Glennie, Evelyn (Elizabeth Ann)
Glennie, Evelyn (Elizabeth Ann)
Glennie, Evelyn (Elizabeth Ann), remarkable Scottish timpanist and percussionist; b. Aberdeen, July 19, 1965. Although she was born deaf, she nonetheless determined on a career in music; took up percussion training as a youth with Ron Forbes in Aberdeen, then studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and with Keiko Abe in Japan. After playing in the National Youth Orch. of Scotland, she made her debut as a solo performer at London’s Wigmore Hall in 1986. Her extraordinary talent brought her engagements with principal orchs. and festivals in Great Britain; subsequently toured extensively worldwide. In 1994 she appeared as soloist with Andrew Davis and the BBC Sym. Orch. at the traditional last night at the Proms in London, marking the close of its 100th anniversary season. She publ. the autobiography Good Vibrations (1990). In 1993 she was made a member of the Order of the British Empire. Glennie has done much to elevate the status of the timpanist and percussionist, and has also commissioned many new works.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire