Dame Evelyn Glennie is set to make her 19th appearance at The Proms this Tuesday, marking her debut performance at a Late Night Prom at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The internationally acclaimed solo percussionist, known for being the only deaf recipient of a Grammy Award, will share the stage with the BBC Singers and the Fantasia Orchestra in what promises to be one of this year’s most adventurous concerts.

At 61 years old, Dame Evelyn has forged a distinguished career that challenges conventional perceptions of music and musicianship. Having begun to lose her hearing at the age of eight, she performs barefoot to better sense the vibrations of sound through her body, demonstrating how music can be experienced beyond traditional hearing. This year, her featured instrument is the halo, a percussion instrument that rests across her lap and plays a central role in her compositions and performances.

The Late Night Prom program will include a diverse range of works such as Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to Music—originally composed in honor of Proms founder Sir Henry Wood—alongside pieces inspired by Radiohead, jazz legends Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw’s Partita, and a world premiere by Héloïse Werner. This eclectic selection reflects The Proms’ longstanding commitment to presenting a wide spectrum of musical styles and generations.

Dame Evelyn emphasized the significance of The Proms as a unique festival that spans a lengthy period each summer and attracts a varied demographic. She described it as a celebration of “human creativity” that showcases both emerging talent and established artists, underscoring its role in nurturing the creative spirit and fostering a connection between performers and audiences.

Beyond her performances, Dame Evelyn is an advocate for inclusion and education within music, working to broaden understanding of sound as a multisensory experience. She argues that music is fundamentally vibration, and that the entire body acts as a receptor, challenging norms about how music is perceived and experienced.

Her upcoming performance at the Proms not only highlights her remarkable musicianship but also continues her mission to inspire new ways of listening, reaffirming the enduring power of music to bridge individuals across diverse experiences.