Against all odds

Orla O Sullivan is a Deaf-Blind pianist, and teacher. She uses music as a way of overcoming her profound deafness and visual impairment. Qualified teacher since 1991, she teaches music in a unique and successful way, as to which her many pupils can attest.

“Through my music I have found a freedom.. the freedom to express myself, to entertain, to achieve, and not let disability limit my enjoyment and celebration of life”

But her greatest joy comes from performing in front of a live audience. This is where she can feel and share the music of the great composers. Composers like Chopin, Debussy, Liszt, and Beethoven, to name a few. She also plays music from the most popular film scores and musicals.

You can view some of her performances through her website at: www.orlaosullivan.ie. For bookings she can be contacted at her website or by (text only) at 087 915 94 94, or Tel: (Dan) 087 620 74 60, and Email: boosullivan@eircom.net. Her CD ‘Sound Senses’ can be purchased through her website, or from, Cork School Of Music, Pro Musica, Cork City Library, and the Cork Deaf Association.

Thoughts on communication through music after a recent performance:

Thank you for coming.. And thank you for listening.. What you just heard was Consolation by Franz Liszt, who wrote this timeless masterpiece nearly two hundred years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N70kXajzjcc&feature=related

When this was written there were no sound recordings, no CDs, no websites, and no hearing aids.
I know you applauded, because I could just about see your hands move.. and yes I did hear it too.. Faintly..
You see I wear powerful hearing aids.. If I did not have them I would have to ask you to stamp your feet instead of applaud.. That way I'd feel the vibrations through the floor.. so.. hobnail boots are welcome at my performances..
I tell you these things to make a point.. The point is.. just because I am deaf does not mean I can't hear. Just because I am almost blind does not mean that I don't see.. You see I have the other senses that give me the gift of imagination.. the ability to feel the sound, to enhance a vision.
And my great vision is that all Deaf, Blind and Deafblind children can appreciate music, to feel it, to perceive it.. the beauty of it… to play it, to see it in their imagination.
You see Music is a profound gift to the human spirit. Music makes you sing, dance.. builds your confidence and co-ordination. Music opens your heart, and it heals your mind.. Thank you.
Orla O Sullivan is a Deaf-Blind pianist, and teacher. She uses music as a way of overcoming her profound deafness and visual impairment. Qualified teacher since 1991, she teaches music in a unique and successful way, as to which her many pupils can attest.

“Through my music I have found a freedom.. the freedom to express myself, to entertain, to achieve, and not let disability limit my enjoyment and celebration of life”

But her greatest joy comes from performing in front of a live audience. This is where she can feel and share the music of the great composers. Composers like Chopin, Debussy, Liszt, and Beethoven, to name a few. She also plays music from the most popular film scores and musicals.

You can view some of her performances through her website at: www.orlaosullivan.ie. For bookings she can be contacted at her website or by (text only) at 087 915 94 94, or Tel: (Dan) 087 620 74 60, and Email: boosullivan@eircom.net. Her CD ‘Sound Senses’ can be purchased through her website, or from, Cork School Of Music, Pro Musica, Cork City Library, and the Cork Deaf Association.

Thoughts on communication through music after a recent performance:
Thank you for coming.. And thank you for listening.. What you just heard was Consolation by Franz Liszt, who wrote this timeless masterpiece nearly two hundred years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N70kXajzjcc&feature=related
When this was written there were no sound recordings, no CDs, no websites, and no hearing aids. I know you applauded, because I could just about see your hands move.. and yes I did hear it too.. Faintly..
You see I wear powerful hearing aids.. If I did not have them I would have to ask you to stamp your feet instead of applaud.. That way I'd feel the vibrations through the floor.. so.. hobnail boots are welcome at my performances..
I tell you these things to make a point.. The point is.. just because I am deaf does not mean I can't hear. Just because I am almost blind does not mean that I don't see.. You see I have the other senses that give me the gift of imagination.. the ability to feel the sound, to enhance a vision.
And my great vision is that all Deaf, Blind and Deafblind children can appreciate music, to feel it, to perceive it.. the beauty of it… to play it, to see it in their imagination.
You see Music is a profound gift to the human spirit. Music makes you sing, dance.. builds your confidence and co-ordination. Music opens your heart, and it heals your mind.. Thank you.

Orla, the world's first Deaf-Blind music teacher, pianist and performer, uses music as a way of overcoming her profound deafness and visual impairment. Unlike Beethoven, who became Deaf in his adulthood, Orla was only six weeks old when she became Deaf-Blind due to medication for an illness. She was a premature baby who contracted an infection in hospital. She was given oxygen and streptomycin which damaged both her eyes and ears. She was taught nursery rhymes and songs by her mother, which stimulated her musical ear from an early age. She helped her play the piano by holding her fingers on the keys so that she could feel the vibration and hear the sounds. She started formal piano lessons at the age of six and through her school years she got the highest scores in her music Inter and Leaving Cert exam ear tests. She also learned several instruments including violin, guitar, piano accordion, electronic keyboard, and organ. She has an Associate Diploma in Performance for Piano (A.T.C.L.) by Trinity College London. She also has Diploma in Youth and Community Work (U.C.C), Music Performance, Management and Sound, and a teacher’s Cert VCM. She also studied organ in St. Fin Barr’s Cathedral.

Breaking Barriers

As Orla has DSL ( Dual Sensory Loss ) since an illness in her early childhood, there were many obstacles and barriers that prevented her from participating in all the usual childhood activities such as – games in the school yard and in the park, cycling, (sight) and P.E In her teenage years her social activities were limited and it still is a problem when she is with the able bodied community – “I am always, nearly always left out in a group situation unless I have someone by my side to sign or interpret for me.” The one and only aspect of her life which has sustained her and helped her to overcome these barriers is her love of music. Through my music I have found a freedom – freedom to entertain myself, to feel uplifted and worthy, a sense of achievement and getting noticed when I performed, instead of being “left out.” Many Hard of Hearing/Deaf have expressed their delight at being able to enjoy her playing – as they can feel the tempo/beat from the piano. They find it relaxing and easy to listen to. This is due mainly to the fact that Orla plays solo piano pieces which are easy to listen to. This feedback inspired me to make a CD which would benefit people with sight and hearing disabilities, and of course the general public will also enjoy this music!