A musical mind

By Ryn Gargulinski

Triplicate staff writer

For music that ranges from Elvis to opera, polka to Patsy Cline, one need not travel the globe or even buy dozens of CDs.

Just spend an afternoon with Crescent City's Gloria Lenhoff.

This 51-year-old musical genius sings in 30 languages, plays accordion and piano and can perfectly reproduce a song after hearing it only a couple of times.

All this with an IQ of 55.

Lenhoff has Williams syndrome, which is characterized by a disability in some learning areas coupled with a strong affinity for — and talent in — music.

"She was born before the syndrome was discovered," said her father, [Howard] Lenhoff, a Ph.D. and scientist who has co-authored a recent book on the syndrome.

"Anyone who has the syndrome is almost locked into a child's mentality," [Howard] Lenhoff said, adding his daughter has the same penchant for picking up a tune that most kids have until age 6.

And those tunes have carried her far. In addition to two opera gigs a year, Gloria Lenhoff is a regular with Opera Memphis and the San Diego Master Choral. She has also appeared with opera great Denyce Graves and the rock band Aerosmith.

"More and more doors will open if I keep doing what I'm doing with my music," Gloria Lenhoff said.

Just because this musical savant gets regular gigs all over the country and has appeared on the Discovery Channel, CBS' "60 Minutes" as well as on Chilean, Australian and Japanese TV doesn't mean she forgets her Del Norte background.

In fact, mom Sylvia Lenhoff said top quality classical training came from local musician Jill Dovre.

Neither is Gloria Lenhoff a stranger to the Crescent City crowds.

While she and her parents spend their summers at their Pebble Beach Drive home, she sometimes plays at the Saturday Market at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds and graced the pre-Fourth of July Deck Party with her rendition of "America the Beautiful."

All proceeds from that gig went to the Special Olympics.

Gloria Lenhoff has even met Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, thanks to a number of events for Shriver family projects and at the benefit premiere of "Terminator 2" in Washington, D.C.

Locals who have yet to bask in her talents can catch her at Temple Beth Israel on Ninth Street, during this coming Friday's 7:30 p.m. services.

Five cassettes, three CDs and dozens of stage and media appearances later, her goals remain as broad as her talents.

One of those goals is to raise public awareness that people with intellectual disabilities can still have amazing talents.

A 1988 documentary film about Lenhoff, entitled "Bravo Gloria," helped garner awareness of the syndrome, which previously was all but unknown.

Another look at her life is due out in book form later this year. "The Strangest Song: One Father's Quest to Help His Daughter Find Her Voice," co-authored by her parents and journalist Teri Sforza, is due out in October.

"I have the advantage of being a scientist with a 50-year case study," said [Howard] Lenhoff.

[Howard] Lenhoff said his daughter happily plays music for several hours each day.

"Those with the syndrome have a real little attention span — until it comes to their music," [Howard] Lenhoff said.

"There isn't a day she doesn't come up with something new and different," [Howard] Lenhoff said, as his daughter turned a polka into a tango using the same melody.

Longtime summer residents of Crescent City, the Lenhoff family currently lives in Mississippi the rest of the year.

There, Gloria Lenhoff lives in the Baddour Center, a community for adults with intellectual disabilities. In addition to a community in which she can thrive, her life in Mississippi includes a job and a boyfriend.

"The best thing I could do is just keep up with my music," Gloria Lenhoff said, "to try to do new music and new experiences, find more places to entertain and make more money."

Gloria Lenhoff does earn a living with her music, but her mother said not all of her income is used for personal gain. Some goes to the Lenhoffs' Guardian Angel project, which helps pay for kids' schooling.

But perhaps the biggest reward for making her music is the bringing down the house, which [Howard] Lenhoff said his daughter does quite often.

"Gloria loves, like all of us, a good standing ovation," he said.