SHOW TIME: After hearing the Los Angeles Philharmonic rehearse Beethovens Symphony No. 3, Eroica, Nathaniel Ayers stands behind the stage and plays his violin. Music is his passion. (Damon Winter / Los Angeles Times)
CONTRAST: Nathaniel is awed at the thought of great musicians playing just two blocks from where he takes a bow and saws away on a corner. (Damon Winter / Los Angeles Times)
Nathaniel Anthony Ayers plays his violin in Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles. (Damon Winter / Los Angeles Times)
EAGER: Former Juilliard student Nathaniel Ayers checks the performance calendar outside Walt Disney Concert Hall. (Damon Winter / Los Angeles Times)
TOGETHER: Nathaniel Anthony Ayers and Yo-Yo Ma, who attended Juilliard at the same time, chat at Walt Disney Concert Hall. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
EAGER: Former Juilliard student Nathaniel Ayers checks the performance calendar outside Walt Disney Concert Hall. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
Nathaniel Ayers plays his violin downtown. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
Nathaniel Ayers plays a cello in L.A. in July of 2005. (Hal Wells / Los Angeles Times)
