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Baritone Paul Richardson, who is profoundly deaf, will soon have plenty more to sing about as he will be jetting off to the UK next month to undergo pioneering surgery that will hopefully help him regain the gift of hearing.
The 60-year-old British chief financial officer has not allowed his condition to hamper his career path in the world of education or his love of singing as a member of the Manama Singers but he welcomes the chance of being able to understand and listen to the sounds of speech once again.
He was diagnosed with a condition called otosclerosis, a conductive loss affecting the middle ear, specifically the stapes; the smallest bone in the body which is located in the middle ear.
“The condition gets progressively worse until you cannot hear at all,” said Paul, who moved to the kingdom 14 years ago, considers it his second home and invested in a property in Awmaj Island.
“I was diagnosed with it at the age of 28 and it is often coupled with tinnitus, a very high-pitched whistling sound, which is the case for me.
“So, for the last 32 years, I have had to manage with gradually worsening hearing. My tinnitus is with me 24-hours-a-day but I have learned to live with it. I managed in the beginning with traditional hearing aids for a short while and then invested in some ‘in the ear canal’ digital hearing aids.”
However, as his condition worsened and he suffered from repeated ear infections, he had to give up hearing aids. He then had a laser stapedotomy in his left ear which was successful until a couple of years later when he dived into a pool and it dislodged the prosthesis. This considerably reduced his ability to hear.
Despite all that, it didn’t stop him from continuing his love for music and being a prolific lip-reader.
“I have always been very musical since my early childhood,” he added. “I used to play the melody on a piano by ear and my mother decided I had talent and sent me for piano lessons at the age of 13.
“I started teaching piano in my spare time by the age of 17. I also used to play several other instruments including the recorder, violin, clarinet and a little bit of guitar.
“As a boy soprano, I really loved singing and was a member of the church choir. After I started losing my hearing, I began to lose my confidence but, in 2012, I decided to challenge myself and boost my self-esteem by joining the Manama Singers for one term. I then re-joined about three-and-a-half years ago and I love every minute of being a part of the performance.”
Paul is able to carry those notes and join in because of his uncanny ability to pick up sounds and vibrations through the bones of his ear.
“I have difficulty hearing our amazing choir director Jo Diciolla when she is giving verbal directions at the front but I read music well and know how to harmonise. Maybe, sometimes, I hold a note longer than I should or come in slightly late on the odd occasion!”
This might not be the case for much longer thanks to the intricate surgery he is about to undergo.
