The Miracle of Gloria
By: LaJuan Tallo, News Editor

February 13, 2001

 She began to sing, and the room was filled with a magical sound that transported the listener to a concert hall or cathedral. She was tiny, almost elfin-like, and it was hard to believe that this powerful, sweet sound was coming from her.

Before I met Gloria Lenhoff in person, I had read and heard a lot about her. I had read that she could not read music, but that she could sing in 28 languages. I had heard that she cannot do simple arithmetic, but that she knows more than 2,000 songs. I had read that she cannot cross the street alone, but she is an accomplished accordion player, and has performed in concerts all over the world.

In mid-January, Gloria came from her home in Orange County, Calif. to live at the Baddour Memorial Center. She also joined the Baddour Center's Miracles, after seeing a video of the choir. Her first performance with the choir actually took place in November, when the group performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

The 46 -year old, who is living away from home for the first time, is a lyric soprano. She has studied voice, taking private lessons since she was a teenager, and has always loved to sing. She remembers that she and her brother used to sing together as children.

Gloria was born with Williams syndrome. Her father, Howard Lenhoff, is a retired biology professor at the University of California who has studied Williams syndrome extensively, and who, along with his daughter, is an advocate for the developmentally disabled.

According to an article entitled, "Williams syndrome and the Brain," written by Gloria's father and Paul P. Wang, and published in the December 1997 issue of Scientific American, Williams syndrome occurs in an estimated one in 20,000 births worldwide. Williams syndrome was first recognized in 1961 when a heart specialist, J.C.P. WIlliams began to study a group of his pediatric patients who shared some similarities beyond cardiovascular problems. He noted that they shared similar elfin facial features, such as a turned-up nose and a small chin, and often seemed to be mentally retarded.

[people with Williams Syndrome], as they are sometimes called, are usually diagnosed as mildly or moderately retarded, and generally score below average on standard IQ tests. While they struggle with simple arithmetic, and read and write poorly, they are extraordinarily gifted in other areas. They tend to have a gift for spoken language, with vocabularies much larger than would be expected, and are described as very sociable and empathetic in nature.

One of the most remarkable traits that many [people with Williams Syndrome] tend to have is their extraordinary talent for music. Even though they have short attention spans for most tasks, they will listen to music and sing and play instruments with astonishing persistence. Many, like Gloria, cannot read music, but have perfect or nearly perfect pitch and an uncanny sense of rhythm.

In 1993, it was discovered that Williams syndrome is probably caused by the loss of a tiny piece from one of the two copies of chromosome 7, which is present in every cell of the body. This can explain certain physical ailments related to the syndrome, and to the similarities in their facial features.

Both Gloria and her father have worked tirelessly to support charities and organizations dealing with the developmentally disabled. She has performed for events such as the California Special Olympics, and also has appeared at local Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, in churches and synagogues and schools. She has performed with members of opera houses in Los Angeles, Boston, Beverly Hills, New York, Las Vegas and Aspen, Colo. She has also performed in Spain, England and Israel.

Gloria was featured on the PBS documentary "Bravo Gloria," directed by Arlene Alda. In the past few years she has been featured on "60 Minutes," "Nightline," and "Inside Edition." She has both perfect and relative pitch. She learns by listening, composes and has very strong improvisational skills.

For the complete, story, pick up the February 13 issue of The Democrat
To contact News Editor LaJuan Tallo, call her at 562-4414 ext. 18 or email ltallo@thedemocrat.com
©The Democrat 2001