Patron Capital, the pan-European institutional investor focused on property-backed investments, recently welcomed Dame Evelyn Glennie as a speaker in the latest installment of its Greatness Lectures. An ambassador of the PTI (a charity of the Patron School’s Initiative), Dame Evelyn Glennie is the first person in history to create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist, performing worldwide with the greatest orchestras and artists.
Evelyn’s hearing declined from the age of 8 but she became a proficient pianist and later was introduced to percussion at the age of 12. She gained a place at The Royal Academy of Music in London at the age of 16 where she studied percussion and piano. She quickly realised there was a life for percussion outside the orchestra and became determined to define a new genre of solo percussion.
Evelyn paved the way for orchestras globally to feature percussion concerti when she played the first percussion concerto in the history of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in 1992. Evelyn has commissioned over 200 new works for solo percussion and has recorded over 40 CDs. She regularly provides masterclasses and consultations to inspire the next generation of musicians.
Leading 1000 drummers, Evelyn had a prominent role in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games which also featured a new instrument, the Glennie Concert Aluphone.
Keith Breslauer, Managing Director of Patron Capital, said:
“I found last week’s lecture by Dame Evelyn profoundly inspiring. Her philosophy towards work and success – the importance of determination, listening to oneself, learning from disappointment and being comfortable in your own skin – really chimed with my own and hearing how she has overcome various obstacles gave the entire audience food for thought. After a series of hybrid and online events, it felt very special to host the first in-person Greatness Lecture at the Patron offices since lockdown and I am already looking forward to the next one.”
Evelyn was awarded an OBE in 1993 and has over 100 international awards to date, including 2 GRAMMY’s, the Polar Music Prize and the Companion of Honour. She was appointed as the first female President of Help Musicians, and since 2021 she has been Chancellor of Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland. Dame Evelyn Glennie is also an Ambassador for the PTI (formerly The Prince’s Teaching Institute).
Evelyn is the curator for The Evelyn Glennie Collection which includes in excess of 3,500 percussion instruments. The film Touch the Sound, TED Talk and her book Listen World! are key testimonies to her unique and innovative approach to sound-creation. Through her mission to Teach the World to Listen she aims to improve communication and social cohesion by encouraging everyone to discover new ways of listening in order to inspire, to create, to engage and to empower.
Media Enquiries to:
For Patron Capital
Henry Columbine/Polly Warrack t: +44 (0)7808 541191
SEC Newgate e: patron@secnewgate.co.uk
Notes to Editors
About Patron Capital Partners
Patron represents approximately €5.0 billion of capital across several funds and related coinvestments, investing in property, corporate operating entities whose value is primarily supported by property assets and distressed debt and credit related businesses. Since it was established in 1999, Patron has undertaken more than 200 transactions across 100 investments and programs involving over 9 million square metres in 17 countries, with many of these investments realised. Investors represent a variety of sovereign wealth funds, prominent universities, major institutions, private foundations, and high net worth individuals located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The main investment adviser to the Funds is Patron Capital Advisers LLP, which is based in London, and Patron has other offices across Europe including Barcelona and Luxembourg; the group is comprised of 68 people, including a 41-person investment team. Further information about Patron Capital is available at www.patroncapital.com.
