Evelyn Glennie
Evelyn Glennie
Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, DBEis a Scottish virtuoso percussionist. She is announced as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015...
NationalityScottish
ProfessionDrummer
Date of Birth19 July 1965
silence body hearing
Hearing is a form of touch. You feel it through your body, and sometimes it almost hits your face.
way profile one-way
A lot of things which come with a high profile will always be criticised one way or another.
london royal musician
And as I grew older, I then auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music in London, and they said, well, no, we won't accept you, because we haven't a clue - you know - of the future of a so-called 'deaf' musician. And I just couldn't quite accept that.
years hearing losing
Before my teen years, I was losing my hearing pretty quickly, and I was getting very, very angry. I was beginning to become an angry person because of that.
body hearing ears
Hearing is a form of touch. I could hear less through the ears but more through the body.
motivation inspiration mean
If we see someone in a wheelchair, we assume they cannot walk. It may be that they can walk three, four, five steps. That, to them, means they can walk.
kids spinning-around littles
I walk into a kids' store, and it's amazing, the types of instruments - little squeaky things, rattling things, spinning tops.
educational land diversity
Scotland has never ceased to amaze the world with its forward vision, bold action and great educational institutions. Nothing makes me more proud than to promote this wonderful land with all its richness and diversity wherever I go.
taken journey isolation
I hope the seeds I have sown will be taken up by those who will follow me because the journey I have begun cannot be undertaken in isolation.
communication interesting sound
Music is about communication... it isn't just something that maybe physically sounds good or orally sounds interesting; it's something far, far deeper than that.
kind scottish instinct
Apart from Scottish traditional music, I wasn't really influenced by any kind of music. I just basically followed my own instincts.
challenges way lyrical
Percussion is the most adaptable family of instruments. The biggest challenge is to project percussion in a lyrical way.
beautiful sweet kings
The thing about playing percussion is that you can create all these emotions that can be sometimes beautiful, sometimes really ugly, or sometimes sweet, sometimes as big as King Kong and so on. And so there can be a real riot out there, or it can be so refined.
interesting lessons percussion
When I was 12, I happened to see a schoolmate playing percussion, and it looked interesting. I asked for lessons, and it felt right.