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This Sunday afternoon (6 February) will see The Sage Gateshead taken over by a Northumbrian Piper, the Ellington Colliery Brass Band, two choirs and the Newcastle Kingsmen (an English traditional dance team) – all of whom will be recording their parts for the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's Tyne and Wear Metro The Musical.

With the help of the public, the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ in the North East has commissioned a filmed musical to mark the 30th anniversary of the Tyne and Wear Metro.

The musical will feature North East people in Metro stations and on trains telling their stories to music – and with plenty of dancing!

"Public participation has been overwhelming – open auditions in Newcastle and Sunderland late last year helped us to find some great talent and I can't wait to see them all together in the studio," says composer Benjamin Till.

This will be the first recording of the Musical, with Sunday's schedule as follows:

12 midday-2pm: Main choir recording

2pm-3pm: Ensemble choir recording

4pm-5pm: Northumbrian piper

5pm-7pm: Ellington Colliery Brass Band

7pm-8pm: Newcastle Kingsmen – including two fiddle players

Recordings will continue into next week, with filming taking place towards the end of February.

The premiere of the Musical will take place on Thursday 24 March at The Sage Gateshead; it will be broadcast live into ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Look North's evening bulletin, with a radio premiere on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Newcastle's Breakfast show with Alfie and Charlie the next day (25 March).

Broadcasts of the Musical will also be shown across the region over the weekend of 26 and 27 March.

RF