Meet The Deaf Musicians At Beats Of Cochlea 2018

From piano prodigies to singing sensations, Beats of Cochlea is just like any other music festival. But there’s one small difference—all the people on the stage are deaf musicians.

Beats of Cochlea is a unique festival that gives musicians with hearing implants the chance to introduce their musical talent to the world. It’s held every year in Warsaw, Poland, and the participants receive personalized training in professional masterclasses and workshops. There’s also the chance to show off their skills in a grand gala concert at the end of the week.

Deaf musicians come from all around the world to take part, bringing a wide range of musical styles with them. Whether you’re into virtuoso violin playing or death-metal drumming, there are many different instruments and genres to enjoy. But the musicians all have one thing in common: they all love making music with their hearing implants!

We’ll be at Beats of Cochlea next week, bringing you the latest news from the festival. But first, let’s meet three of the deaf musicians who will be performing.

Shiang-Tzu Huang from Taiwan

“Hearing wonderful and touching music is one of the best things about my cochlear implant.”

Shiang-Tzu may only be nine years old, but don’t let that fool you. Her beautiful piano playing, and great technique, instantly won her a spot on the Beats of Cochlea stage. Flying in all the way from Taiwan, Shiang-Tzu is hoping the experience will help her with her future career: “I would like to be a music teacher.”

Niraj Mehta from India

“For me, music is my passion.”

When Niraj discovered the guitar two years ago, he instantly knew it was for him. Inspired by his father’s love for music, Niraj started learning the guitar so that they could play together. And since getting his BONEBRIDGE implant, Niraj feels his playing has improved a lot: “Now whenever I make a mistake I can easily recognize it, which I was not able to before.”

Rebekah Stewart from New Zealand

“Going to musical events is great because I can hear absolutely everything!”

Rebekah has played the piano for almost her whole life, as well as the clarinet and singing. But her hearing loss made it difficult: “I struggled to hear and critique my own playing.” However with her BONEBRIDGE implant, life has changed dramatically for Rebekah and she now works as a piano teacher. Warsaw is also the home of her favorite composer, Chopin: “To win a trip to Poland is amazing!”

Want to find out more about Beats of Cochlea? Check out this post from Sharlene, one of the musicians at last year’s festival.