The Voice - The Official Linda Eder Newsletter

October 25, 2002 is a day that will forever live on in the memory of the Maier family. It is the day Chuck and Tammy Maier, along with their daughters Brittany and Charlie, drove from their home in Irmo, South Carolina to attend Linda Eder’s concert in Charlotte, North Carolina. They were filled with excitement and anticipation. They knew it would be a very special night for their entire family, but most of all for their thirteen year old daughter, Brittany. Thanks to Linda’s kindness, she was about to have the best night of her life.

To fully understand what attending Linda’s concert was going to mean to Brittany, it is necessary to go back to the day of her birth. She was born four months premature and weighed only one pound and six ounces. She put up a fierce struggle to live and was finally released from the hospital at six months of age. Because of the high levels of oxygen she required when she was born, Brittany was blind.

Chuck and Tammy, determined to raise their daughter with love and a feeling of optimism for her future, gave her all the experiences she needed to begin closing the gap created by her premature birth. They had been prepared to expect developmental delays, but they began to grow concerned when Brittany didn’t speak or show any interest in the world around her. Only when they played music did she seem to come alive, and she actually learned to crawl in order to get closer to the music she was hearing. From that point on, there was always music playing in the Maier household.

At the age of five, Brittany amazed her parents by attempting to sing along with a Jimmy Buffett recording. Her parents gave her a small keyboard because she loved music so much. Around the same time, Brittany changed schools, and placement tests there showed a diagnosis of autism (the limited ability to communicate and interact) and echolalia (the tendency to repeat what one hears). On their drive to and from the new school, Chuck played music for his daughter. Several days after he played a collection of Christmas music, an astonished teacher from Brittany’s new school told the Maiers that their daughter had played a song which sounded like “Ave Maria” that afternoon. Chuck and Tammy soon discovered that she could play songs and even entire musicals after hearing them only a few times. Over the next several weeks, Brittany played hundreds of songs, and within a year the number of songs increased to over one thousand. This amazing child memorized every new CD her father bought within a day or two and played them on her keyboard.

For Christmas the following year, Brittany received a 64-key electric keyboard and several new CD’s. Among them was THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Although she was only six years old, she memorized the entire musical within seven days. Her knowledge of what Tammy calls “powerful” singers was limited to Barbra Streisand and Whitney Houston, and now Sarah Brightman was added to the list. Chuck, recognizing his daughter’s passion for Sarah’s voice, searched to find what other “powerful” voices were out there. He purchased LES MISERABLES and Highlights From JEKYLL & HYDE. Upon hearing JEKYLL & HYDE, Brittany’s parents observed a reaction from her they had never seen before. According to Tammy, “Britt’s excitement over it could not be contained. Her body shook with excitement as if every nerve in her experienced the songs in a way unimaginable to us.”

The next purchase was The Original Broadway Cast Recording of JEKYLL & HYDE, and listening to it caused Brittany to smile and clap wildly. She memorized the entire musical, but the characters held so much emotion and depth that soon the words were memorized and sung by the entire family. They belted out the complete score almost daily. Obviously partial to Linda’s voice, Brittany chose to listen to her selections over and over, making her parents wonder if it was the music or Linda’s voice that gave their daughter the most pleasure. In the next few years, they added to their collection all of Linda’s CD’s, several of Frank’s musicals, and a video of Linda in concert. One of her favorite songs was “Vienna,” and her parents saw what an effect Linda’s voice and that particular song had on her. Now that you know a little about Brittany, her father will relate the Maier family’s experience on October 25, 2002 at Ovens Auditorium in a letter he sent to THE VOICE.

I write you on behalf of my family as well as my daughter, Brittany, whom you know is a child both blind and autistic. Her happiness in life is centered around the music she hears as well as creates on her piano. During the past thirteen years of her life, my wife and I have tried to create as many wonderful experiences for her as we can. We hope that by our efforts, she is able to experience more of the same joys in life as we experience them. As Brittany is blessed with the ability to understand happiness and has a wonderful, outgoing personality, she is an absolute pleasure to be around. Her excitement for life is contagious, and there is nothing like experiencing the joy of a moment when she is at her happiest. One of these moments occurred recently at Linda Eder’s concert in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I am writing to tell you about it.

The day I found out that Linda was coming to Charlotte, I called my wife at home to let her know the good news. With several months notice, I also asked her if she would attempt to contact Linda’s manager and ask if Brittany could meet Linda during her visit to Charlotte. As the time grew nearer, we purchased the closest tickets to the stage we could get (second row!) because we somehow felt that the closer we are to Linda, the happier Brittany will be. Shortly thereafter came the news that Tammy’s attempt had been successful, and Ms. Eder had agreed to meet with us and Brittany after the concert.

As Brittany is a child who understands very little of the normal goings on in life, and speaks even less than her knowledge, Tammy teaches her at home. She attempts to educate Britt on words that will help her understand the world she can’t see. Tammy encourages her to “talk” to us and convey simple messages. Britt has recently come to understand the word “concert” (from herself performing in public), and the week prior to Linda’s concert, Tammy had worked with Brittany on understanding that “on Friday she would go to see a Linda Eder concert,” and that after the concert they would “talk to Linda Eder.” Brittany understood perfectly because a huge smile came upon her face each time Tammy reminded her.

