RUTH PATTERSON VIRTUAL CONCERT AND LIVE Q&A
Sage Gateshead is delighted to announce that Ruth Patterson will hold a virtual concert and live Q&A on Thursday 25 June.
The concert, which will be streamed on Facebook and You Tube, marks the launch of her solo career which has come to fruition during her time as Sage Gateshead’s Artist in Residence and her debut single ‘Sink or Swim’ is due out on Friday 26 June.
Ruth was due to culminate her residency with a performance in Sage Two. Due to Covid-19 the concert has had to be postponed until February 2021 but Ruth was determined to mark the occasion with a special online event and exclusive preview of her new material.
Sage Gateshead has worked with Attitude is Everything, a disability-led charity supporting organisations to improve Deaf and disabled people’s access to live music. Thanks to this partnership, the concert will be captioned and audio described.
Ruth said: “I was so disappointed when my chance to perform as Artist in Residence at Sage Gateshead was postponed and when I finally do get to play in Sage Two, it will be a dream come true. Yet it feels right to mark the end of the residency and the culmination of what I’ve achieved with the launch of the single and an accessible virtual concert. It feels like something positive to shout about in uncertain and scary times!”
Ruth has written and recorded two singles primed for release, the first one being ‘Sink or Swim’.
“Sink or Swim is about living with mental instability and the battle to keep our heads above water” Ruth states. “It’s written about a panic attack I had last year and I really felt like I was drowning… the loss of control, disappearing reality, not knowing when it will end.
“I guess this song is me sharing my own experiences and hopefully it will connect with other people that maybe feel the same way. It seems with everything that’s going on, the whole world is living in a state of anxiety. We’ve all lost a sense of control as our reality is so rapidly changing. We had always planned to have an interactive Q&A and I wanted to include this as part of the virtual concert. I think now, more than ever, it is important to discuss and connect. Learning from each other and our individual experiences is invaluable and I hope sharing a little bit about myself and kickstarting some conversations alongside the music will be a nice way to finish off the night!”
The concert will be followed by a live Q&A with Ruth and questions can be submitted in advance via Sage Gateshead’s Facebook page.
Emily Jones, Senior Producer at Sage Gateshead added: “We have been awarded Gold in Attitude is Everything’s Charter of Best Practice for venues, and that also covers online activity, so it is particularly important to us that our digital performances are accessible to everyone, just as the ones in our venue are. In addition to working with Sage Gateshead, Ruth is an ambassador for Attitude is Everything, so we are delighted to bring both organisations together for a performance which will be accessible and inclusive.”
Jacob Adams, Head of Research and Campaigns at Attitude is Everything added: “Attitude is Everything is delighted to join this collaboration between a Gold Charter venue and an amazing artist involved in our Next Stage Initiative to break down the barriers Deaf and disabled artists face. Together, this event showcases the ways in which online performances and fan interactions can be made as accessible as possible – music industry take note!”
This concert is being streamed for free in support of Sage Gateshead’s ongoing three-year Crisis, Recovery and Renaissance fundraising campaign which was set up in response to the urgent financial challenge posed by Covid-19. Sage Gateshead is asking audience members to make a donation to the campaign which aims to raise £3 million over the next three years to ensure that it is able to continue our ongoing commitment to artist development. Find out more about the Crisis, Recovery and Renaissance fundraising campaign here.
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For further information, interviews or images please contact:
Jackie Thompson, Marketing and Communications Manager, Sage Gateshead
E: jackie.thompson@sagegateshead.com
Attitude is Everything is a disability-led charity and Arts Council England Sector Support Organisation that connects Deaf and disabled people with live music and event industries to improve access together.
Through their work:
- Deaf and disabled people lead the change
• Industry professionals learn from real-life experience and expertise
• Barriers are identified and removed
• Good practice is celebrated and rewarded
• More Deaf and disabled people play their part in live music and outdoor events
Over 200 venues and festivals across the UK have been awarded via their Charter of Best Practice, an industry standard for live venue and event accessibility.
For more information about their work, visit www.attitudeiseverything.org.uk. You can also follow their work on Twitter and Instagram. Sign up to their mailing list here
Sage Gateshead is an international music centre and renowned conference and event venue located in the North East of England. It is for artists, for audiences and for the North.
Our iconic building, designed by Foster & Partners, welcomes around 500,000 visitors each year. It is home to the acclaimed Royal Northern Sinfonia and presents around 400 events and festivals each year for a live audience of 350,000 (six million people hear our work via stream or broadcasts). Every year we support over 100 musicians through our artist development programme and we work with 30,000 children and young people as well as 20,000 adults in our creative learning programme.
As a charity we rely on financial support from Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council, Arts Council England and our donors to ensure everyone in the community can experience the joys of music.
Positioned as one of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisation, our continued ambition for the future is to work to significantly to increase the number and range of people connected with music.
Arts Council England is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk