Hearing technology gives local musician ‘gig of a lifetime’

Thirty-five years ago, Eagleby resident and musician Alan Voss began to lose his hearing. Ear infections and drainage issues had plagued him for years, and eventually, he became completely deaf in his right ear and suffered severe hearing loss in his left.

In 2021, Mr Voss received a cochlear implant from the Austrian-based company MED-EL. The technology, which is surgically implanted under the skin near the affected ear to provide direct electrical stimulation to the hearing nerve, has changed his life.

Mr Voss, now 84 years old, is still a working musician, occasionally singing and performing at gigs locally and teaching guitar and piano lessons.

Mr Voss grew up in Townsville, where his family nurtured his love of music. He remembers his mother and father singing at home, and his brother recruited Mr Voss to join his band, ‘The Legends’, who found success in northern Queensland when he was just 21 years old.

“Our band was really successful all over north Queensland, and we got all the big jobs,” Mr Voss said.

“My younger brother, who was the main driving force, started a little music shop, and he was teaching there, and asked me to teach music with him.”

In September this year, Mr Voss played the “gig of his life” in Innsbruck, Austria.

MED-EL, the company that made and installed Mr Voss’s cochlear implant, invited Mr Voss, now a mentor for MED-EL, alongside eight other mentors from around the globe, to attend a feedback program about their technology and perform at the company’s headquarters.

“My job as a mentor is to talk to people who are unsure and just tell them my experiences,” Mr Voss said.

“I don’t advise them particularly about anything, because their situation might be a bit different from mine, and I’m not there to sell them anything, I’m just there to help.”

“Initially, the cochlear implant takes a bit of getting used to, but instantly I discovered that speaking and hearing others speak was fantastic.”

Before the concert performances from each of the mentors, Mr Voss met two women who worked to make his implant. He also had a chance to speak with experts at MED-EL and give them feedback about the technology, including developing rechargeable batteries for the implant.

“Everybody at ME-DEL were beautiful people, they were all really nice and the band were no exception,” Mr Voss said.

“I really enjoyed singing with the band because I’ve been performing as a soloist for so long now.”

An audience of 200 people turned up to watch Mr Voss deliver performances of When You Wish Upon a Star, which featured in Disney’s Pinocchio, and Simply the Best by Tina Turner.

At the end of his performances, Mr Voss received a standing ovation.

“Performing with that band was amazing, and that inspired me, turn out a standing ovation performance,” Mr Voss said.

“I like having fun with people, and I like improvising on the spot.”

“I’ve done gigs for I governors and mayors and all sorts of big wigs, but I’ve never been invited overseas.”