One-handed Musicians take Centre Stage

The accomplishments of musicians playing instruments with only one hand have been celebrated at a special concert held at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

Organised by music disability charity The OHMI Trust, the concert marked the 15th anniversary of the Birmingham charity which enables musicians with an upper limb absence, impairment or weakness to play the musical instruments they wish to play.

It sought to raise both funds and awareness of OHMI’s work in commissioning the research, design and manufacture of adapted instruments, making them available through the OHMI Instrument Hire Scheme and matching disabled musicians with qualified teachers. 

The concert showcased the art of the possible through a vibrant mix of repertoire and styles performed by OHMI musicians of all ages, alongside RBC students and alumni.

One-handed performances or those made possible with the use of enabling equipment were delivered by:

·        Hungarian musician Edit van der Burg (pictured above), who plays the one-handed flute after incurring a significant brain injury.

·        Teenage pianist, Freya Terris, who recently made history as the first person to pass ABRSM Grade 8 using only one hand.

·        OHMI trustee, Liane Todd, who lives with complex regional pain syndrome following a life-changing accident, on the one-handed clarinet. 

·        Esther Mannouch, who returned to music-making after losing the use of her dominant hand due to the long-term effects of cancer treatment, on the one-handed recorder. 

·        Rebekah Goulston, whose cerebral palsy affects her conventional playing of the instrument, on the one-handed flute. 

·        French Horn player, conductor and teacher Chris Griffiths, who has the condition Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), using his specially designed French Horn stand, developed through an OHMI-supported innovation project.

“Everyone deserves the opportunity to play, create and perform music to the highest level and I’d like to thank the RBC for their support, and of course the talented performers and my wonderful peers from RBC who kindly donated their time to help put on this event,” said event organiser, Emma Brown, who is also a postgraduate research student at RBC and trustee of The OHMI Trust.

“There are so many people who are passionate about musical inclusion, and it was wonderful to get them all together in this way.”

The concert was one of OHMI’s ’15 for 15’ fundraising events where concert and ensemble performers are invited to support and raise awareness of OHMI’s valuable work through their own events over the course of OHMI’s anniversary year.

To find out more visit https://www.ohmi.org.uk/