A Little Prayer: From a simple exercise to global resonance

Three hand-written manuscripts of ‘A Little Prayer’, in Evelyn’s handwriting, the earliest being dated August 1984 which was created for the published version by Faber Music. The piece was originally written by Evelyn aged 13 in 1978.
When I was 13, I set out to explore the possibilities of four-mallet playing. The exercise seemed simple enough: I wrote a basic harmonic progression to experiment with creating a smooth, flowing sound on the xylophone. But there was one problem - the school had a rickety old xylophone, not a nice resonant marimba. As a pianist, I was accustomed ... Read More

Evelyn reads ‘Listen’

Evelyn and Listen Book - Video Still V2
I’ve been utterly enchanted by the beautiful illustrations by Devon Holzworth, and by Shannon Stocker’s wonderful writing, for the children’s book ‘Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, A Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion’ since it was released. It seemed the perfect story to read aloud, so please enjoy my attempt at doing so! I hope you and your families enjoy watching and reading ... Read More

Remembering Ron Forbes, a truly special man

BW Ron Forbes - pic
There are some people whom you imagine will be in your life forever. I always felt that towards a man whom I met for the first time aged 12 at my school in Aberdeenshire, and who would change the meaning of what it means to listen. My school peripatetic percussion teacher, Ron Forbes, sadly passed away at the weekend. I ... Read More

New Release: Another Noise – Raymond Antrobus & Evelyn Glennie

Raymond Antrobus & Evelyn Glennie: Another Noise

“Collaborations often start from a seed of curiosity. They are a great opportunity to explore no-mans territory and journey into something that is surprising and fruitful. Part of this journey is to keep an open mind, let things happen naturally and know that no matter what the outcome, the opportunity has been explored.

On one chilly but bright winter’s day earlier this year, Raymond and I met for the first time. Time was left at the door, as Ian Brennan, the music producer (who incidentally I was also meeting for the first time) allowed our flowing minds to dance together for the day whereby the outcome was our new release, Another Noise – an improvised first-take live recorded spoken word poetry album. I can only hope there will be other opportunities.”

New Release: Tangled Goodbye

TANGLED GOODBYE-zoomed out

‘Tangled Goodbye’ is a collaborative, improvised album from decorated solo percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, virtuoso bassist John Edwards, experimental guitarist and cellist Owen Gardner and innovative percussionist and xylophonist Bex Burch. With a residency at London’s Café OTO as the backdrop, Burch’s ‘messy minimalism’ intertwines with Glennie’s percussive mastery, Edwards’ expansive contrabass techniques, and Gardner’s hypnotic guitar micro-tones, resulting in … Read More

An Evening with Evelyn Glennie – HMP Askham Grange

An Evening with Evelyn Glennie by Anon, resident at HMP Askham Grange When I arrived in the ballroom, I saw a large amount of different instruments and I instantly thought, “this is going to be good!” The room fell silent and suddenly Evelyn began to play the snare drum. As she played the tempo began to change and you could feel the … Read More

Evelyn Glennie: Sound Creator – coming September 2024

Evelyn Glennie: Sound Creator by Dr Georgina Hughes

All my congratulations to Dr Georgina Hughes on her upcoming book publication “Evelyn Glennie: Sound Creator”. Here is a snippet from the publisher’s description:

A case study of a pioneering musician and an interdisciplinary appraisal of the larger social role of the artist.

Dame Evelyn Glennie (b.1965) is the world’s first full-time solo multipercussionist, a sound creator and expert listener whose work continues to expand and diversify the remit of the contemporary performer in the twenty-first century. This book presents the first comprehensive study of Glennie’s contribution to the evolution of an eclectic, experimental and fascinating instrumental discipline which wilfully eludes standardization.
Glennie’s sound journey also resonates in contexts extending beyond the discipline of music. She is a prominent female role model, an entrepreneur, a business and brand, a philanthropist and a profoundly deaf performer who has reframed discourse on what it means to truly listen. This book is both a case study of one pioneering musician and an interdisciplinary appraisal of the larger social role of the artist. An important reference source for percussionists, it is also intended to serve as a means of allowing the interested reader to engage with a medium that has become the heartbeat of contemporary culture.

Release date: September 2024
To pre-order, visit the following link and use code BB135 for 35% off through Boydell & Brewer’s website: https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781837650675/evelyn-glennie-sound-creator/

Evelyn receives the Julian Bream Award

Dame Evelyn Glennie has been awarded the Musicians’ Company’s inaugural Julian Bream Award. This award honours the lifetime achievement of an internationally recognised instrumentalist who has contributed original and innovative work to the culture of their chosen instrument. The Julian Bream Award was established in 2023 to coincide with Julian Bream’s 90th anniversary. It will be awarded every three years and Dame Evelyn Glennie is the first recipient.

More Than Simply Drums & Cymbals…

Front Cover of 'More Than Simply Drums & Cymbals', subtitle 'A meander through The Evelyn Glennie Collection'

The wonderful Volunteer team for The Evelyn Glennie Collection have been working incredibly hard to bring this booklet together and we are delighted to be able to share it with you now. ‘More Than Simply Drums & Cymbals’ takes you on a journey through the extraordinary assortment of artefacts which form The Evelyn Glennie Collection, and charts the introduction and subsequent development of percussion as a solo instrument across the globe.

1st Earith, Bluntisham & Colne Scouts sleep in boxes for charities

Charlotte Beattie, Scout Group Lead (left) handing over the donation of £254 to Dame Evelyn Glennie (right)

The 1st Earith, Bluntisham and Earith Scouts slept in cardboard boxes to raise money for two local charities. The Scouts’ chosen charities were The Evelyn Glennie Foundation and St Ives Foodbank.

The young group decided to do a “Night in the Box” evening, which saw them sleep in boxes. They managed to raise a great amount of funds for both charities, including £254 for The Evelyn Glennie Foundation.