Dame gets ready to rock in Tout Quarry

7:55am Friday 15th August 2008

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ROCK ON! Percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie performed on an instrument made from Portland stone.

The solo percussionist played a lithophone, an instrument resembling a large xylophone, with bars made from Portland stone, at the island's Tout Quarry.

Dame Evelyn said the visit was organised so she could explore and experiment with the sound of the stones.

She said this is being done in preparation for a live concert, due to take place in the island's quarries sometime over the next two to three years.

She said: "Over the next two years I will be working with a contemporary arts group, the Gulbenkian Foundation, and the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust, to develop this large and unique instrument as part of my role as an ambassador for the Cultural Olympiad.

"I am very keen to promote this exciting project and its implications, both locally and on the worldwide stage, as we approach the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games."

Dame Evelyn is also due to record a short performance for an event linked to the Beijing Paralympics.

Her specialised lithophone is still being worked on by the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust (PSQT), an organisation dedicated to preserving the knowledge and skills of stone working on the island.

PSQT's creative director, Hannah Sofaer, said: "Portland Stone is made from little round egg-shaped calcium carbonate deposits and when you strike these stone they create many different tones, bells and harmonics."

"Ringing the stones by striking them with a tool is a technique used historically by quarrymen and stonemasons to identify a stone's geology and structure and to test for faults in order to make selections."

A spokesman for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council said the authority has helped organise the visit and arranged for it be filmed.

The council's spokesman for leisure, tourism and community facilities, Coun Brendan Webster, said: "We are delighted to support a visit from such an extraordinarily talented and inspirational musician.

"This is yet another indication of the exciting times Weymouth and Portland are currently embarking upon."