The Sage Gateshead - Foster and Partners regional music centre in Tyneside was officially opened today by Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh. The Royal party toured the new facility, taking in performances by the Northern Sinfonia and local school children, before unveiling a commemorative plaque. The Sage houses three world-class auditoria and a music school. In addition to its cultural programme, the Sages distinctive shell-like form has already made it a local landmark, celebrating the cultural rejuvenation of Tyneside.
In addition to the recently completed Sage, which has exceeded all attendance forecasts, the Foster studio is currently involved with two high-profile concert hall projects. In New York, the studio is undertaking an extensive refurbishment of the Avery Fisher Hall, the lynchpin of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. In downtown Dallas, the studio has designed the Winspear Opera House in the heart of the new Performing Arts District which reinvents the concept of an opera house by creating a publicly-welcoming and engaging cultural building. Work starts on site on November 10th next month.
