Hearing Loss no obstacle to a music career
Hearing Loss no obstacle to a music career for talented Christchurch woman
Talented pianist Rebekah Stewart has won a coveted position at the 4th International Music Festival “Beats of Cochlea” in Poland for people with hearing loss.
‘Beats of Cochlea’ was
created by Polish surgeon Prof. Henryk Skarżyński in 2015
to help hearing implant users express their musical talents
and to show the world that hearing loss is not an obstacle
to a music career. This year’s festival runs from
9-12 July 2018 in Warsaw
Poland.
“I have always loved
classical music and my favourite composer is Chopin, who was
originally from Poland. To win a trip to Poland has made a
childhood dream come
true”
Listening
to music is a milestone achievement for people with severe
to profound hearing loss. Thanks to hearing implants, many
users are able to enjoy their favourite songs, while others
take their love of music one step further by playing
instruments, singing, composing and recording music. To
people with normal hearing it is still astounding to see how
well musicians with hearing implants perform.
Rebekah
explains “Having a hearing loss has meant that I
struggled to hear and critique my own playing but also going
to classical performances such as operas and symphony
orchestras has been difficult. Since getting my MED-EL BoneBridge implant all of that
has changed, I can now even discern when different parts of
the orchestra are playing, and I am teaching students piano
performance and music theory”
Rebekah now holds a
Bachelor of Music from the University if Canterbury,
Christchurch and has achieved all grades in piano
performance through the Royal Schools of Music. At the
festival Rebekah will have the opportunity to further
develop her skills under the guidance of famous musicians,
artists and teachers.
The festival is sponsored by
MED-EL, one of the world’s leaders in hearing implant
development. Continuous technological advances in the
hearing implants field ensure that users are provided with
every possibility to fulfil their hearing dreams. MED-EL
plays a key role in enabling them to enjoy listening to
music through specifically designed features that enable
recipients to perceive music in a more natural way and enjoy
the intricate notes of their favourite songs more clearly
and accurately.
Rebekah’s ENT surgeon Dr Melanie
Souter commented:
“Rebekah absolutely deserves this
opportunity to play at the 2018 Beats of Cochlea in Poland.
She is a very talented pianist! The BoneBridge bone
conduction implant has helped Rebekah, (who is unable to
wear standard hearing aids) not only in everyday
communication, but also with her music, and given her more
confidence in everyday life.”
For more
information about ‘Beats of Cochlea’ visit www.festiwal.ifps.org.pl. To find out
more about MED-EL please visit www.medel.com.