Glennie, Evelyn (1965– )

Scottish percussion player. Judged to be a percussionist of outstanding abilities, she is additionally remarkable in her achievements for having suffered a gradual but total loss of hearing in her early teens. Many leading composers have written specially for her, and she has recorded and appeared widely throughout Europe, the USA, Australia, and the Far East. She has received innumerable prizes and awards and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Music.

She was born in Aberdeen, studied timpani and percussion from the age of 12, and trained at the Royal Academy of Music, London. Her first CD, a recording of Bartok's Sonata for two Pianos and Percussion won her a Grammy in 1988. Subsequent solo recordings earned a further two Grammy nominations, one of which won in 2002 (Bela Fleck collaboration for Sony Classical), a Classic CD Award, and great critical acclaim. Her premiere of John McLeod's The Song of Dionysus was extremely well received at the Proms in 1989, and she was made an OBE in 1992. Her autobiography, Good Vibrations, was published in 1990.