The Beat of Inclusion: How Deafness and Classical Music Intertwine

The connection between deafness and classical music runs deep, with centuries of intertwined history. Some of the most renowned classical pieces, including Beethoven's Ode To Joy and Smetana's Vltava, were composed after the musicians lost their hearing due to illness.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals continue to find innovative ways to experience and engage with music. For Alex Jones, a senior Access Manager at the Sydney Opera House, deafness is not just a physical condition but a cultural identity. Profoundly deaf since birth and a native sign language user, Jones says he has “a really strong connection in my heart to music”.

Raised by a Deaf mother, Jones grew up signing along to 1970s and 1980s pop ballads and Broadway musicals. However, it wasn't until joining the Sydney Opera House that he experienced a full orchestral performance for the first time, attending Star Wars Live in Concert with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

“It was the very first time that I could see the music of the film brought to life,” Jones shares.

“I saw all of the instruments, the wind section, the drums, the cymbals, and then looking up to the screen and seeing the subtitles.”

“It was a really profound experience. I was in tears from joy,” Jones says.

Jones “decided strongly: I want the Deaf community to experience this”. To make this vision a reality, collaborations between Deaf and hearing artists are expanding musical possibilities. Many choirs in Australia have incorporated Auslan signers alongside singers, while advances in haptic technology are creating new ways to experience music through touch.

Deaf poet Walter Kadiki has “always had music in my life [as] visual music”. In a recent performance, Kadiki took part in Australia's first orchestral work to combine chamber music, Auslan poetry and wearable haptic vests. These body packs, wrist and ankle bands translate live music into vibrations across points of the body.

“Everything you see in the world that has movement, that movement becomes poetry, which becomes music,” Kadiki explains.

Pianist and composer Andrea Keller notes that working with Deaf artists has given her a deeper understanding of the many ways music can be experienced beyond sound.

“I was dealing with the [Auslan] poetry itself, trying to understand the deeper connections, and then there were the haptic vests thrown in,” Keller says.

“I had to think about the different elements of music that are actually going to translate well through the vest's vibrations for anyone experiencing it.”

Creating sustainable careers for Deaf musicians remains a challenge. Jones believes the mainstream music industry “is not ready for deaf musicians and deaf composers”. He points to initiatives such as Songsmiths, created by Accessible Arts in Sydney, which is helping Deaf artists “develop their musical practice and build resilience” as they navigate the industry.

Jones is also drawing on his lived experience to broaden access for Deaf audiences at the Sydney Opera House, particularly through his work with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

“Not all deaf people have the same preferences when it comes to the types of music they enjoy,” Jones says.

“Some people have access to sound, some have more, while others have none.”