Dame Evelyn Glennie

Backstage at The Enharmonic

Friday, June 18, 2021 My next guest is certified super-star, Dame Evelyn Glennie! I've been following and admiring her career for 20+ years now. Through video conferencing technology I was able to chat with Evelyn based in London, from my home studio in Philadelphia. In today's segment, Dame Evelyn discusses her earliest music lessons in school, learning percussion with none of the traditional method books, the most important lessons that she learned from her two most influential teachers (Ron Forbes and James Blades), having the right musical mindset for doing extended solos and cadenzas, her favorite rock bands, her first snare drum and seven piece Premier drumset, how Scottish folk music continues to influence her music-making, her takeaways from the shut down, and so much more!

Dame Evelyn Glennie is the world’s premier solo percussionist, performing worldwide with the greatest orchestras, conductors and artists. Her solo recordings exceed 40 CDs and are as diverse as her career on-stage. A multiple GRAMMY award winner and BAFTA nominee, Evelyn is also a composer for film, theatre and television. Evelyn was awarded an OBE in 1993 and has over 100 international awards to date, including the Polar Music Prize and the Companion of Honour. Evelyn is currently forming The Evelyn Glennie Collection with a vision to open a center that embodies her mission to Teach the World to Listen.