Young local musicians will take to the stage of Perth Concert Hall to play a role in an evening of conversation and music with Dame Evelyn Glennie.
Before performing on stage, the ensemble of percussion players drawn from Perth and Kinross schools will have an opportunity to ask questions about her inspirational life, which has taken her to the pinnacle of her profession.
As well as demonstrating her musical ability on October 4 she will recount her personal and musical journey to overcome the loss of her hearing and develop a career as the first-ever international solo percussion player.
Her appearance is part of the celebrations around the 150th anniversary year of the Perthshire Society of Natural Science (PSNS), one of Scotland’s oldest learned societies.
PSNS president Tom Ryan explained how they came to invite Dame Evelyn saying: “We run Curious Minds lecture series where experts and academics speak.
“We thought who would be an interesting person for our 150th celebrations?
“One of our members said if you wanted a Scottish person with a curious mind Evelyn Glennie would be perfect. To do what she does, it seemed very appropriate.
“I am looking forward very much to the evening, the culmination of our 150th celebrations.”
Ahead of the Perth event, Dame Evelyn explained her personal approach to life which will be explored at the concert hall appearance.
“In a forever changing world we need to keep ourselves attuned with, not only our own realities, but the world as a whole,” she said.
“In this rushing society we live in, where we all seem to need to be connected in some way, shape or form, we need to be able to keep our curiosity alive.
“I, for instance, choose to embrace my inner child from time to time, to allow that curiosity to surface and explore new sounds and resonances.”
The “in conservation” event, mediated by James Waters, starts at 7.30pm on Wednesday October 4 in the concert hall. Tickets are available via Horsecross or at the door.
