Beats of Cochlea 2025: Meet MED-EL’s Musicians

At this year’s festival, MED-EL cochlear implant users took the stage to share not just their talent, but their personal hearing stories. Find out how four musicians from four different countries are connected by one common thread: the life-changing power of sound.

Claudia, Pianist

Claudia, a pianist from Italy, discovered her bilateral hearing loss at age 11, but it wasn’t until 2012 that she began using hearing aids. After further hearing decline, she received her MED-EL cochlear implant in 2016. With her RONDO 3, Claudia says she’s found not only better hearing, but also her perfect pitch again.

A lifelong musician from a family of pianists, Claudia used music as her own form of rehabilitation, starting with familiar songs and environmental sounds and eventually retraining her ear for pitch. Today, she describes listening with a CI as “like using professional headphones.”

At Beats of Cochlea 2025, Claudia performed her original composition “Siamo noi” (“It’s Us”), a tribute to the resilience of people who face challenges with courage and creativity.

Stephen, Singer & Songwriter

When professional musician Stephen lost hearing in his left ear in 2022, it came without warning— and with lasting impact. Diagnosed with single-sided deafness, Stephen feared for his future in music. But after receiving a MED-EL implant and SONNET 2 audio processor in December 2023, things began to change.

With the guidance of his surgeon and the support of his audiologist, Stephen saw steady improvement through focused training and multiple mapping sessions. He learned to blend his CI and natural hearing, using tools like Hearoes, Meludia, and even panning instruments into his CI during practice.

At this year’s Beats of Cochlea festival, Stephen proudly represented Australia, performing his original song “I Don’t Mind the Rain.”

Almut, Pianist

Music has been at the heart of Almut’s life since childhood. A classically trained pianist and long-time lecturer at the University of Music in Hanover, she spent over four decades performing, teaching, and curating concert series across Germany.

After years of progressive hearing loss and a sudden acoustic trauma, Almut received a MED-EL cochlear implant in 2022. With daily training and persistence, she regained speech understanding and rhythm perception. While music still presents challenges, her passion for the piano remains strong.

In 2023, she gave her final chamber music concert with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Quartet. At Beats of Cochlea 2025, she returned to the solo stage, performing two pieces by Chopin, a Nocturne and a Waltz. This was her first solo performance in 25 years.

Tymoteusz, Saxophonist

Nine-year-old Tymoteusz was born with profound bilateral hearing loss. After starting with hearing aids at six months old, he received his first MED-EL cochlear implant shortly after his first birthday, followed by a second implant by age three. Thanks to early intervention and ongoing therapy, Tymoteusz has continued to develop his hearing and love for music.

Music is a constant in his family: His sister plays piano, his dad guitar, and his mom sings. Inspired by the piano sounds at home, Tymoteusz auditioned and became the first implanted student at his music academy in Poland. At Beats of Cochlea 2025, he performed on saxophone alongside his teacher, an unforgettable experience he cherishes.

A Global Stage for Shared Stories

Beats of Cochlea is about connection, community, and celebrating the ways cochlear implants help people not only hear again but find joy in music again. For musicians like Stephen, Almut, Claudia, and Tymoteusz, music is more than a passion. It’s a way to share hope with others on similar journeys.

At MED-EL, we’re proud to support every step of that journey: from first sounds to standing ovations. Check out the photo gallery below to witness the joy that filled the air at this year’s Beats of Cochlea!

Photo courtesy of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing