EVELYN GLENNIE

I associate going to an airport with work because I travel so much with my job. So when I have a few days free from work, I tend to stay at home.

I am really quite fascinated by echo-locating bats and dolphins and have always wondered how sound affects the unconscious brain.

I love out-of-the-way, rugged places. For me, holidays are about the experiences, and the people, and the memories, rather than sitting on a nice beach getting tanned. I try to plant myself where I am and embrace what is there in front of me.

I didn't decide to become a musician until the age of 15, which is quite late.

My hearing is out of the ordinary as others might see it, but not for me. I'm used to my hearing in the same way that I'm used to the size of my hands.

I'm not a deaf musician. I'm a musician who happens to be deaf.

The human body and mind are tremendous forces that are continually amazing scientists and society. Therefore, we have no choice but to keep an open mind as to what the human being can achieve.

Percussion is the most adaptable family of instruments. The biggest challenge is to project percussion in a lyrical way.

Your mallet or your stick goes through the instrument, the sound goes out and then wherever the sound goes nobody knows, you know.

Percussion is physical, as most instruments are. The body must function well in order to play the instruments well. Last year I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

Apart from Scottish traditional music, I wasn't really influenced by any kind of music. I just basically followed my own instincts.

The thing about playing percussion is that you can create all these emotions that can be sometimes beautiful, sometimes really ugly, or sometimes sweet, sometimes as big as King Kong and so on. And so there can be a real riot out there, or it can be so refined.

I want to be able to say on my deathbed that I reached a few people. That would be very nice, just to be able to say that.

I just assumed the world was full of solo percussionists. I couldn't find sticks or music or anything where I was, but that was expected because there was nothing there anyway. And I think that was possibly the greatest asset for me, just not knowing.

Anything you strike, anything you shake or rattle, or just anything that can be picked up, and you can create a sound.

As we live longer and healthier for longer, we need to keep ourselves busy... the diary is pretty full.

I walk into a kids' store, and it's amazing, the types of instruments - little squeaky things, rattling things, spinning tops.

Hearing is a form of touch. I could hear less through the ears but more through the body.

I often play on the cello-bass side of the orchestra, because I prefer the deep sounds. I can't hear the violins well.

Music is about communication... it isn't just something that maybe physically sounds good or orally sounds interesting; it's something far, far deeper than that.

What I have to do as a musician is do everything that is not on the music.

My favorite instrument is the snare drum. In Scotland, the snare drum is very prominent in Highland bands. The Scottish style of playing is in my blood. It's a very powerful instrument, but it can also be soothing, like velvet. It's a real challenge for composers.

There are many collaborations I'd like to explore. One is to co-write a rap concerto with Eminem.

The audience plays a huge part in how a piece will actually form. They really allow the performers to walk a tightrope in a way that never seems to happen in the privacy of your own four walls. I'm listening to the audience, and they're listening to me.

When I was 12, I happened to see a schoolmate playing percussion, and it looked interesting. I asked for lessons, and it felt right.