Scottish percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie has been profoundly deaf since the age of 12. She taught herself to hear with parts of her body other than her ears.

Now she travels the globe, playing and recording with the world’s finest orchestras and ensembles and is recognised as the first musician to maintain a full-time career as a solo percussionist.

Inspiration

We’re sponsoring her Canterbury Festival concert on Friday, November 2, when she will appear with Scottish Trio HLK.

Mark Scutchings, Hearbase managing director, said: “Evelyn Glennie is an inspiration for people with hearing loss. She is a fantastic example of someone who did not let this stop her from achieving at the highest level.

“We are very proud to sponsor this concert as a way of recognising her achievement as well as supporting the arts in east Kent.”

Collaboration

Evelyn describes her collaboration with Trio HLK as ‘a venture out of my comfort zone.’

With Rich Harrold on piano, Ant Law on guitar and Richard Kass on drums, Trio HLK recorded its first album last year with Dame Evelyn on vibraphone and marimba and Steve Lehman on sax.

Their music subtly develops from jazz standards into rhythmically intricate compositions and complex frameworks for improvisations, leading the listener into unknown territory by a familiar thread.  (London Jazz Review)

The Proms

With the help of her first percussion teacher, Evelyn honed her awareness of sound to such a degree that she describes her body as ‘a resonating chamber.’

She played the first percussion concerto in the history of The Proms at the Albert Hall in 1992. This paved the way for orchestras around the world to feature percussion concerti. She also had a leading role in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Masterclasses

Evelyn regularly provides masterclasses and consultations designed to guide the next generation. With more than 90 international awards, including the Polar Music Prize, she is also a leading commissioner of new works for solo percussion.

She is now composing the score for Gregory Doran and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s radical production of Troilus & Cressida.

The concert takes place at 7.30pm at the Colyer-Fergusson Hall, at Kent University in Canterbury.  Find out more and book tickets here.

To keep up to date with Evelyn’s work follow her on social media at:

Twitter: @DameEvelyn

Facbook: Dame Evelyn Glennie

Photo of Dame Evelyn by Philipp Rathmer