Deaf musicians team with symphony to play an accessible concert

Imagine a music concert fully accessible to the hearing loss community. Not just through sound, but sight, touch and a whole host of vibrations.

For one occasion only; The Deaf and Loud Symphonic Experience is coming to Detroit, Michigan on Sunday 16^th December 2018! This will be a fully accessible concert featuring appearances from top Deaf musicians; Dame Evelyn Glennie, Sean Forbes, and Mandy Harvey. They will be performing alongside the Detroit Symphony Orchestra!

“Get ready to FEEL the music,” says the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

The Symphonic Experience is bound to engage all the senses, providing deaf people with the chance to encounter the ultimate accessible music experience.

The concert will include not only live singing, but there will be American Sign Language and lyric visuals.

The Detriot Symphony hopes that with this accessibility the night will be enjoyed by everyone.

Deaf musicians performing

Dame Evelyn Glennie

A world-renowned percussionist who is profoundly deaf, Dame Evelyn has performed at the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony amongst other big venues. She feels the vibrations through her bare feet to access her percussion instruments.

“This is an unusual experience, with plenty of challenges but a good one in a way. It can put you out of your comfort zone!”  Evelyn said to BBC See Hear in a video where she collaborated with deaf hip-hop artist Sean Forbes.

Sean Forbes

American Hip Hop artist Sean, from Detroit, has a profound hearing loss; but it hasn’t stopped him from becoming a famous icon in the American Deaf Community. His music is all about Deaf Identity and his music videos feature American Sign Language, in the hope of reaching out to Deaf audiences.

“It’s different. I’ve never worked with these kinds of instruments or in this kind of environment. It’s very awe-inspiring!” Sean said to BBC.

Read more: Meet Sean Forbes, the deaf rapper who is inspiring a generation

Mandy Harvey

After rising to fame on “America’s Got Talent” as a Golden Buzzer winner, Pop and Jazz Singer Mandy Harvey is also deaf! She sings original songs, has recorded many albums, performed in many venues, and is currently on tour.

Read more: Deaf singer Mandy Harvey gives an unforgettable performance on AGT finals

Silent Disco after party

Following the gig, a Silent Disco Party will take over the venue with Deaf DJ Robbie Wilde. The setup designed by Deaf Visual Artist Myles de Bastion is looking pretty incredible!

View this post on Instagram

Pre-Visualization for @seanforbes of @detroitsymphony The Cube venue featuring LED Pixel Curtains & DMX par 64 can lighting fixtures. All running in @enviraldesign Geopix beta 11.10.11. #pixelmapping #lightingdesign #dmx #geopix #lighting

A post shared by Myles de Bastion (@mylesdebastion) on Nov 13, 2018 at 11:17pm PST

All proceeds from the event will go towards Sean’s organization, D-PAN (Deaf Professional Arts Network,) which has a mission to “make music accessible to everyone.”

How about that for a night of #DeafTalent!

Tickets are available here!

• Author Details

Author Details

Ellie Parfitt

Ellie was born profoundly deaf, uses verbal communication, lipreads and wears Phonak Sky Q hearing aids. She is currently learning British Sign Language. Ellie hasn’t let her disability stand in the way and embraces every new challenge. Her deafness didn’t prevent her from achieving major accomplishments in her life, such as excelling in her education, previously working as a Marketing Executive and now as an Events Coordinator for a deaf organization, as well as blogging for Hearing Like Me. She is passionate about deaf awareness, campaigning for equality and helping others through her personal blog as Deafie Blogger.