BEN FOLDS TO PLAY WITH ROYAL NORTHERN SINFONIA

Multi-platinum selling, singer-songwriter Ben Folds will perform with Royal Northern Sinfonia at their home, Sage Gateshead, on Friday 11 July as part of a global symphonic tour this summer. Billed as ‘The Ben Folds Orchestral Experience,’ the artist will feature his new classical piano concerto as well as a litany of his pop hits arranged especially for orchestra. Royal Northern Sinfonia will also be performing with Folds at Bristol’s Colston Hall on 9 July and in Manchester on 10 July. Folds was the front man of Ben Folds Five before going on to have a successful solo career.  A critically acclaimed celebrity judge on NBC’s ‘The Sing Off,’ Folds has earned a reputation as a singular and influential voice in the world of popular music. In addition to numerous albums and a recent reunion tour with Ben Folds Five, Folds has recorded multiple studio albums as well as records documenting his renowned live performances. Folds, serves on the Board of the Nashville Symphony and owns the famous RCA Studio A in Nashville where legendary music from all genres, including GRAMMY-winning symphony albums, have been recorded. For more than a decade, Folds has performed with some of the world’s greatest orchestras, including record-breaking sell-out Australian symphonic shows, repeatedly sold out shows at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC with the National Symphony Orchestra, and at the Boston Pops. In 2012, Folds was commissioned to compose his first classical piano concerto, and this year he will feature it in his orchestral performances throughout the United States, Europe and Australia. Folds is a member of the distinguished Artist Committee for Americans For The Arts, and is also an outspoken advocate for music therapy and music education. Tickets on sale Friday 7 February, 10am. Ticket Office 0191 443 4661 sagegateshead.com