The iconic music venue, The Sage, is five years old and includes Sting in its celebrations. Viv Hardwick reports.

KATHRYN Tickell and special guest Sting, Spiritualized, Northern Sinfonia and Evelyn Glennie are among the famous names lined up to celebrate The Sage Gateshead’s fifth anniversary.

In that time hundreds of thousands of music making sessions have taken place both in The Sage and around the North-East plus almost 2,000 performances for people to applaud.

The venue is hosting a weekend of music from Friday, December 18 to Sunday, December 20 with the programme so far including: Kathryn Tickell, the Northumbrian piper and winner of the Queen’s Medal for Music, who will be joined by friends including international recording artist Sting who has sold over 100m records and received 16 Grammy Awards and an Oscar nomination. Dame Evelyn Glennie plays with Northern Sinfonia in a concert featuring The Sage Gateshead’s vocal regional youth ensemble, Quay Voices.

Tickets are on sale already for classic indierock band Spiritualized, who will perform their award-winning album Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, which received massive critical acclaim winning NME’s album of the year in 1997 (beating Radiohead’s OK Computer), and reaching No 4 in the charts.

You can also book for Thomas Zehetmair, music director of Northern Sinfonia, performing with his Zehetmair Quartet.

British jazz saxophonist Andy Sheppard is creating an event inspired by the number five. Full details, including further on-sale dates, are on thesagegateshead.org Sting says: “I’m delighted that the region where I grew up is now home to such a successful and vibrant music centre.

The wonderful surroundings of The Sage Gateshead provide an opportunity for musicians and music lovers alike to experience and participate in live music and music making. I look forward to finally performing there later this year.”

Kathryn Tickell, who has recently been appointed artistic director of Folkworks, adds: “I’m delighted to be able to celebrate the success of The Sage Gateshead’s first five years with a birthday concert and can’t wait to welcome Sting onto stage to perform.”

Anthony Sargent, general director, The Sage Gateshead says: “Above all the awards and international recognition The Sage Gateshead has won in these first five teeming years, more rewarding still is the way it has so quickly been taken to the heart of our local community. It was our local community who unforgettably opened The Sage Gateshead that frosty December night in 2004, and we’ve designed this celebratory weekend, with its wonderful line-up of exceptional musicians, particularly with our local communities, audiences and learners in mind.”

Mark Robinson, executive director, Arts Council England, North East says: “We are proud of our investment in this world-class music venue which has pioneered innovative approaches to learning and participation as well as providing a fitting home for orchestra of The Sage Gateshead, Northern Sinfonia, and bringing internationally renowned musicians to the region.”

The Sage would like to hear from people who share its birthday of December 17 and also any who have painted, sketched, photographed or written poems, stories or songs about The Sage.

Formats for jpegs, audio files and word documents are welcome as are stories from those who think that they’re the venue’s best customer, why their lives have been changed by The Sage’s music making or if people have recollections of the building’s early days.

Readers are invited to email informationThe Sage Gateshead at happy.birthday@thesagega teshead.org to share their stories.

■ The Sage Gateshead opened at 5pm on Friday, December 17, 2004 to crowds of North-East people waiting to catch a glimpse inside the stunning Norman Foster building and experience this much talked about inclusive musical party. At least 15,000 people attended over a weekend full of live performance and participatory events