I saw Dame Evelyn Glennie play tonight with the Nashville Symphony. She's utterly amazing, and to my surprise, profoundly deaf. I read the programme and just couldn't accept what was about to happen. The whole time I'm experiencing the piece "Triple Play" by composer John Corigliano, I'm thinking this is not possible. But apparently this woman has learned to open her perception of sound up in new ways apart from her ears.
I just wanted to mention it because if this woman can do what she does with that particular handicap, there's no excuse for any of us not to strive a bit harder for our dreams. My God! She plays 100 shows a year with the most highly sensitive and trained musicians on earth and doesn't use her ears. Mind blowing.
She's quite a bit older now than in this video, but this is a fine introduction to her:
In the piece tonight, there was a bowed vibraphone part. I didn't even know that was done. Really beautiful sound, especially when she lightly taps the attack and then bows it into a blooming, evolving note. Ghostly sound. I was bummed to learn the V is so expensive. I'd love to have one. I'll have to settle for faking it with a sampler or FM synth.
The Shostakovich Symphony No. 10 was also performed. Really lovely piece, especially the third movement. Evelyn didn't take part in that piece.
Anyway, strive harder you bunch of two-eared slackers (myself included) !!
was in the old Free Mason's lodge in Trondheim, a fairly intimate affair across the street from the fire department (which put a dent in quite a few concerts back before they built the new concert hall there). The local newspaper had an interview with her that day, and of course back then (this was probably early 80s) she wasn't as famous (and not a 'Dame') as now, so they asked her all the deaf questions. She answered that she picked up most of the nuances down there! 
I was a teenager, and although I DO remember that she played the marimba and xylophone with a vituosity I've never seen since (except the couple of times I've seen her again), I certainly remember having a bit of a boner throughout the session. It's hard not to think about pussy when you're in a room filled with sound that you KNOW is being scrutinized by a highly trained clit.
