BBC Proms in the North East is returning to The Glasshouse for a bold weekend of world-class music-making for everyone. Running from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 July.
The weekend sees The Glasshouse transformed into a festival hub, with symphonic works, boundary-breaking collaborations and joyful family performances.
Royal Northern Sinfonia is at the heart of the weekend, leading large-scale concerts and new cross-genre work that demonstrates the range and creative possibilities of orchestral music today.
In a major cultural homecoming, Brit Award-winning artist JADE, known to many as Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall and a proud North East native, returns to headline a one-night-only collaboration with Royal Northern Sinfonia, created especially for the BBC Proms in partnership with Radio 1.
Following her incredible performance at Radio 1’s Big Weekend, JADE will feature material from her forthcoming debut album (due 12 September 2025), hits from her back catalogue, and a handful of unexpected covers – all reimagined in an orchestral setting, conducted by Robert Ames. This will be JADE’s North East solo debut.
JADE said: “It means the world to me to come home to the North East for this show. The BBC Proms is such a huge part of British music culture, and to be performing with a full orchestra – in this iconic venue, with my hometown crowd – is a dream.”
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For the first time in BBC Proms history, two Proms concerts performed at a venue outside London will be broadcast on TV: the two Royal Northern Sinfonia concerts conducted by Robert Ames and Dinis Sousa, making The Glasshouse the first regional venue to feature televised Proms. BBC Radio 3 will also broadcast from Gateshead and Sunderland across the weekend, bringing the North East’s vibrant cultural scene to national and international audiences.
Abigail Pogson, chief executive officer at The Glasshouse said: “In our 20th year, this Proms weekend feels like a defining moment – not just for The Glasshouse, but for music in the North East. To welcome JADE home for a headline orchestral debut with Royal Northern Sinfonia is a standout concert in a weekend that stretches from Boulez to CBeebies – a reflection of the scale, range and ambition of what we’re doing here. It’s bold, inclusive and rooted in the place we’re proud to call home. That these performances will also reach national audiences through BBC broadcast makes it all the more powerful – a celebration of world-class music-making, created here in the North East and shared far beyond it.”
Other Proms across the UK include a three-day residency at Bristol Beacon and concerts at St George’s, Bristol, St George’s Hall, Bradford and Ulster Hall, Belfast.
Sam Jackson, controller, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms said: “The BBC Proms is committed to reaching audiences across the UK and our partnership with The Glasshouse continues to be a standout success story. This year’s Proms in the North East reflects the bold, inclusive and ambitious approach to programming that runs through the whole season – rooted in excellence and open to all, and proudly led by regional talent. We’re thrilled to be working with Royal Northern Sinfonia to spotlight the North East’s creativity, ambition and emerging stars on a national stage.”
The weekend line-up:
Thursday 24 July – Sunderland (The Fire Station):
The festival begins in Sunderland with a special edition of the nightly Radio 3 jazz programme ’Round Midnight with Soweto Kinch. He is joined by an eclectic mix of special guests, including fearless jazz trumpeter Theo Croker and the boundary-pushing Joe Webb Trio. This exciting Prom celebrates some of the best jazz from all eras and corners of the globe, as well as shining a spotlight on the talents of new UK jazz artists. Support comes from North East jazz artist Rivkala, who was named one of BBC Introducing’s ones to watch for 2025. Recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Friday 25 July.
On Sunday afternoon, the festival closes with an imaginative performance from guitarist Sean Shibe and friends. Celebrating the centenary of Pierre Boulez’s birth, the programme features a performance of his acclaimed surrealist work, Le marteau sans maître, Cassandra Miller’s Bel canto and a BBC co-commission from Tyshawn Sorey. This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Beyond the main stages, the Concourse stage returns with BBC Introducing across contemporary and classical styles, bringing free live music to audiences.
There will also be a BBC Young Composer workshop in collaboration with BBC Introducing on Saturday 26 July, where under-18s can apply to take part in a composition workshop to develop their music with professional artists. For further information, visit bbc.co.uk/youngcomposer.
Standing promming tickets remain at £8. Last year, over 5,000 people attended the Proms in Gateshead, with hundreds more enjoying the free performances on the concourse. Among them, 3,500 experienced the BBC Proms for the very first time. Thousands more tuned in to national broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 through the weekend which featured 250 musicians, with over half of them from the North East.
The Proms weekend is a major cultural moment for Newcastle Gateshead, positioning it as one of the UK’s most exciting music destinations. It builds on the momentum of recent milestones – from the MOBO Awards coming to the region earlier this year to Newcastle newly announced as host for the Mercury Prize, and stars like JADE and Sam Fender (soon to headline two sold-out NUFC stadium gigs).
Sport and music are central to the North East’s identity – and with artists like Sam and JADE proudly repping the region nationally, this moment shines a spotlight on what the region has to offer.
Recent UK Music data showed that music tourism to the North East rose by 29% in 2023 – and events like this are helping to drive that further. With The Glasshouse at the helm, the Proms weekend reflects a region on the rise.
Tamsin Austin, venue director at The Fire Station said: “We’re thrilled to be part of the BBC Proms’ growing regional programme and to see The Fire Station showcase such extraordinary jazz talent on a national platform. From fearless international artists to rising stars from our own region, this Prom reflects what we’re all about – world-class music, great nights out and putting Sunderland on the cultural map.”
