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

Q. Where in Cork are you from?
A. Frankfield, Cork.

Q. Can you hear the music you play?
A. It is worth pointing out that I am not totally Deaf . I am profoundly Deaf. Profound Deafness covers a wide range of symptoms. I can hear the sounds of all the keys on the piano except for the very high frequencies .I can hear these sounds too but I depend more on “feeling” the sounds.

Q. Can you describe what it feels like when you feel the vibration of the piano keys?
A. To describe what I mean that I feel the vibrations of the keys is like this: If you passed by somebody working with a kango hammer, you would both feel the vibrations and hear the sound ,so you would use both senses.
In my case I think I am using both senses to the maximum all the time, but with the very high frequencies, the sense of hearing becomes less and the sense of touch takes over.
I had to work out all the different notes and feel the different between the high and low frequencies and vibrations.
As for songs, I would lean my head against the speakers to feel the vibrations, rhythm and sounds.
My one and biggest problem is I couldn’t hear the words , but can hear the sounds of the words being sung.

Q. Where do you teach and what do you teach?
A. I teach piano and electronic keyboard in my Music Studio, Frankfield.

Q. When is launch of CD on and your recital ?
A. My next performance is on next Friday the 16th in the Clarion Hotel Lapps Quay at 6pm.
A date will be set shortly for the launch of my CD ‘Sound Senses’ and will take place in the same venue.