Musician who lost her vision keeps her focus on a career in music

Written by Julianna O’Clair

In 2015, musician Christina Ebersohl was declared legally blind. When paper confirmation arrived in the mail a few days after her appointment with an eye specialist, Ebersohl spent that day lying in bed, wondering how she would continue to make music without being able to see it. Six years later, Ebersohl graduated with a master’s of music.

Musical Background

Ebersohl’s musical journey started long before she lost her vision. She began playing the piano when she was around eight years old and, in elementary school, played the flute in a band. Ebersohl was very intrigued by music as a child and experimented with several instruments, including the oboe, tuba, and guitar.

As an adult, Ebersohl was determined to learn how to play a string instrument. Awed by their expressivity, she had always been drawn to the sound of string instruments in orchestral recordings. “Every single viola is a little bit different, a little bit unique,” Ebersohl explained. “And something about that just spoke to me.” Ebersohl purchased a viola and began playing in late 2012.

Losing Sight

In September of 2013, Ebersohl fell ill and was admitted to a hospital. The next day, she woke up unable to see out of her left eye. Later diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica, this was the beginning of Ebersohl’s steady loss of vision.

Ebersohl is one of approximately 4,000 people who have neuromyelitis optica in the United States. NMO is an autoimmune disease that causes the body’s immune system to attack healthy cells. Typically, these cells are in the eyes and spinal cord.

Ebershol struggled with mental illness throughout the progression of her neuromyelitis optica. After she was declared legally blind, Ebersohl entered a depressive state that only music was able to pull her out of. She found a recording of violist Richard O’Niell’s performance of Henrich Biber’s Passacaglia and listened to it on repeat. “It convinced me that there had to be something else,” Ebersohl explained. “I couldn’t just call it quits. So, I got up and started trying to figure things out myself.”

Persisting Despite Challenges

Ebersohl began learning braille and practiced walking with her cane before moving with her husband to Portland, Oregon to pursue her undergraduate degree. There, Ebersohl received formal training on how to use her cane and tasks of daily living from the Oregon Commission for the Blind. Later that year, Ebersohl attended a convention for the National Federation of the Blind, where she felt she found her community.

During her undergraduate at Portland State University, an instructor told Ebersohl that she would never make it in the professional world. Despite this lack of support, she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Viola Performance in 2019.

A Changing Relationship With Music

Ebersohl’s relationship with music changed with her loss of sight. She explained that “Before I started to lose my sight, I was a much more superficial musician.”

Now, Ebersohl involves herself in every aspect of her music. She must understand what harmonies are occurring, what is happening rhythmically and what the composer’s intentions are. “It made me question my intuitions a little bit more and consider them, as opposed to just play whatever I see,” Ebersohl said.

Ebersohl learns her repertoire using a program called Dancing Dots. The software converts music into a digital score and reads every note and musical detail to her, which Ebersohl memorizes. “As a blind musician, it’s almost like you have to do 200% more to be accepted in the same way,” Ebersohl stated.

Flourishing in Music

Despite the significant challenges she has faced, Ebersohl continues to foster her passion for music. Last year, Ebersohl was a teacher’s assistant for Petra Frazier, a musicology professor at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. Frazier emphasized how Ebersohl’s passion for music is evident in everything she does. “It is the lens through which she sees the world and communicates,” Frazier stated.

Last spring, Ebersohl graduated from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music with her master’s in music. She is currently attending Lamont as a Performance Certificate student while preparing for doctoral auditions. Ebersohl is also the Editor of the Journal of the American Viola Society and a certified ABME Body Mapping Instructor. On Nov. 14, Ebersohl performed in a concert benefiting the National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division.