Valentine’s night is going to sound out loudly in Spartanburg this year, as the world’s only solo percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie takes the stage with the SPO and Music Director Sarah Ioannides for an exciting audible feast of love celebrated through music.
Percussion superstar Dame Evelyn Glennie will perform Sean O’Boyle’s “Portraits of Immortal Love”, a piece written specifically for Dame Glennie that was premiered with the Tacoma Symphony in Tacoma, Washington this past September under the musical direction of Sarah Ioannides. Pulling his inspiration from the world as it was a century ago, O’Boyle’s vision of the piece is to show the desperate hope of lovers, whether it be a mother’s, father’s, wife’s or husband’s, during a time when the only means of communication was the written word. He wants to bring to life the love stories that have only grown with time.
“I want to show the great power and aching beauty percussion can bring to our emotional state. Dame Evelyn is one of the most inspiring musicians of our generation. She is technically brilliant, a consummate artist, and one who has embraced all challenges that life has brought her,” said O’Boyle. We are thrilled to announce that Sean O’Boyle will be in town next week for the concert and will be addressing audiences at the Pre-concert talk as well as from the stage during the concert.
Dame Glennie is the first person in musical history to successfully create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist, in spite of being deaf since the age of 12! As one of the most eclectic and innovative musicians on the scene today she creates performances of such vitality that they almost constitute a new genre. Awarded Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2007, the double Grammy award winning artist gives more than 100 concerts a year worldwide. Her diversity of collaborations includes visual mixing of live music with the likes of DJ Yoda and the “Beat Boxer” Shlomo. Other collaborations include Nana Vasconcelos, Kodo, Bela Fleck, Bjork, Bobby McFerrin, Sting, The Kings Singers, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. In July 2012, Glennie was featured in the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics on London. Born in Scotland, Glennie is based in the beautiful countryside of Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom.
Dame Evelyn will also be giving a public lecture, “Dialogue with a Difference” on Thursday February 12 from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Chapman Cultural Center, and a Live Masterclass on Friday, February 13, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. in Daniel Recital Hall at Converse College. She will also be working with music students from the South Carolina School for the Deaf & Blind to help guide and coach their musical experiences and education.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dame Evelyn Glennie to Spartanburg. The events and the concert are the culmination of over a year’s worth of planning. We are fortunate to be one in five SC arts organizations to be awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant which will support our projects with Dame Glennie. The concert will be a fabulous experience that shouldn’t be missed!”
The concert will also feature ”Les Preludes”, by Liszt; “Adagio of Spartacus & Phrygia” by Khachaturian, and the famed “Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture”, by Tchaikovsky.
Tickets for “Romantic Preludes and Portraits” can be purchased by calling 864-596-9725 and range from $20 – $40. Tickets for “Dialogue with a Difference” can be purchased by calling 864-542-2787, and are $5.00 for adults, and free for students. The Live Masterclass is free to the public.
Please visit our website for more information and links to purchase tickets online: www.spartanburgphilharmonic.org.