International Music Festival for Children, Youths, and Adults with Hearing Disorders “Beats of Cochlea”. Here, music and medicine speak the same language. This event aims to present to a wide audience the children and adult artists whose musical talents were saved by the recent advances in science and medicine. It’s the first event of this kind in the world, and this year, we are celebrating its tenth edition.

They used to be deaf or hard of hearing, but now they can develop their passions or even consider a professional music career. They showed remarkable grit, determination, hard work, and talent. Their artistic achievements exemplify how one can and should exceed limitations. They’ve become a testament to the genius of science and the power of musical passion.

Amazing participants

– In 1992, when I was performing the first cochlear implant implementation in Poland, I didn’t even dream that one day, we would be able to cure so many hearing disorders and see the amazing effect of our treatment. Now, it’s all true – we can help almost every patient – says Prof. Henryk Skarżyński, director of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, creator of the Festival “Beats of Cochlea”.

Deaf children, who, not so long ago, were forced to live in a silent world, can now develop properly and attend public and even music schools thanks to cochlear implants. They can sing, play instruments, and even consider a musical profession  – provided they have enough talent and determination. With the newest treatments, hearing disorders are no longer an obstacle to this path.

– When congratulating each edition’s participants and winners, I always said I believed it was worth the try. I think that for many young and talented people, the Festival was simply an unforgettable adventure, and for some, the beginning of a music career – emphasizes Prof. H. Skarżyński.

He recalls that he came up with the idea of such an event many years ago when he was trying to help a music school student. He was successful in his efforts.

After the implementation, the patient passed her final exams, finished medical studies, defended her dissertation for a medical doctorate, and now works as an assistant professor at the medical university. – And she still plays the piano beautifully, which proves that cochlear implants can help make musical dreams come true – he says with a smile.

We could write many tomes about Małgosia and Professor’s other patients. Their medical experiences and great determination to feel good in the world of sounds are ready material for a film scenario. One of the patients, Grzegorz, has already become the main hero of two movies: a documentary entitled “Moja sonata Księżycowa” (My Moonlight Sonata) by Barbara Kaczyńska, the director of the Festival “Beats of Cochlea” (available on Youtube) and a feature entitled “Sonata” by Bartosz Blaschke (on Netflix). A few other patients also acted in a film by Agnieszka Krótki-Żmijewska entitled “Czy Pan mnie słyszy?” (Can you hear me?). Professor’s other talented patients can also be seen in Luiza Budejko’s film – “Przypadek Beethovena” (Beethoven’s case).

Some of the Festival’s winners and Professor’s patients performed in a musical, “Przerwana Cisza” (Silence Interrupted). Its libretto was written by Prof. Henryk Skarżyński, the music by Krzesimir Dębski, and Michał Znaniecki directed it.

–I believe organizing the “Beats of Cochlea” was a great idea. Showing our patients’ unparalleled talents and skills was worth it – said Prof. Henryk Skarżyński. More than a thousand artists from the whole world declared their will to participate in the next editions of the Festival,

Excellent jury

The Festival’s participants are great at what they do, and they perform best at the Gala Concerts. They are chosen by the Festival’s jury, which, in the last 10 years, included: (Ⴕ) Prof. Ryszard Zimak, Prof. Janusz Olejniczak, Prof. Ryszard Karczykowski, Stanisław Leszczyński, Bogna Kowalska, Piotr Metz, Jacek Wójcicki, (Ⴕ) Prof. Jerzy Stuhr, Monika Zalewska, Roman Czejarek, Vadim Brodski, Irena Santor, Grzegorz Wilk, Janusz Tylman, dr Alicja Węgorzewska-Whiskerd, Jacek Wroński, Prof. Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń, Johanna Pätzold, Małgorzata Małaszko-Stasiewicz, (Ⴕ) Prof. Jerzy Marchwiński, Maciej Miecznikowski, (Ⴕ) Ewa Podleś, Christine Rocca, Prof. Anna Jastrzębska-Quinn, Hanna Śleszyńska, Marcin Kusy, Michał Klauza, Julita Sokołowska, Prof. Ewa Iżykowska-Lipińska, Krzysztof Malicki, and others.

The first leader of that excellent committee was Prof. Ryszard Zimak, a conductor, educator, and long-time rector of The Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, who died in 2021.

