THE PERFORMANCE programme director at the North-East’s premiere music venue is standing down after 15 years in the post, it has been announced.

Ros Rigby, who has been involved in the development of Sage Gateshead since the mid-1990s and has overseen about 300 performances a year since the venue opened in 2004, leaves at end of July.

Sage Gateshead managing director Abigail Pogson also announced that Tamsin Austin, currently head of popular and contemporary programme, has been appointed as director of programming to head up the team from September.

Ms Pogson said: “In Ros we have been lucky to have such a dedicated and passionate advocate of culture who has given so much to this region over so long, and for the last fifteen years has made a formative contribution to Sage Gateshead.

“Her programmes and festivals – not least the Gateshead International Jazz Festival which we’ve enjoyed again this past weekend – have helped put Sage Gateshead on the national and international map.

“We are very sad to see her go, but thank her very warmly for everything she has done.”

She added: “In Tamsin Austin we have someone who has already made a great contribution to Sage Gateshead through her creative programming across our festivals and engagements with some of the leading rock and pop artists worldwide.

Ms Rigby initially worked in arts development roles in Peterlee and Gateshead before co-founding Folkworks in 1988, which became the UK’s foremost producer, presenter and educator in folk and traditional music. She was awarded the OBE for this work in 1999.

When Sage Gateshead opened, Folkworks, along with Royal Northern Sinfonia, was a founding partner and became integrated into the new organisation in 2001.

Alongside her role at Sage Gateshead Ms Rigby has also been heavily involved in regional and international cultural developments.

She served on the Board of Northern Arts for six years in the 1990s and is a Board member of the North East Culture Partnership and chaired the Steering group for the Case for Culture, launched in 2015. She is also a Board member of the Europe Jazz Network, whose membership includes over 100 jazz promoters from 31 countries across Europe, and was elected President of the EJN in 2014.

Ms Rigby will continue to work with Sage Gateshead on a project basis on its jazz programme.

She said: “Being involved in the development of Sage Gateshead from the mid-1990s onwards has been an enormous privilege, and I will take with me very many vivid memories of both successful events and challenging moments, wonderful artists and hugely committed staff and partners.

“I look forward to having continued contact with the company on a different basis, and also to having more time to become involved in other developments in the region and beyond.