Beverly Glenn-Copeland

Beverly Glenn-Copeland
Glenn-Copeland (fourth from left) in 2024
Background information
Born
Beverly Anne Glenn

(1944-01-13) January 13, 1944
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OriginSackville, New Brunswick, Canada (now Tantramar, New Brunswick, Canada)
GenresJazz, new age, folk
OccupationsSongwriter, musician, actor
InstrumentsGuitar, piano, synthesizer
Years active1970–present
LabelsGRT, Atlast
Websitebeverlyglenncopeland.com and www.songcycles.com

Beverly Glenn-Copeland (born Beverly Anne Glenn,[1] January 13, 1944) is an American-born Canadian[2][3] songwriter, actor, and musician. He is best known for albums such as his self-titled 1971 record, Keyboard Fantasies (1986), and The Ones Ahead (2023).[4] He contributed to the Romy Madley Croft album Mid Air (2023) and the Transa project in his career resurgence in the 2020s. His most recent studio album, Laughter in Summer (2026), was released on February 6, 2026 as Glenn-Copeland was dealing with a dementia diagnosis.[5] Glenn-Copeland began publicly identifying as a trans man in 2002.[6][7][8]

Early life

Beverly Anne Glenn was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 13 1944 to a musical Quaker family.[9] His mother was originally from Georgia. He was raised at Greenbelt Knoll whilst his father studied as a professor of artistic anthropology and aesthetics.[10] As a child, Glenn-Copeland listened to his father play the music of Bach, Chopin, and Mozart on the piano, and heard his mother occasionally sing spirituals.[8]

In 1961, Glenn relocated to Montreal at the age of 16 to study at McGill University's classical music studies program, historically becoming one of the university's first black students.[11] He predominantly studied classical singing and vocal training, as well as minor studies in lied and oboe.[12] He did not finish his degree, and retired from McGill; he later retreated to New York to study in operatic singing.[12]

Musical career

Glenn-Copeland started his career as a folk singer incorporating jazz, classical, and blues elements.[13] He also performed on albums by Ken Friesen, Bruce Cockburn, Gene Murtynec, Bob Disalle, and Kathryn Moses,[14][13] and was a writer on Sesame Street.[15] He spent twenty-five years entertaining children as a regular actor on Canadian children's television show Mr. Dressup.[16]

Glenn-Copeland's 1986 electronic album Keyboard Fantasies, recorded using equipment including a Yamaha DX7 and a Roland TR-707,[17] and other recordings were rediscovered and promoted by Japanese record collector Ryota Masuko in 2015.[8][18][19] Before Glenn-Copeland's gender transition was made public, Keyboard Fantasies was selected as one of the 70 greatest recordings by women by The Stranger.[20] The album was named as the public vote winner of the Polaris Heritage Prize at the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.[21] Keyboard Fantasies was remastered and reissued in February 2017 as Copeland Keyboard Fantasies by Invisible City Editions[22] and re-released again on vinyl that same year on Séance Centre.

Other albums by Glenn-Copeland include Beverly Copeland (1970), Beverly Glenn-Copeland (1971), At Last! (1980), Primal Prayer (released under the pseudonym Phynix in 2004), and the career-spanning compilation Transmissions (2020).[23]

Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story, a documentary directed by Posy Dixon, was released in 2019.[24][25]

Planned 2020 international tours to Australia, the United Kingdom, and other European destinations were rescheduled to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A fundraising campaign was initiated to help Glenn-Copeland and his wife after the loss of their house that resulted from these changes; the campaign raised over $90,000.[26] In the same year, Glenn-Copeland created a prerecorded video performance of his song "Courage" for Buddies in Bad Times and CBC Gem's online Queer Pride Inside show.[27]

His 2023 album The Ones Ahead was a longlisted nominee for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize.[28]

In 2024 Glenn-Copeland was awarded an honorary doctorate from University of Toronto, and won the Joyce Warshow Lifetime Achievement Award from SAGE, an organization that focuses on advocacy and services for LGBTQ+ elders.

In 2025, Glenn-Copeland and his wife Elizabeth Copeland recorded a new album, Laughter in Summer, due out in February 2026.[29][30]

Personal life

In 1973, while in Los Angeles, Glenn-Copeland fell in love with the chanting at a local Soka Gakkai International meeting and has been a practicing Buddhist since the mid-1970s.[31]

Glenn-Copeland is married to Elizabeth Copeland, who he met in 1992 and has collaborated with in education, arts, and activism. The two live in Hamilton, Ontario.[29]

In September 2024, Glenn-Copeland shared that he has been diagnosed with dementia.[5]

Discography

Studio albums

  • Beverly Copeland (CBC Radio Canada, 1970)
  • Beverly Glenn-Copeland (GRT Records, 1971)
  • At Last! (Atlast, 1980)
  • Keyboard Fantasies (Atlast, 1986)[32]
    • Copeland Keyboard Fantasies (Invisible City, 2017) – remastered and reissued edition
    • Copeland Keyboard Fantasies (Séance Centre, 2017) – on vinyl
  • Primal Prayer (Org Music, 2004) – released under the pseudonym Phynix
  • The Ones Ahead (Transgressive, 2023)
  • Laughter in Summer (Transgressive, 2026) – collaborative album with Elizabeth Copeland