Prof. Zimak didn’t conceal his emotions when recalling the first edition of the “Beats of Cochlea”: – I accepted Professor Skarżyński’s invitation to join the event with great joy, as well as fear of judging the singing and playing skills of deaf people. What criteria should I apply? Together with the rest of the jury, we decided not to judge but to make a choice. As Prof. Skarżyński said, all participants are winners. After five years, when I saw winners of the first, second, and third editions performing on stage alongside professional musicians and a symphony orchestra, I knew I was wrong in many cases.

Only a few music academy students can “tune” with an orchestra because you need a harmonic hearing for that. The winners of the Festival’s all editions did that tremendously.

The duets that they created with these amazing musicians were truly masterful. I can also see great progress in playing and singing techniques, especially amazing work on voice emission. I have the utmost respect for them because I know how difficult it is to become a musician.

People with hearing implants who gift us their music are heroes. I want this noble initiative to grow in Poland, Europe, and the whole world. Prof. Zimak emphasizes that patients can perform these pieces beautifully thanks to the likes of Prof. Henryk Skarżyński.

When discussing the Festival’s jury, one cannot recall two members – professionally a scenic duo, privately a married couple: Prof. Jerzy Marchwiński i Ewa Podleś. The Professor, an acclaimed pianist, chamber musician, and educator, died in November 2023. His wife, a world-known opera and stage singer who often stressed that she did not live to sing but sang to live, passed away in January 2024.

During the gala concerts, the winners were accompanied by The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Prof. Krzesimir Dębski, Mazowsze Ensemble conducted by Wojciech Gwiszcz, Elżbieta Ostrowska’s Divertimento Orchestra, the Warsaw University of Technology choir, and the Bonjour and Masovia String Quartet.

During the final concerts, the artists-patients were accompanied by many popular artists; some also had hearing problems. They admitted that they could perform thanks to proper treatment.

Accompanying events

The Festival takes place alongside an international scientific conference. Its main subject is the ability of people with hearing implants to receive music.

Many scientists from Poland and other countries attended the lectures: Prof. Nina Kraus from Northwestern University (USA), who studies the perception of music; dr Christine Rocca, director of the Music Therapy Center Nordoff Robbins/Mary Hare Music Therapy Unit (UK), dr Heike Argstatter from the German Center for Music Therapy Research w Heidelberg, Prof. Stavros Hatzopoulos from Ferrara, and Mr. Gilles Cognat – the long-time President of the European Association of Cochlear Implant Users (EURO-CIU).

Music and medicine

The festival “Beats of Cochlea” is the first event of this kind in the world, but not the first one organized by the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, with musically talented patients as participants. – They performed during many important ceremonies and jubilees commemorating pioneer operations and projects – remarks Prof. Henryk Skarżyński.

The Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing is a leading research institute and a highly specialized hospital in Poland. For more than 20 years, the largest number of hearing improvement surgeries in the world have been performed here. In 32 years, more than 600.000 surgical procedures were performed, and over 5 million consultations and examinations. Around 14.000 people with hearing implants are now under the Institute’s care.

– I am very glad I can offer more than state-of-the-art treatment to many patients, which helps them develop passions, dreams, and professional careers. Even the biggest dream would lose its momentum, and the idea would not be realized if it wasn’t for the support and kindness of many people – emphasizes Prof. H.  Skarżyński. – During the finals of the subsequent editions, I repeated: “Dear Distinguished Guest, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen, I invite you to the Gala Concert – an amazing event, where music and medicine speak the same language. I invite you to listen to the effects of their collaboration,” – recalls Prof. Henryk Skarżyński.

Every performance proves how much people who can hear thanks to hearing implants can achieve and how their talent develops thanks to medical advances. And how medicine can change life for the better.

– I tried to describe it in a poem, “Świat, który słyszę” (The world I can hear), and many others. When Prof. Krzesimir Dębski composed music to its words, the poem became the Festival’s hymn performed each year by Barbara Kaczyńska. Her contributions to the Festival’s organization, including its scientific part and her vocal talent, are on the highest level. For years, she has been singing it with great passion with Maciej Miecznikowski, a user of the passive implant, as he puts it himself – he recalls. The hymn is performed by all the winners and artists participating in the final concerts.

“And the hearing is changing, and the voice is changing, and all that gains a new meaning…”– today, after so many years of festive experiences and emotions, these words seem to resonate especially strongly.

To commemorate the 10. edition of the Festival “Beats of Cochlea”, the organizers published a monograph summarising the important and emotional moments. There, you can find artists who delighted, amazed, amused, and moved the public to tears with their music.