Evelyn Glennie: Sound Creator

Evelyn Glennie: Sound Creator by Dr Georgina Hughes
A case study of a pioneering musician and an interdisciplinary appraisal of the larger social role of the artist.

Description:
Dame Evelyn Glennie (b.1965) is the world’s first full-time solo multi-percussionist, 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.

Contents:
Introduction
“I shall just have to try harder to convince you.”
Glennie’s Early Career

Chapter 1. “Of course, I just assumed that the world was full of solo percussionists.”
The Ascendance of Solo Multi-Percussion Performance
Chapter 2. “I just basically followed my own instincts.”
Diversification, Improvisation and Collaboration
Chapter 3. “I’m simply a person who wants to encourage females to do whatever they want to do.”
The Issue of Gender
Chapter 4. “I’m not a deaf musician. I’m a musician who happens to be deaf.”
Inclusion
Chapter 5. “I hope the seeds I have sown will be taken up by those who follow me.”
Legacy: A Series of New Beginnings

Conclusion
“To Teach the World to Listen“

Appendix 1: Concerto Commissions
Appendix 2: Solo Commissions

Bibliography
Videography and Audio Resources
Index

About the Author:
GEORGINA HUGHES is a lecturer in the Department of Creative Arts, Media and Music at Dundalk Institute of Technology (Ireland). As a percussionist, she has performed extensively as both a solo and orchestral musician. Her interest in percussion continues in her work as an academic, exploring the practicalities, philosophies, histories, and futures of percussion performance.

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