The Glasshouse

www.sagegateshead.com/summer-studio

This August, Sage Gateshead opens its doors to welcome 20 up-and-coming musicians, producers, artists, rappers and singers of all genres for a free week-long residency. This year’s Summer Studios programme is the 7th of its kind and allows artists to access dedicated rehearsal studios and equipment at Sage Gateshead – a world class live music venue.

They’ll also attend creative workshops from Arts Council England, BAPAM (British Arts for Performing Arts Medicine), PRS (Performing Right Society) Foundation, Sony Music and Supercat PR and receive support from industry experts. Artists will have the option to have a professional photoshoot and film a live session of one of their songs.

With over 80 applications this year, the 20 artists selected for this unique opportunity represent a broad range of styles, influences and backgrounds from across independent music scenes up and down the country. They are: Arwen Ensemble, Boo, Caitlin LM, Chaines and GBSR Duo, Daisy Chute, Hannah Ashcroft, Harriet Bradshaw, Hekate, India Arkin, Jaka Škapin, J2oh, Liza Bec, Joe Ramsey, Mathias Skye, Ponyland, Radikal Queen, Riya, Sara Wolff, Sophie Fetokaki and Yaatri.

“Summer Studios is part of our wider Artist Development programme that provides opportunities for a broad range of emerging and independent musicians working across different genres. We are delighted to be welcoming such a brilliant group of musicians from across the UK to Sage Gateshead this August. We hope their experience on the Summer Studios programme gives them the time, space, support and connections to take their music to the next level, and build a lasting relationship with the venue and our region.” – Lucy Scott (Senior Producer Contemporary Music, Sage Gateshead) Summer Studios 2022 will run Monday 1 – Sunday 14 August. Meet some of the artists who are excited to start their residency:

Chaines (Cee Haines) is a non-binary, trans Manchester-based composer, multi-instrumentalist and multimedia artist who writes surreal and fantastical electronica and electro-acoustic music.

“I’m really looking forward to the time I’ll get to focus on the project that GBSR Duo and I are developing – a full length electro-acoustic work. They are exceptional collaborators, and I can only imagine that the facilities and support of the Summer Studios residencies will help us achieve great things!” – Cee Haines

J2oh are a hybrid-jazz duo based in the north, with Jenny Walinetski on drums and Jemma Freese on keys and vocals.

“Me and Jenny (AKA j2oh) are really excited to have this incredible space provided by Summer Studios to work on our sound without the disruptions of day-to-day life. We can’t wait to dive into our own world for a whole week! We will be working towards our first release during this time, alongside developing and exploring new musical avenues. We can’t wait to hang out with each other for a whole week, and meet new musicians as well.” – Jemma Freese

Hekate are a London-based genre-bending collective with an alluringly dark sound. Through explorations of groove, atmospheric textures and dystopian melodies, Hekate’s sound is truly a collective creation of each of its members.

“Hekate are really excited about being offered designated space and time by Sage Gateshead to be able to be together and co-create the material for our upcoming EP. It is not often as working musicians we have the opportunity to spend a week together solely for the purpose of co-creating original material, Sage Gateshead offering us the opportunity and ongoing support with our project is something that we are truly grateful for and are excited to embark upon.” – Hekate

With a unique blend of R&B, hip-hop and acoustic background, Mathias Skye is ready to change the game as we know it. Born in Zimbabwe, Skye was raised in the city of Newcastle in the North East of England. He’s an accomplished salesman, multi-instrumentalist, professional sound engineer, self-taught music producer and philosopher.

“I’m really excited to be a part of this year’s Summer Studios collective. I know I stand to gain a lot from information, help and future connections. The best part of all for me being that I’m putting my band together for the first time so look out! We’re all about to go to space” – Matthias Skye

ENDS

Images for social media:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/azi3zv648isyuctmkvjxz/h?dl=0&rlkey=b3d8cfgsu4bcvmev5vp999m7l
High-res images for print: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/kjecfi2xidm9nu5830flq/h?dl=0&rlkey=2ghv1h0sh7tw9k34scs5w4s5f
Artists on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1MmEEFGE8F5Y3AAPdZpENd?si=1ee00f2bd6ef472d&pt=3183de95fd21a8968571450b2cef973b

For further media enquiries please contact Susie Gray, The Corner Shop PR: susie@thecornershoppr.com | 07834 073 795

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Summer Studios

Sage Gateshead makes Summer Studios as accessible as possible to all. Bursaries are available towards costs such as meals, childcare, transport, project materials for the residency, the cost of a support worker and replacing income which may be lost due to time off work for the residency. Funding is available for accommodation and travel for those travelling from outside of Newcastle and Gateshead. Additional funds are available for access needs to help improve the experience and accessible accommodation is available for anyone travelling from outside Newcastle/Gateshead.

Summer Studios is produced by Sage Gateshead in association with NARC. Magazine and funded by PRS Foundation. Summer Studios forms part of a wider programme of development and support for emerging artists at Sage Gateshead, providing opportunities for a broad range of musicians working across music genres.

About Sage Gateshead

• Sage Gateshead is an international music centre for the North East and wider North. Through music, creative learning and artist development, the organisation demonstrates what music can achieve for communities.
• Since opening in 2004, Sage Gateshead has worked side by side with partners and the wider community to help address the complex blend of social and economic challenges the region faces.
• Sage Gateshead continues to be a major employer bringing investment and tourism into the region. We’ve generated a c. £500 million contribution to the local economy, a sum six times greater than its combined capital cost.
• Sage Gateshead has brought social, cultural and educational value to over 10 million people and millions more via digital and broadcast activity. The scale of its artistic, learning and
artist development activity places Sage Gateshead amongst the UK’s largest cultural organisations, while reaching a substantially more socially and economically diverse audience.
• Pre-pandemic Sage Gateshead attracted 2 million visitors; 5,000 people took part in weekly music classes; 17,854 school children experienced live orchestral music and we worked with a further 2,418 vulnerable young people; more than 2,000 adults a week took part in music making designed to tackle social isolation.
• The North East region is one of the worst affected by Covid-19. The region will be one where the recovery is slow and hard. Arts and culture have a pivotal role to play in regional and nation-wide recovery.
• Covid-19 presents a major financial challenge to Sage Gateshead, the iconic Foster + Partners designed NE landmark. 80% of its income has been affected, and in 2020/21 £10 million in revenue was lost. The organisation has taken swift action to overcome this crisis. 90% of the workforce was placed on furlough, significant cost savings have been sought and found, and it launched a fundraising campaign to raise £3 million to help secure the organisation during the next three years. Further challenges lie ahead; in 2021/22, Sage Gateshead estimates box office and trading income to be less than half of what would be expected in a normal year.
• Sage Gateshead temporarily closed to the public on 17 March 2020, five days ahead of the announcement of the national lockdown. Sage Gateshead recommenced performances in October 2020 with a season of socially distanced concerts featuring Royal Northern Sinfonia and artists across genres, made available by live stream; audiences were able to be present in the hall for two weekends of those performances.
• In 2020 Sage Gateshead received a grant of £2.8 million from the Culture Recovery Fund Round One to help it through the pandemic and associated financial crisis. In 2021 the charity received a loan of £3m from the Culture Recovery Fund Round Two to support recovery. It has thanked the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and Arts Council England for this vital support.

www.sagegateshead.com