Williams Musicians are available for performances!

Announcements

WS singer, Meghan Finn, wins award for "best vocal" at competition sponsored by Very Special Arts in Michigan

Meghan Finn of Kalamazoo, daughter of Bob and Liz Costello, received an  award for best vocal at an event sponsored by Very Special Arts in Michigan. On March 4 she performed at a dinner in Grand Rapids, MI that was attended by about 1,500 educators. Yea, Meghan!!

Gloria Lenhoff's Performance Gets Rave Review from Professional Accordion Group

"GLORIOUS GLORIA GLOWS"

[Reprinted from "Sharps 'n Flats," Vol. 2, No. 3, May, 1997; official newsletter of the "Accordionaires" of the Los Angeles, CA area.]

It was with eager anticipation that the attending members waited for musical savant Gloria Lenhoff to begin her performance. President Nycz called this part of the evening to order at 7:30 PM by introducing her father, Howard Lenhoff, who spoke briefly about Gloria's condition and stated that this past weekend, she had been interviewed by Morley Safer of "60 Minutes" which program was to air in the Fall. He then introduced his daughter and her teacher, Roek Willemze, formerly of Holland. After helping her on with her electronic Hohner Vox 4P, Mr. Lenhoff set up the microphones so that the duo could be heard. Gloria wore a headset which enabled her to hear what was happening on stage. Mr. Willemze stated later that Gloria could hear a piece of music once and know it, never forgetting it.

They started the evening with a duet, "Valse Musette." They were so together, they sounded like one accordion. Then Gloria did a solo, "O sole mio," which she played and sang in Italian. Mr. Willemze provided soft background harmony. They teamed up for another duet, "First Waltz" by Duran. Gloria played "Tulips from Amsterdam" and sang it in Dutch. Their next selection was a vocal solo by Gloria, with her teacher providing accompaniment. She stood without the accordion in front of the stage and sang the Bach/Guonod arrangement of :"Ave Maria." For those of you heard her sing last July, you will remember a lovely soprano voice; the nine months since has seen a maturing and developing, putting Gloria into the role of concert artist. Not only was the song delivered with great expression, it came across with having meaning, not as just another piece delivered by someone who knows how to sing. She has developed fine breath control, which was very evident in her final selection.

Before that selection, however, was another solo. this time with accordion and vocals. Gloria sang "Hava Nagila" twice, once slowly, once with verve. A song with universal popularity, it had everyone clapping and singing along, whether the words were known or not. Mr. Willemze gave quiet harmonic support.

Gloria's penultimate number was again with her teacher, the "Hawaiian Wedding Song," beautifully done in Hawaiian. Mr. Willemze then left the stage and Gloria's father unstrapped her from her instrument, leading her to the floor at the center of the stage. Gloria had pre-recorded one vocal line and the instrumental part to Henry Purcell's "Sound the Trumpet"; her live performance of the second line was nothing short of stunning, given the tricky rhythm and entrances that had to be exact. The sound was perfectly adjusted so that the duet came out very balanced -- one voice did not overpower the other. The thirds were right on pitch. This is a difficult song to sing, something one might hear at a college senior recital or at Carnegie Hall. The fact that Gloria can sing EITHER voice equally well is a tribute to her musical genius.

The Accordionaires cheered and clapped a standing ovation.

THANK YOU, Gloria, for a splendid program! We hope to see you again sometime SOON. You are always welcome at our meetings!!!

Williams Syndrome Musicians Enhance Potential Unlimited Production

On April 6, 1997, six Williams musicians participated in the fourth annual production of Potential Unlimited at the Bardavon Opera House in Poughkeepsie, NY. Potential Unlimited is a volunteer group of NY State musical therapists and local residents who, for the past three years, have sponsored a musical performance featuring mostly handicapped musicians from the surrounding area.

Last summer, at the invitation of Sharon Libera, co-founder of the Williams Syndrome Music Camp, some of the Potential Unlimited volunteers visited the camp and observed many of the talented Williams musicians. Consequently, this year, in addition to Williams pianist Michael Williams, a regular with Potential Unlimited, the production featured an additional five Williams musicians from the camp.

The production was a marvelous event for a number of reasons. One, the place. The Bardavon Opera House is not only the oldest opera house in the state of New York, but it also is considered an architectural landmark, being one of the first US opera houses with no columns, and also being on the first floor of a building. (In early times, opera houses could not support themselves, so they usually held the opera in a second story theatre and rented out the bottom floor to retail stores for rental income. Not so with the Bardavon.)

The second reason the production was so outstanding was the excellence and professionalism of the Williams musicians. Taking the performances in order, tap dancer Bob Granger and percussionist Jason Dennis warmed up the audience with a skillful and well-acted comedy pantomime involving some complex, physical, and challenging rhythms by both musicians.

Next soprano Gloria Lenhoff, accompanied by the talented autistic pianist, Michael Kingon, sang a soaring coloratura piece by Victor Herbert, "Art is Calling for Me," which added a high degree of experienced professionalism to the program.

Later in the program, Potential Unlimited veteran performer, pianist/vocalist Michael Williams, who was recently diagnosed with WS after visiting the summer camp for a day last August, got the audience rocking with his rendition of a Ray Orbison number.

Multi-talented John Libera, helped liven up the crossover section with his clarinet. To this reviewer, however, I felt that the production hardly tapped the versatility and talent of this promising young musician.

