Music speaks to each of us differently. It takes us back in time. It inspires our dreams. It’s the soundtrack to our lives. For pianist Anthony Zamora, it’s something you fall in love with. But it helps to have the right instruction.
The Rushsylvania native and 2019 Calvary Christian School graduate has been playing the piano since he was five. This spring he will complete his master’s at The University of Alabama, then plans to begin doctorate studies in the fall … as soon as he decides on a university.
“You should be able to hear the music before you play it, and I wasn’t taught that until I was in college,” Zamora admitted. “So I love music way more now than I used to.”
To celebrate that love, Zamora will present his master’s piano recital—and doctorate audition requirement pieces, at 7 p.m. Friday, March 14, at the First United Presbyterian Church, 117 N. Main St., Bellefontaine. Admission is free. (EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of the story included an incorrect concert venue in the photo caption).
The performance, which will last a little over an hour, will include selections from Bach, Chopin, Liszt and Beethoven and feature a sonata, a prelude and a fugue. Zamora described it as a wide range of different styles.
“A lot of slow, a lot of fast, a lot of beautiful music mixed between very virtuosic music,” he said.
Zamora chose the pieces for various reasons, but about half, he explained, have interesting back stories. His last number, Liszt’s “Mephisto Waltz No. 1,” for instance, is a musical depiction of a poem about the Faust legend by Nikolaus Lenau.
The son of Chris and Amey Zamora of Rushylvania, Zamora has proved his skills on the keys since he studied for his bachelor’s in piano performance at Lipscomb University. He has performed across the United States and in Italy as a soloist and as a member of Lipscomb’s Avalon Trio. As part of his master program’s assistantship, he collaborates with vocalists and the UA Opera Theatre.
Recent achievements include first place in the 2024 MTNA solo piano competition in Alabama and second prize at the 2024 New Orleans Piano Institute Concerto Competition.
After earning his doctorate, Zamora would like to eventually open his own business in the Columbus area, teaching pre-college students while also tuning and fixing pianos. To the latter end, he’s currently completing his schooling with the online Piano Technician Academy.
But first he has a summer between finishing his master’s program and starting his doctorate. During that time, he plans to open a piano tuning and repair business here in Logan County.
Zamora hopes his recital will inspire other local artists to perform in Bellefontaine. Or maybe someone in the audience who thought they didn’t enjoy piano music might change their mind … and even decide to start taking lessons.
“Music helps you appreciate things outside of your interests,” Zamora said. “I love being able to make music communicate something personal to the audience. If it speaks to them, that makes everything worth it.”