10 Questions Plus with Percussion Virtuoso, Evelyn Glennie - UNT Percussion

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The University of North Texas Percussion Area continues their iconic guest artist lecture series, 10 Questions Plus", with percussion virtuoso, Dame Evelyn Glennie. Evelyn was on the UNT campus to perform Michael Daugherty's Dreamachine Percussion Concerto with the UNT Wind Symphony (directed by Eugene Corporon) on campus and also at the 2023 Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Conference in San Antonio to multiple standing ovations! She graciously agreed to present a Q&A session for the UNT Percussion Studio on February 6, 2023. The resulting video is outstanding!

FYI: This is the first "10 Questions Plus" recorded live in person. All of the other incredible discussions have been over zoom with legendary percussionists such as Steve Gadd, Gary Burton, Keiko Abe, Luis Conte, Andy Narell and others. Check them out on Mark Ford's YouTube Channel - markfordmusic.

10 Questions Plus with Dame Evelyn Glennie
University of North Texas Percussion
Monday, February 6, 2023

Mark Ford, Coordinator of Percussion
Moderator


0:01
Mark Ford - Welcome

2:43
Evelyn Glennie - Introduction

8:31
1. Raina Liao/Maddie Wallace
Percussion Performance - Sophomore
In your life, has anything ever felt impossible? If so, how did you move forward?

12:45
2. Logan Scott
Music Education - Junior
As percussionists, we need to stay well versed on numerous instruments. Has there ever been a point in your life that you have felt "out of place" when studying a specific instrument or with a specific community of people associated with an instrument? If so, how did you over come this?

18:40
3. Emma Kieselhorst
Percussion Performance - Junior
In your Ted Talk "How to Truly Listen," you mentioned how the Royal Academy of Music first rejected you, considering deafness to be a "problem." After being given a second chance and admitted to the Academy, did you ever feel as though you had to prove yourself more than the rest of your peers, or felt like you were treated differently? What was your overall journey/experience like in the Royal Academy of Music, and how did it help you in your development to become a solo percussionist?

27:02
4. Daisy Waters
Percussion Performance - Senior
There are two ideas from your incredible TED talk "How to Truly Listen" that I really resonate with, one being comparing the observation of a member in the audience before getting to know them with first looking at a musical score before getting to know it, and the other being the comparison of different sound colors across mallet choices with different personalities across people. In what other ways is your perception of music-making tied to the act of being human?

33:33
5. Samuel Koch
Percussion Performance - Junior
How was your experience performing at the Olympics back in 2012? How did you get that opportunity, and what did you have to do/have already done in your career in order to attain a marvelous opportunity such as this?

38:49
6. Graham Viegut
Percussion Performance - Senior
Improvisation is clearly a big part of your artistic self as a percussionist. How do you make the choice to improvise beyond what is notated in the score? Do you feel that any composition has room for improvisation, or is improvisation only available in certain situations?

44:34
7. Jacob Fullinwider
Percussion Performance - Senior
When commissioning/premiering a new composition, how often are you in contact with the composer? What does this process look like? How much of the composition do you adapt/adjust to your own playing? 

51:01
8. Isaac Morgan
Music Education - Sophomore
In Who's Listening Part 3 (Timpani), your approach to achieving various sound effects on the timpani is unlike anything I have ever seen. You also talk about the timpani in a deconstructed way which allows for a deeper understanding of the instrument itself and the potential of each individual part.  How have you applied this same thinking to other percussion instruments and how has it influenced the way you produce sound?

56:52
9. Sophia Lo
Percussion Performance - DMA Candidate
It was lovely to hear your childhood stories on the podcast This Cultural Life and sharing your experience studying with James Blades. What is he like as a teacher and mentor?

1:05:05
10. Nathan Siegel
Percussion Performance - DMA Candidate
Playing lots of music in different contexts across multiple percussion disciplines can take a physical toll on a player. How do you keep your hands healthy? Take certain vitamins/supplements?

1:14:12
Asa Nero
BA Music - Junior
Can you talk about composing for Troilus and Cressida? What has your relationship to works of poetry and drama been like? 

1:19:57
Questions from the audience

1:35:05
Denton Sutherlin
Percussion Performance - Master’s Candidate
What was it like performing on Sesame Street? Do you have any specific fond memories from that experience that stay with you as your career continues to evolve?