Other albums

Films

References

  1. ^ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland's Late Bloom | The Walrus". July 27, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  2. ^ "Exclusive: Watch Beverly-Glenn Copeland's Incredible Lecture at the Red Bull Music Academy Weekender in Montreal". Complex. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  3. ^ Weldon, Tori (May 28, 2020). "Musician's meteoric rise comes to a crashing halt | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  4. ^ "Keyboard Fantasies review – glorious doc about pioneering trans composer". The Guardian. November 9, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Snapes, Laura (September 24, 2024). "Acclaimed ambient composer Beverly Glenn-Copeland shares dementia diagnosis". The Guardian. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  6. ^ "Voice soars above gender, says transgender man performing in Toronto this week". Cbc.ca. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  7. ^ "The singer formerly seen as she". Theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c "Beverly Glenn-Copeland's Music for a Future That Never Came". The New Yorker. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  9. ^ Schot, Josh (April 10, 2021). "Musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland on growing up black and gay in Philadelphia, and finding fame at 70". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  10. ^ McCabe, Allyson (November 29, 2021). "Honored onscreen and in sound, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, a messenger whose time is now". NPR. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  11. ^ Díaz, Devan (January 7, 2020). "Going Exploring With Beverly Glenn-Copeland". Papermag.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Currin, Grayson Haver (September 14, 2020). "Listeners Found Beverly Glenn-Copeland. It Was Time". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  13. ^ a b "Beverley Glenn-Copeland - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  14. ^ Archive, Canadian Jazz (March 7, 2024). "Kathryn Moses Musician Biography | Canadian Jazz Archive Online". canadianjazzarchive.net. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  15. ^ Ryce, Andrew. "Review: Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Copeland Keyboard Fantasies". Resident Advisor. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  16. ^ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland". Seance-centre.com. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  17. ^ Ediriwira, Amar (October 20, 2016). "Invisible City Editions preps Beverly Glenn-Copeland reissue". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  18. ^ Shapiro, Ari (April 9, 2020). "Play It Forward: Glenn Copeland On Patience, Positivity And The Band Bernice". Npr.org. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  19. ^ "The Incredible Life of Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Canadian Music's Unsung Hero | Exclaim!". The Incredible Life of Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Canadian Music's Unsung Hero | Exclaim!. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  20. ^ "The Problem with NPR's '150 Greatest Albums Made by Women' List". Thestranger.com. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  21. ^ "2020 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize Winners Named". FYI Music News, November 16, 2020.
  22. ^ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Copeland Keyboard Fantasies · Album Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  23. ^ Currin, Grayson Haver (September 14, 2020). "Listeners Found Beverly Glenn-Copeland. It Was Time". The New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  24. ^ Reynolds, Daniel (August 28, 2020). "The World Is Finally Ready for Trans Musical Genius Glenn Copeland". The Advocate. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  25. ^ "Review: In 'Keyboard Fantasies,' legendary musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland gets his due". Los Angeles Times. October 30, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  26. ^ Sanders, Wren (June 3, 2020). "GoFundMe Launched for Composer and Black Trans Elder Beverly Glenn-Copeland". Them.us. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  27. ^ Peter Knegt, "This Pride, come inside for a digital queer cabaret unlike anything else". CBC Arts, June 22, 2020.
  28. ^ "2024 Polaris Music Prize long list: the Beaches, Tobi, Elisapie, Beverly Glenn-Copeland and more". CBC Music, June 11, 2024.
  29. ^ a b Lynskey, Dorian (October 17, 2025). "'What I do with my body is none of your business': musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland on trans rights, cult stardom and living with dementia". The Guardian. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  30. ^ Monroe, Jazz. "Beverly Glenn-Copeland Announces New Album Laughter in Summer, Shares Songs: Listen". Pitchfork. No. October 8, 2025. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  31. ^ Negru, John Harvey (March 31, 2018). "We're All Different: Musician Glenn Copeland on his journey as a Black, Buddhist, transgender artist - Lion's Roar". Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  32. ^ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Keyboard Fantasies". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  33. ^ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland – Live at Le Guess Who?". AllMusic. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  34. ^ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Transmissions: The Music of Beverly Glenn-Copeland". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  35. ^ Smyth, David (December 10, 2021). "Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Keyboard Fantasies Reimagined review". Evening Standard. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  36. ^ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Keyboard Fantasies Reimagined". The Irish Times. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  37. ^ "TRAИƧA, by Red Hot Org". Red Hot Org. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  38. ^ Anania, Billy (February 14, 2022). "The Joyful Return of a Trans Icon and Electronic Music Pioneer". Hyperallergic. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  39. ^ Hansen, Candace (December 10, 2024). "Beverly Glenn-Copeland's triumphant L.A. debut coincides with forthcoming doc about his dementia". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 31, 2025.

Further reading

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