Complications in one’s life could stop someone from doing what they love, but Sara Zangrilli, a hearing-impaired musician, has shown the community that in the face of adversity, anyone can still pursue their passions.
Despite being hard of hearing in her left ear, Zangrilli is spectacular at performing music. She plays both the upright bass and bass guitar, and she dominates in almost every orchestra competition. She also enjoys constantly learning new pieces of music despite her difficulty with listening to the melody and rhythm. Zangrilli, who started off playing classical music in the fifth grade, is currently branching out towards jazz and modern music.
Her love for music is almost eight years strong and continues every day. Zangrilli started her passion in 3rd grade when she picked up the bass in orchestra class, and as of right now, Zangrilli plays in the PV high school orchestra, the chamber orchestra, the Montgomery County string orchestra, jazz band and the musical pit for the upcoming PVHS play “Mean Girls.”
Sara enjoys playing the bass in the pit. She sees the art of both the actors and the musicians come together. “It is really exciting to see everybody’s hard work come together and pay off next week,” Zangrilli said.
Sara also recently finished a regional orchestra competition. Her next step is competing in a state orchestra competition in April.
Zangrilli is definitely a role model for all musicians in the Perkiomen Valley community. Despite everything, she manages to play in plenty of different musical groups within the High School, and gets herself out of her comfort zone even if it may be difficult by learning new styles of music.
“Try music anyway, because it never hurts to try something new,” Zangrilli said.