Dame Evelyn Glennie to play Edinburgh Fringe

SCOTLAND’S percussionist superstar Dame Evelyn Glennie is to stage a series of spectacular outdoor shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in the grounds of one of the city’s most historic schools.

Dame Evelyn will dissolve the boundaries between artforms. Picture: Getty

The 17th-century quadrangle at George Heriot’s will be used for the festival for the first time, for a performance which will combine music and painting to dramatic effect.

Dame Evelyn, who has been profoundly deaf since the age of 12, is joining forces with a Russian artist, Maria Rud, for The Animotion Show.

Images of her evolving paintings will be beamed on to the gothic architecture which is said to have inspired JK Rowling to create the Hogwarts School of Wizardry.

The Animotion Show, which is being staged at the Fringe by Berlin-based producers Aurora Nova, will have an extended run in Edinburgh this summer ahead of a string of performances at Cambridge University’s King’s College.

The pair staged a one-off performance in the grand hall of the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh in October 2012, inspired by its Catherine the Great exhibition, just a few months after the Aberdeenshire-born musicians’s dazzling appearance in the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.

Thousands of festival-goers are expected to flock to the live art and music event for its 16-show run in this August, for what is billed as “a truly unforgettable sound and image fusion.” Some of the Fringe shows will feature additional performances by a folk song ensemble from Georgia.

Dame Evelyn, 49, is the first major name to be confirmed for this year’s Fringe ahead of the official programme launch in June. It will be her first appearance at the Edinburgh Festival since she performed a recital concert at the Usher Hall in 2007.

The Fringe show has been unveiled just weeks after Dame Evelyn was announced as the latest recipient of the music industry’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize, along with country singer Emmylou Harris.

Dame Evelyn said: “The AniMotion Show integrates the performing skills of the musicians and the artist together with the architecture, creating an ethereal visual experience.

“This stunning collective of music, art and structure morph in such a way that the eye sees the spirit and essence of the building as an evolving narrative. It is my absolute privilege to be part of such an amazing experience.”

Ms Rud, who was born in Moscow and studied fine art from the age of just seven, added: “By dissolving boundaries between artforms, you reveal a whole new world and a new artform. The Animotion Show in its entirety is a concept which brings together music and art – hearing the colour and seeing the sound.” Cameron Wyllie, principal at George Heriot’s, which dates back to 1628, said: “Everyone here is very excited about our participation in this wonderful project.”

The Animotion Show is at George Heriot’s School from 14-29 August.

FOLLOW US

Twitter | Facebook | Google+

Subscribe to our DAILY NEWSLETTER (requires registration)

SCOTSMAN TABLET AND MOBILE APPS

iPhone | iPad | Android | Kindle