The warm sound of classical piano will fill Beall Concert Hall on Thursday when Valerie Zamora performs at a student forum.
This forum represents one in a series of five for this term. Scott Barkhurst, publicity director for the school of music explains why this one is of special concern.
“When we have a particularly appealing artist we try and let the public know about it,” Barkhurst said.
Zamora’s repertoire includes demanding solo pieces, especially large pieces due to their storytelling ability. She has studied at many prestigious schools including Juilliard. Through her schooling and career, she has received many scholarships and grants for her skill. She is also hearing impaired.
Janet Stewart, student forum co-chairwoman, is largely responsible for bringing Zamora to the University. Zamora is disabled, but she is not completely incapable of hearing sounds. Stewart said that her curiosity about how Zamora interprets sounds is one of the large reasons that she made this forum happen.
“I think this is a really extraordinary opportunity,” Stewart said.
First and foremost, Zamora wants people to come see her performing the music. She doesn’t want the focus to be on her disability: She is not a deaf pianist; she’s a pianist who by chance is deaf.
“I hope the audience takes away with them the same inspiration that I get from hearing live performances,” Zamora said. “And it doesn’t hurt if it helps everyone become aware of our prejudices in everyday life. Each one of us is different, and each one of us has special gifts to offer, to share and to accept.”
Zamora reads lips but can also understand some speech, just differently than a person without a hearing impairment.
“Language is made of rhythms, inflections and volume,” she said. “Music is no different. I learned to understand language largely by these factors rather than by actual words.”
After Zamora’s performance, she will take time to answer any questions the audience has.
“An artist coming from a totally different point of view could break down our assumptions,” Stewart said. “Maybe she can teach us how to hear differently.”
The concert is co-sponsored by the Disability Services office on campus. Molly Serois, student disability councilor, explained why.
“One of our missions is to educate the University community about disability,” Serois said. “That can be achieved very effectively by people with disabilities showing what their capabilities are.”
Zamora’s disability has meant that she must work harder to succeed. When she performs with other musicians, she memorizes each part for each instrument. She also spends time with the players to get a feeling of their personal styles and body language related to their music.
“Often, in the music, it’s like looking through a peep hole. I may be able to ‘hear’ only a portion of the whole, but that portion is intense,” Zamora said.
The free concert will be in Beall Concert Hall in the School of Music Thursday at 1 p.m.