Orla O'Sullivan Deaf-Blind pianist, teacher, improviser, and motivator

Interview with Joe Bollard Dublin City FM-
Sept 20th 2010.

Q At what age did you begin to take an interest in music?

At a very young age about 3 or 4, I enjoyed the rhythm and dance. My mother used to teach me lots of rhymes and songs while she held my fingers on the piano keys. I remember being able to ‘feel’ the different sounds through the vibrations .This was the beginning of my experience of sounds.I was able to identify the various levels of pitch, tone and sound. I was too young to realise what a huge learning step this was.. Also the fact that I learned at a very young age was hugely important because it helped me to release my frustration of not being able to communicate orally.

Q Having a hearing disability must have meant more concentration on your part to grasp the rudiments of music.
Yes I had to concentrate a lot. I had to listen so intently to try and identify sounds - notes- and pitch.
But I didn’t really have any difficulty in learning music, only a huge effort in trying to hear it.
It is sometimes frustration but never boring , but always great satisfaction when I achieved it.

Q The theory of music might not have been too difficult to grasp, but the practical side must have created problems for you?

The practical side of it was difficult as I had to get the scores enlarged. I had to lean forward to read it and eventually I had to memorise everything. This took long long hours of hard work daily . Imagine trying to memorise the three movements of Schubert’s Sonata.

Q Did you find it difficult to convince your teachers , that you could make it as a musician in spite of your dual disability?

In the beginning it was difficult to convince my teachers that I had potential .
It was no fault of theirs , just they never had met anybody with a dual sensory disability. But all of them did their best with me , and for that I am grateful.
That was a long time ago . Within the last ten years, there is now more awareness of deafness and blindness . Cork City College of Music were very helpful in preparing me for all my grades and finally my Dip in ATCL which is a qualification for performance.
Until recently students with my type of disability were denied access to the Cork School of Music , but now they are willing to help. I am now being considered by Cork School of Music. I hope to further my studies there. This will be an opportunity for the teachers there to teach somebody like me – something they have never done before.

Q Have you any particular preferences in the type of music you play?

I like all kinds of music, but I have a particular preference to classical, light opera, gospel, ballads, and film themes.

Q Have you been inspired by any musician in particular?

Yes I was inspired by a number of other deaf and blind musicians from attending their concerts, listening to their CDs and reading their books/
Beethoven was my first inspiration when I was young and I love his pieces. Blind tenor Andrea Bocelli , Deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie, Deaf musician Paul Whitaker from Manchester who runs his own centre Music and the Deaf, and flautist Elizabeth Petcu who is Hard of Hearing – I played at her special concert 2 years ago in Dublin. She encouraged me to go ahead with my album , something which I have been thinking for about a while.

Q How do you learn a piece?

I have to enlarge the scores , read it up close and then memorisse it/
Last May I attended a ‘Sight village’ exhibition in Ballincolig where there was many samples of low vision aids - all manufactured in the UK.
I did find one piece of technology suitable for my needs. This piece ‘Readit Scholar’ will enlarge up to three staves, large enough for me to read without leaning forward and play at the same time. ( A Stave is made up of 5 lines and 4 spaces on which a musical motes are written)
I would really love to get this piece of equipment , but it is so so slow to get anything through the NCBI. I have applied to the NCBI for a grant, which would give me one third off the full price , but they are incredible slow . I have made numerous contacts and have failed to make any headway.

Q Do you read braille music?

No I don’t use braille.

Q Why did you decide to produce this Cd?

I got inspiration to produce my Cd from other deaf and blind musicians who have already produced their own Cds , Dvds and books.
I hope this will encourage anybody who has an idea or a dream, to go and do it.This is for everybody , not just for people with disabilities.