Beverly Glenn-Copeland Says He’s Been Diagnosed With Dementia

Beverly Glenn-Copeland has shared that he has been diagnosed with dementia. The 80-year-old Canada-based composer announced the news alongside his wife and creative partner, Elizabeth Glenn-Copeland. He also shared that his upcoming tour dates with Elizabeth will be their final live performances. See a list of those final shows below.

“We want to challenge the mainstream image of this illness, which focuses on loss. We are actively asking the universe to show us where the life is here,” Glenn-Copeland said, in part, about the diagnosis. “I want to thank Elizabeth for her unending caregiving and support, and for the brilliance of her creative vision, which has often gone unnoticed. It’s because of her that I’m still able to join you onstage for this tour, which will be my last.”

Glenn-Copeland, whose innovative, decades-long music career spans folk, avant-jazz, ambient, and more, saw a creative renaissance following the 2016 rediscovery of his 1986 LP Keyboard Fantasies. In 2023, he released his first new album in 20 years, The Ones Ahead. His life and art was also captured in the career-spanning compilation Transmissions, as well as the 2019 documentary Keyboard Fantasies.

Beverly Glenn-Copeland:

09-26 Montreal, Quebec – Rialto Theatre*
09-30 Brooklyn, NY – Pioneer Works #
10-05 Saugerties, NY – Opus 40 #

* with Mimi O’Bonsawin
# Beverly Glenn-Copeland & Friends: The Salon Evening