In 2024, James Stier was invited to create a new series of musician profiles for Royal Northern Sinfonia, a professional chamber orchestra based at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music (formerly The Sage) in Gateshead, overlooking the River Tyne and Newcastle city centre.
Building on his previous role as official filmmaker for the orchestra’s 2019 season—where, alongside producer Fraser Anderson, he developed the Digital Guide to a Chamber Orchestra—this new commission, produced by Rachel Williams for The Glasshouse and The Northern Music Trust, continues the Musician Profile strand first established in 2017.
Shot on Sony FX6 cameras with prime lenses and filters to craft a distinct visual style with traditional lighting techniques using powerful tungsten sources and large diffusion frames.
The resulting four short films blend live performances, day-in-the-life documentary footage, and staged sequences, offering an intimate portrait of contemporary professional musicians working in one of the UK’s leading cultural institutions.
A selection of the Royal Northern Sinfonia ensemble. The RNS is a professional chamber orchestra based at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music.
