London-based songwriter and composer Mark Glentworth has lived a life as dramatic and moving as the music he creates. From a childhood in Lincolnshire, where he was the only student in his school of a thousand studying music to go on to become the youngest percussion student ever accepted into the Royal Northern College of Music at just 16.
His first published percussion composition, Blues for Gilbert, has since become one of the most studied, recorded, and performed tuned percussion piece of all time. But Mark’s path has not been without profound obstacles. At 21, he became a full-time carer for his first wife, newly diagnosed with MS, while building a career as an orchestral percussionist and composer.
Years later, after a second marriage and a flourishing career—including collaborations with Steven Berkoff at the Theatre Royal Haymarket—Mark’s life was derailed by a sudden and extreme breakdown. Struck by tinnitus, insomnia, and muteness, he spent seven years in near-total isolation, lying in silence for 23 hours a day. Doctors could not explain his condition, and survival itself was against the odds. Then, in 2017, everything changed.
Mark slowly began to rebuild his life, returning to the piano and rediscovering the songwriting he loved as a child. Out of this rebirth came his autobiographical solo gig-theatre show SEVEN and a half YEARS, a powerful combination of songs, dialogue, and soundscapes that won “Best New Musical Runner-Up” at the 2021 Edinburgh Festival.
Today, he continues to create and perform, most recently touring Italy in 2025 with the extraordinary blind singer-pianist Frida Bollani. He is also working on a screenplay adaptation of his life story and show.
“It is very inspiring to listen to other people’s material and their stories,” he says. “There will always be surprises and inspiration to be found by becoming part of a community.”
“It really is never too late to go again.”
Mark would like to give special recognition to the incredible work done by “Help Musicians”. You can find out more about their work here.
You can Connect with Mark on Talent Is Timeless here: https://www.talentistimeless.com/members/mark-g/
Talent Is Timeless is a global community of 29,000+ songwriters aged 50 and over, proving that creativity doesn’t come with an expiry date. Our members connect with like-minded artists, participate in monthly songwriting challenges, attend expert-led masterclasses, and compete in our annual contest—with winners recording at iconic studios like Abbey Road. Whether you’re returning to music after years away or writing the best songs of your life, you’ll find encouragement, feedback, and genuine connection here.