Quite a Dame

It seems to be the week for famous British people whose names begin with E to visit the Capital District.  Monday night we saw Eddie in Albany, and this afternoon we whisked the Boy over to Troy to experience the skills of world famous percussionist, Dame Evelyn Glennie.

She wasn't performing, though.  She was holding a masterclass for selected percussionists from the Empire State Youth Orchestra, and the sessions were open to the public.

I was surprised how few people had turned out for this free event, but perhaps it's a rather specialist thing?  Anyway, listening to Glennie describe the intricacies and subtleties of percussion playing (specifically, marimba) was just fantastic - she is a brilliant presenter, with great powers of description, and a very kind manner with the students who must have been completely over-awed by the occasion.  We watched two 30-minute sessions, and I for one was enchanted. 

A couple of times she took over the marimba from the student to demonstrate a point she was trying to make.  In one case the student had played perfectly ably - but Glennie's skills took the music to an entirely different level. She is quite extraordinary.

The masterclass took place in the concert hall at EMPAC, the Experimental Media and Performance Arts Center at RPI [Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute].  It's a relatively new and very beautiful performance space, and I hope to get back there for a formal performance sometime soon.