Evelyn Glennie

Great Britain / Scotland

• Percussionist, Composer
• Three-times Grammy Award winner
• Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

Evelyn Glennie is the first person in history to successfully create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist, performing worldwide with the greatest conductors, orchestras and artists. She fondly recalls having played the first percussion concerto in the history of 'The Proms' at the Albert Hall in 1992, which paved the way for orchestras around the world to feature percussion concerti. She had the honour of a leading role in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Evelyn regularly provides master classes and consultations designed to guide the next generation. She is also a leading commissioner of new works for solo percussion, Evelyn has more than 170 pieces to her name from many of the world's most eminent composers. The film 'Touch the Sound' and her enlightening TED speech remain key testimonies to her approach to sound-creation.

Evelyn Glennie performed in Russia for the first time in 2002 upon invitation from the Musical Olympus Foundation.

To this day, Evelyn continues to invest in realising her vision – to Teach the World to Listen – while looking to open a centre that embodies her mission: 'to improve communication and social cohesion by encouraging everyone to discover new ways of listening. We want to inspire, to create, to engage and to empower'.

Member of the board of trustees of the International Television Contest for Young Musicians 'Nutcracker'.