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Solo Percussionist, Composer, Motivator and Entrepreneur
Dame Evelyn Glennie OBE is the first person in musical history to successfully
create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist. As one
of the most eclectic and innovative musicians on the scene today she
is constantly redefining the goals and expectations of percussion. By
combining superb technique, a profound appreciation of the visual and
her astonishing musicality, Evelyn creates performances of such vitality
that they almost constitute a new type of performance.
Evelyn gives more than 100 performances a year worldwide, performing with the greatest conductors, orchestras, and artists. For the first ten years of her career virtually every performance she gave was in some way a first - the first time an orchestra had performed with a percussion soloist, the first solo percussion performance at a venue or festival or the world premiere of a new piece. Her diversity of collaborations have included performances artists such as Nana Vasoncelos, Kodo, Bela Fleck, Bjork, Bobby McFerrin, Emmanuel Ax, Sting, Kings Singers, Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Fred Frith.
Evelyn has commissioned one hundred and forty eight new works for solo percussion from many of the world's most eminent composers and also composes and records music for film and television. Her first high quality drama produced a score so original she was nominated for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards (BAFTA's); the UK equivalent of the Oscars.
Evelyn's recording career has been as illustrious as her performing and composing career. Evelyn's first CD, a recording of Bartok's Sonata for two Pianos and Percussion won her a Grammy in 1988. A further two Grammy nominations followed, one of which she won in 2002 for a collaboration with Bela Fleck for Sony Classical. Evelyn's twelfth solo CD, Shadow Behind the Iron Sun (BMG Records) was based on a radical concept and has once again questioned people's expectations. Despite working a relentless schedule Evelyn is in constant demand to release new recordings, twenty four so far.
Outside of actual performance the Evelyn Glennie brand is constantly exploring other areas of creativity. From writing a best selling autobiography, Good Vibrations, to collaborating with the renowned film director Thomas Riedelsheimer on a film called Touch the Sound, to presenting two series of her own television programmes for the BBC, to regularly appearing on television across the world, which include The David Letterman Show (USA), Sesame Street (USA), The South Bank Show (UK), presenting and performing on Songs of Praise (UK), Commonwealth Games Festival Concert, This is Your Life (UK), 60 minutes(USA), PBS Profile (USA), and many more.
Evelyn's activities also include lobbying the Government on political issues as diverse as music education and parking rights for motorbikes (she is a keen biker). Other aspects include EG Images which supplies photographs from a vast image library of Evelyn, EG Jewellery which is a range of Jewellery designed and made by EG based on her influences as a solo percussionist and EG Merchandise. Evelyn fulfils a busy schedule as an international motivational speaker to many diverse corporate companies and events. She also performs with Orchestras on the Great Highland Bagpipes.
After 20 years in the music business she has begun teaching privately which allows her to explore the art of teaching and to explore the world of sound therapy as a means of communication.
In 1993 Evelyn was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire). This was extended in 2007 to 'Dame Commander' for her services to music, and to date has received approximately 80 international awards. She is brimming with ideas to improve the experience for the audience and continues to redefine the very format of live performance itself.
As a public and keynote speaker Dame Evelyn Glennie has an amazing wealth of experiences to draw upon through her international musical career as the World's first Solo Percussionist, throughout which her profound deafness has been more of a hindrance to others than to her.
She speaks passionately about subjects including education, business and of course music.
Last year Evelyn was nominated speaker of the year by the Association of Speakers Clubs and only pipped by a narrow margin in favour of the Archbishop of York. Recently Evelyn spoke at the Women's CEO Management Summit held in the Metropolitan Club in New York, her subject matter was Imagination and Creativity.
Evelyn is a dynamic performer and wows every audience with her accomplished style and talent and who can resist her beautiful Scottish brogue, humour and informality she makes a unique and riveting speaker.
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