The final solo number was a show-stopper by the beautiful and talented singer, Meghan Finn, who sang Leonard Bernstien's "And I Can Cook , Too." My major complaint was that we were not able to hear Meghan and the other Williams musicians show the wide range of their talents. Also, the sound amplification system did not show the full quality of the Williams syndrome singers.

The show was sold out. The entire production was filmed by the crew of "Sixty Minutes," who were in Poughkeepsie with Morley Safer to film interviews for a possible segment on Williams Syndrome. When we learn the approximate time of the show, we will post it on these pages.

Join me in congratulating all the Williams syndrome musicians. I believe that they represent the tip of the iceberg, and will be the beacon inspiring many more Williams children to pursue an education, and possibly some sort of career in music. We have a long way to go, but why not start now?

Dr. Howard Lenhoff, Vice President,
Williams Syndrome Foundation

Trieana Moon in recording studio for The Rythmic Arts Project (TRAP)

reprinted from The Rythmic Arts Project:

In the last week of  January we took Trieana Moon into the recording studio to begin the first tracks for her own CD. Trieana has Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic condition estimated to occur in 1 in 20,000 births and causes medical and developmental problems. First recognized officially in 1961, Williams Syndrome is present at birth and effects males and females equally. Although individuals with Williams Syndrome endure a multitude of physical and mental problems, they have a very endearing personality with an amazing capacity for compassion and Love in the truest sense of the word. Those with Williams Syndrome also have an uncanny connection to music. Although they may not embrace the technicalities involved in the normal study and or practice of singing and playing instruments, they are naturally inclined and often excel in the arts. For a comprehensive explanation of Williams Syndrome, visit the Williams Syndrome Association at http://www.williams-syndrome.org and the Williams Syndrome Foundation at http://www.wsf.org

Trieana is a very special young lady and exceptionally talented. She plays piano and sings Blues, Country and Gospel with unparalleled conviction and energy. Although I knew her from my classes at The Ojai Enrichment Center, it was at the second annual benefit concert for TRAP where everyone experienced the strength of her solo performance. She came up to the stage mid-way through the show and knocked everyone out with her rendition of ''Amazing Grace.'' Simply piano and voice, she moved the audience to a standing ovation! This was incentive enough for all the folks at LAMA to get involved with the recording project. Mike Shapiro produced the session, he was kind enough to let me play drums while he enhanced the tracks with conga's, tambourine and shakers. The incomparable Kevyn Lettau arranged the vocals and put together a choir of seven singers comprised of students, teachers and alumni of LAMA. Playing drums with Jerry Watts Jr. on Bass feels as comfortable as a warm bowl of soup on a cold day, while Steve Fister colored the tracks with the perfect Guitar lines and riffs.  Russell Ferrante added the fire and ice as no one else can on keyboards. Anyone else might be a tad intimidated with the talent there that day but Trieana took it all in stride. She thanked everyone deeply and expressed how much love she felt for everyone and then proceeded to kick ass! She sang her butt off!

Of course none of this would have been possible if it weren't for the generous efforts and talent of Steve Werbelow, owner, engineer at Sound Asylum Studio in Chatsworth. Steve's place is state of the art and surely worth taking a look at if your thinking about recording anywhere near Los Angeles. You can contact him through his web site, www.sasylum.com.

 Trieana will be back in the studio recording again soon. Lots of players have voiced an interest in helping us  continue with her CD. I'll keep you informed of our progress in the near future through this page on the site.

The project goes far beyond singing and playing for Trieana. The Ojai Enrichment Center has plans to turn the project into a learning curve encompassing Trieana doing her own marketing and promotion and sales for the CD, accounting and booking live dates. Leading her own band will entail creating set lists and compiling sheet music for her musicians as well as making phone calls and arranging rehearsals. Lots of opportunity to stretch her abilities in many areas.

WEBMASTER'S NOTE:  Trieana was also the subject of the Los Angeles Times article, Music in Her Soul,   written by Steve Chawkins.

Call for musical biographies

If your child has been performing in any capacity (publicly, with school band, for family parties, please let us know and send us his or her musical biography.

Williams musicians available for performances. Gloria Lenhoff, with her accordion, and Cathy Krieger, with her guitar are available for solo performances. Gloria, Cathy, and Lori Reyes perform as the Williams Sisters. Dennis Butcher is available singing as a guest artist with either Gloria or the Williams Sisters.

All four, together with Tim Baley, now living in Nevada, made their debut as the Williams Five at the 1994 national convention of the WSA in San Diego. An article about them in the front page of the Los Angeles Times lead many parents, professionals, journalists, and the producers from EOPI of the WS documentary to become interested in Williams syndrome.

These artists live in the southern California area, but are available for performances throughout the United States. For arrangements, contact the Williams Syndrome Foundation (williamssyndrome@insightbb.com)

Sign Our GuestbookView Our Guestbook

Please send mail to williamssyndrome@insightbb.com with questions or comments about this web site.

For additional information about Williams syndrome, please send an e-mail to hlenhoff@uci.edu.

For contact with other Williams syndrome families --

In the USA: please send e-mail to info@williams-syndrome.org

Outside the USA: please visit our International Williams Syndrome Support Groups page for contact information.

Copyright © 2002 Williams Syndrome Foundation
Last modified: April 15, 2007