THE SAGE Gateshead has celebrated its tenth birthday in spectacular style.

The region’s premier musical venue offered a feast of entertainment showcasing emerging talent from across the region, alongside established performers from across the UK.

As hundreds of guests gathered in the concourse, events got underway with the Sage Gateshead’s 100th commission – a work that literally played the building, with learning and participation teams generating percussive music from the roof, support beams, stair rails and windows of the building.

Sage Gateshead general director Antony Sargent said the evening’s programme captured some of “the most exciting and memorable things the centre has done over the building”, with activities in all the performance spaces.

He said|: “Over the last 10 years we have contributed over £283m to the North-East economy.

“To give you a relatively that’s nearly three times the totality of the complete capital cost of building and all the revenue funding we have received during the decade.”

Among the achievements celebrated were those of In Harmony NewcastleGateshead, based at Hawthorn Primary School, Elswick, Newcastle. Children aged 11- 14 got a standing ovations for their performance.

Another highlight of evening was performance of Work in Progress by composer Jonathan Dove and the film director Philip Shotton. Performed by Royal Northern Sinfonia and several of Sage Gateshead’s youth music ensembles, the work followed the creation and first ten years of Sage Gateshead.

Also performing were Folkestra and Warm Digits.

As an added treat, the world-renowned Hilliard Ensemble, who disband following their last concert in London on Saturday, gave a farewell performance from balcony.

Over the last 10 years the venue has hosted over 4,000 performances, engaged with 1.5m people through music-making, attracted 6m visitors.