So on Friday, October 25th, with high hopes that the security staff at Ovens Auditorium would be understanding and allow us to bring a camera inside, we drove to the concert with an overjoyed Brittany on our arm.

After arriving at the auditorium, we found our seats and waited very little time before Linda was introduced. She was stunning! Our whole family was emotional just being in the same room with her-LIVE! Brittany was a sight! She rocked in her chair with excitement, and Tammy and I pleaded with her to calm down, as she seemed to want to clap and yell like she were at a rock concert! Each song Linda sang was begun with a verbal explanation before it (something Britt enjoys hearing when she listens to a video tape of Linda at home) and which made the concert more of a live reality for Brittany. She knew that this wasn’t a CD, video, or DVD. Ms. Eder was right there-just beyond her reach. She applauded wildly each time a song would end and acted as if she were a child understanding her first Christmas as she anticipated what the next gift would be from under the tree. Brittany’s next gift was soon to come.... After enjoying song after song for quite some time, we realized the concert was (sadly) to come to an end soon. The audience quieted to listen to the introduction of what they hoped might be a particular greatly anticipated song-you know the one!....

Well, there are moments in life when time seems to simply stand still. We could never have imagined what was to happen next at Ms. Eder’s concert, but what I do remember is that time seemed to be slowing down as she began telling the audience a story-it was about my daughter!

Tammy had sent a synopsis of Brittany’s story to Linda in the form of a letter, and with all the warmth, beauty, and style she exudes, Linda began sharing a little bit of Brittany’s extraordinary life with her audience, even cupping her hand to explain just how small Brittany was at birth as Tammy had described to her in the letter. We were overcome with emotion, and Brittany was just as astonished as we were. She became still in her chair-listening to every word Linda spoke and erupting in smiles as she heard her name mentioned several times. This is recognition enough for us that Brittany understood the moment-the moment her beloved Linda Eder “talked to her.” When Ms. Eder finished telling Brittany’s story, she dedicated “Vienna” to her. For Brittany, as well as our family, time stopped at that very moment. My wife and I are still to this day and very moment emotional about recalling that particular part of her concert. Linda gave us more than she possibly could have imagined by doing what she did.

What were we, her parents, feeling? It felt as if we were giving Brittany the world. To see Brittany as happy as she was that night fills our hearts, as we often think of how much beauty in life she misses without her sight. We would be fools not to realize a moment like this one means as much to Brittany as our sight to us.

The concert ended after a few more songs, and as planned, we were invited backstage to meet Linda. Only now, we were tear-streaked, emotional, and star-struck all wrapped into one! (Not a pretty sight!) On my first attempt to talk to Linda, I actually couldn’t speak-so Tammy had to take over! During my second attempt, I babbled like an idiot! Linda was gracious and patient with us, listening to all we wanted to say, and she accepted a small gift we had for her of Brittany’s music. We introduced Brittany to her, and Linda gently took Britt’s hand and led her to the piano where Brittany was more comfortable “speaking” with her songs rather than her words.

It’s hard to determine Brittany’s favorite song, but we are sure of her enthusiasm when she hears “Bring on the Men,” so it was the song we requested her to play. Amidst a small audience of admirers, Linda knelt down by Brittany’s side and began singing the words to the song in the astonishing, unquestionably recognizable voice that Brittany has come to love. If reality had not happened before, it was most certainly happening now. For Brittany, the moment would compare only to what you may feel if you won the lottery. Not only had time stood still that evening, but the stars aligned too. I am overcome with emotion just writing this letter, so I would like to end it now by saying this:

Linda, words cannot express what your time with us was worth, for no one can put a value to what your voice and the music your husband writes means to Brittany. Thank you, and may God bless you in a special way for all you gave His child.

Thank you to the Editorial Staff of THE VOICE for affording me this opportunity and forum to express our thanks once again.

"My baby played the piano while an angel sang to her. Moments like this are what make life worth living."

Very truly yours,

Chuck Maier

There is so much of Brittany’s extraordinary life left to tell. Picking up from the time Brittany discovered Linda and her music, here are the highlights of the life of a very special girl. By the age of ten, Brittany had memorized approximately five thousand pieces of music. The owner of a piano store was amazed when he heard Brittany play, and he recommended that the Maiers take her to the University of South Carolina School of Music to begin piano lessons with Dr. Scott Price. After a few months of lessons, she began to play music her parents had never heard before. Brittany was composing her own music to the amazement of everyone! A fundraiser was begun to purchase a new piano for Brittany, and she was presented with a Yamaha grand piano which would record her music as she played it. The Maiers have received many requests to purchase Brittany’s music, so Brittany recorded and pressed her own CDs in 2001 with the help of her parents.

To learn more about Brittany or to purchase her CD, please visit her website at www.brittanymaier.com.

The Editorial Staff would like to thank Linda for making a special young girl and her family very happy, Dave Hart for giving us the opportunity to tell this beautiful story, Carol Blalock, our guest reporter, for helping to record the events of October 25th in words and pictures, and the Maier family for allowing us to tell you about their precious daughter, Brittany.