Evelyn Glennie
(c) Mark Harrison
Scottish percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie has been named 2015 Laureate of the Polar Music Prize. She will receive the award from Sweden’s King Carl XVI at a ceremony in Stockholm on 9 June. Glennie (49) has been profoundly deaf since the age of 12. This does not inhibit her ability to perform at an international level. She says to have taught herself to hear with parts of her body other than her ears. That’s why she always performs barefoot.
The Polar Music Prize was founded by Abba manager and lyricist Stig Anderson in 1992 and recognises each year one laureate from the contemporary music world and one from the more classical realm. Besides Glennie, American pop musician Emmylou Harris receives the 2015 award.
