“I am not a deaf musician, I am a musician who happens to be deaf”
—Dame Evelyn Glennie
Music never fails to claim the certitude of being a soothing remedy for torment, exertion, agony or heartbreak. Music and instrument are the alluring present of The almighty serving every individual. But need of having ears to listen and feel music is indispensable. Nonetheless, disabilities leads to foremost success, proving the same, Evelyn is deaf musician and multi- percussionist beating all odds and several stereotypes.
Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie aka Evelyn was born in small village of Methlick in the Aberdeenshire area of Scotland on 19 July 1965. She was born as only daughter of Isobel, a school teacher and Herbert Arthur Glennie, an accordionist in a country dance band and an beef farmer. Herbert being of musician lineage calibrated her development as musician consolidated by Scottish music influence. Her mother came to knew about her deafness at age of 8, where her name was called to play piano on regular school day which she didn’t responded. This very deafness was authenticated by doctors when she turned to 11. Headmistress of her school advised Herbert to admit her in school of deaf. Despite surrounded by struggling disability her morale never diminished. Vanquishing all myths and fallacies about her profound deafness, she conquered music by her barefoot version i.e. extensively learnt to feel vibrations by her body and foot.
At mere age of 12, she became involved with percussion section of orchestra in school, playing instruments like clarinet, piano, and timpani. Evelyn claims that her first instrument was mouth organ and clarinet. Ron Forbes served as best pedagogical support for her. He adapted his teaching to coordinate with Evelyn’s deteriorating hearing ability, where he motivated her to hear the tunings by sensing vibrations. Subsequently he made her member of Cults Percussion Ensemble, established in 1976 by Ron Forbes. Following her immense dedication she got selected for National Youth Orchestra of Scotland.
An important turn accompanied her with joining of Royal Academy of Music in London. Her journey to the academy was not so tranquilizing as initially Evelyn was first admitted to Royal College of Music but not to the academy, because of her deafness. Being aware of her talent and struggle she never acknowledged the refusal, consequently challenged the whole administration of academy. Finally surviving the challenge she was admitted to academy in 1982. Not only being admitted, she became the first student ever to give percussion recital or perform percussion concerto at academy and simultaneously achieved highest marks in the history of academy.
Graduating from the academy she never looked back and passed several milestones embraced by various odds and difficulties. While serving as inspiration for handicapped she never failed to astonish us. “Hearing” is very unlike to Evelyn as compared to normal counterparts , she says that music pours in through every part of her body. Her professional debut came on her way in 1985 which entrenched her as the first person in history to successfully create a career as an solo-percussionist. She played her first percussion concert in The Proms—8 week summer classical music concert predominantly carried out in Royal Albert Hall of London, which paved the way for orchestras around world to feature percussion concerti.
Collection of various eclectic instruments inclusive of homemade one’s, notably a set of cut and tuned car exhaust pipe, as well as various multifaceted sounds from around the world. As a keen collector of percussion instruments, Evelyn has accommodated over 2000 items. While conventionalising her name in musical realm a love for jewellery too resides in hear heart. Today she makes jewelleries as an secondary hobby. Evelyn also designed her own brand Tartan—criss-crossed or checked pattern clothes, with Scottish Fashion International named as “The Rhythms of Evelyn Glennie”. She also work as motivational speaker and consultant where she introduces revolutionary way of hearing, adopted by her. Evelyn enlightening TED speech “How to Truly Listen” published in 2003, can give Goosebumps to anyone.
Glennie had collaborated with major composers including James McMillan, Michael Daugherty, Thea Musgrave and Can Yei. Taking into consideration the ambience of classical orchestras, Evelyn crossed musical boundaries and performed with eminent groups and orchestras viz. American Classical Orchestra, kodo( Japanese Drummers), Björk (Iceland Pop vocalists, album Telegram), Javanese Gamelan Ensembles and Brazilian Samba bands. Bodacious guitarists too found a mention in list of her collaborations. She worked with guitarists like Bela Fleck, Fred Frith, Steve Hacket and Bobby Mc Ferrin. Evelyn has done over 30 solo recordings in which most famed are My Spine, Born to Wild, Michi for Marimba, Light in Darkness, Rhythm Song and A little Prayer. On the eve of opening ceremony of 2012 Olympic games in London where she performed live in collaboration with Underworld.
In 2004 Thomas Riedelsheimer made German documentary film “Touch the Sound: A Sound Journey with Evelyn Glennie” on this Scottish musician. She had also written her autobiography “Good Vibrations” in 1990 mentioning her amelioration in physical act of hearing and neneckng the vital need of having years to feel music. Describing about analyzation of various frequencies in her body. She tends to feel low sound in her legs and feet and high ones on face, neck.
Evelyn is kind-hearted human being corroborated by the fact that she gives free and regular concerts in schools, hospitals and prisons. Ann Richein of the Beethoven, a fund for deaf children asserts that Evelyn is an shining inspiration for deaf children. Backing the following norm Glennie in negotiation with sincere personalities like Julian Webber, Sir James Galway and Michael Kamen together established the Music in Education Consortium in 2002-03 for uplifting the young musicians with an overarching support of UK Government.
With over 80 national and international awards. Evelyn career is full of appreciation and laurels. Being best solo performer, Royal Philharmonic Society awarded her “Best Soloist of the Year” award. Her award list is eternal hence enlisting all is unfeasible. But some worth mentioning awards include Best Chamber Music Performance in Grammy Award(1989), Polar Music Award(2015), Percussive Arts Society—Hall of fame(2008) and Leonardo da Vinci Award (1987). 15 honorary doctorate across various universities in UK was also awarded to her.
Considering Evelyn journey, its worth concluding that disabilities lies in the thought. Just like Glennie anyone despite of his or her disability can achieve their respective goals. Talent is not deprived of any medium and creates it’s own path. Evidentially same happened in case of Evelyn she thrashed all odds to become a multi-percussionist in spite of numerous obstacles.
