Singer, composer, and transgender activist Beverly Glenn-Copeland was born in Philadelphia in 1944 to a musical family. His father was an active pianist who would play the music of Mozart, Bach, and Chopin for hours a day, and his mother would sometimes sing spiritual songs. As a teenager, Glenn-Copeland took to collecting records of various musical genres ranging from American blues & folk to African drumming and Chinese music, which would have a great impact on his eccentric and diverse musical style. He played both the guitar and the oboe, and in 1961, moved to Montreal to study classical music at McGill University, making him one of the first Black students to attend the school. After completing his studies at McGill, and studying as a lieder singer in New York, Glenn-Copeland moved to Toronto and began writing his own compositions that merged all his influences.

Throughout his 50-year recording career, he has released 6 studio albums ranging in musical influence and genre, including classical traditions, folk, jazz, techno, funk-rock, hip-hop, and traditional music – the only consistency in his work being the “extraordinary fusion of vision, technology, spirituality and place.” In addition to his recordings, Glenn-Copeland is recognized for his work on the albums of acclaimed artists like Bruce Cockburn and Cat Stevens, and for his work in children’s television. He was a reoccurring actor on the popular Canadian television show Mr. Dressup and wrote for Sesame Street. He developed his own show, The Energy Kids, in the 1990’s while simultaneously being a member of the funding body of the Toronto Arts Council. While his early records did not breach much success at the time of their release, his fourth studio album, Keyboard Fantasies (1986), was discovered by Japanese record collector Ryota Masuko in 2015, causing widespread interest in the record. The record was then reissued by Invisible City Editions in 2016, and his previous records followed.

Glenn-Copeland, at 74, undertook his very first global tour, and has since released two more studio albums, a live record, and received Polaris Heritage Prize in 2020 for Keyboard Fantasies. He has collaborated with house producer Jesse Futerman, been cited as an influence for artists like Blood Orange, Moses Sumney, and Caribou, and had his works remixed by the liked of artists like Bon Iver, Flock of Dimes, and Thom Gill. Now in his late 70s, Beverly-Glenn Copeland (Glenn to close friends and acquaintances) has resumed performing with his new band, Indigo Rising, around Europe and Canada.

Awards

• Slaight Family Polaris Prize (2020) Robert Johnston Visionary Artist Award (2023)