The Organist
Episode 19: Composing the Tinnitus Suites
What happens if you're a composer and the ringing in your ears after a concert never goes away?
By Andrew Leland • • 11m ListenDaniel Fishkin is a young musician who played in bands and studied composition at Bard College. When he was 22 he got a bad case of tinnitus, a continuous ringing in his ears that drowned out all the sounds around him, and even some of the music in his head. It was a pretty tough blow for an aspiring composer. It wasn't the first time that a musician has had to deal with hearing loss, but what Fishkin did with this situation is remarkable.
Produced by Jascha Hoffman.
Daniel Fishkin
Photo by Samuel Lang Budin
Daniel Fishkin's feedback system, where a piano string vibrates without being touched.
Fishkin used this to create the Tinnitus Suites.
Photo by Oliver Jones
Transducers attached to long strings that create a feedback loop when amplified.
Photo by Oliver Jones
Banner image by Samuel Lang Budin
