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The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
NEWS OF NOTE
Marin Alsop , Wendy Cheng and Noah Chaves , BSO associate principal violist , who was Cheng ’ s stand partner .
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Tuning in to Beethoven ’ s Ninth
With the help of hearing devices , a violist plays with the Rusty Musicians
When Wendy Cheng was 9 years old , she was diagnosed with profound hearing loss in one ear . Over the years , hearing in both ears deteriorated and now Cheng , a Gaithersburg resident , wears two cochlear implants .
With the help of an assistive listening device , Cheng participated in the Baltimore Symphony ’ s Rusty Musicians concert in November , playing alongside BSO violist Noah Chaves during the fourth movement of Beethoven ’ s Ninth Symphony .
Chaves and Conductor Marin Alsop both wore transmitter devices that communicated with Cheng ’ s receiver unit , allowing her to play in the section .
“ Many people have the mistaken impression that cochlear implants behave like corrective eyeglasses ,” says Cheng .
“ You put them on , and everything then sounds great .” However , she points out , “ that is not always the case .” Cheng says she works hard to identify the octaves on her strings with the help of “ sympathetic ringing ” and rigorously practices scales to ensure that her fingers have spatial memory .
Cheng , who says she became “ fed up ” with audiologists ’ focus on providing access to speech while neglecting the need to hear music , founded the Association of Adult Musicians with Hearing Loss in 2014 .
After years of avoiding orchestral music Cheng says she was thrilled that the Rusty Musicians program adapted to her needs . “ Beethoven ’ s Ninth Symphony was probably the best repertoire for me to try playing in an orchestra again ,” she says .
Rusty Musicians is made possible in part by a grant from The Andrew W . Mellon Foundation .
Comcast becomes BSO ’ s Official Internet Provider
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Enhancing the patron experience
The BSO is excited to announce its first enterprise-level wireless system at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall . The enhanced system expands wireless coverage in the lobby and extends it into the auditorium and throughout the hall , enabling such innovative opportunities as use of the Octava app , text-to-give donations and concerts with heightened social media presence .
The BSO would like to extend a special thank you to Joanne Gold and Andrew Stern , whose generous gift made the installation of the new system possible . Additionally , the BSO would like to thank COMCAST for their partnership in this initiative by helping supply the dedicated Ethernet services to power the wireless system . We welcome them this season as the Official Internet Provider of the BSO .
4 Overture | bsomusic . org