan Hunter's Shipyard in Wallsend, where it performed with the Pet Shop Boys in May 2006.

Last year it became the first chamber orchestra and non-BBC orchestra to play for the final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, held in The Sage Gateshead. Northern Sinfonia regularly appears at major UK festivals, including the 2006 Edinburgh International Festival, performing a complete cycle of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos over two evenings.