YOUNG MUSICIANS TUNE IN AT SUMMER INSTITUTE

At first glance, the scene at the Cal State Northridge music building is reminiscent of the school in New York where all those “Fame” kids hang out.

Young members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute scurry about in shorts and T-shirts, lugging their instrument cases from rehearsals to master classes to seminars.

Nearby, a horn player occupies the shade of a rare tree, oblivious to the summer heat as he struggles with the famous theme from Strauss’ “Don Juan.” A passing musician sings an off-color lyric about the tune’s difficulty.

Hot fun in the summertime.

Maybe. But look a little closer and you’ll notice a sobering reality. There is scarcely a trace of the naive enthusiasm typical of “Fame’s” gotta-sing-gotta-dance crowd.

The 102 young (age 16-30) musicians recruited from around the country by the Philharmonic through in-person tryouts and audition tapes have gathered on the Northridge campus for six weeks of hard, concentrated work.

Their days are filled mostly with preparation for chamber concerts (such as the 20th-Century program tonight in Schoenberg Hall, UCLA) and full symphonic events (the fourth and last of which takes place at Hollywood Bowl on Sunday).

As with its East Coast counterpart at Tanglewood, the 4-year-old institute draws on young musicians working seriously toward a career in music. Tuition is $750 (conducting fellows pay a bit more), though the Philharmonic, through the auspices of the E. Nakamichi Foundation and others, is often able to provide scholarships.

Institute members come from varied backgrounds and many have different goals. What they share is a love of music--playing it, practicing it, talking about it, listening to it.

And many have already experienced the difficulties of making a living with it. Which is why a number have come to Los Angeles: for guidance, for improvement, for confidence-building.

“What I’m really looking for is security,” says Khanh Trinh as he gathers to discuss his future in music with four colleagues, following an intense read-through of the the five movements of Berloiz’s “Symphonie Fantastique” under the watchful eyes of five different conducting fellows.

Trinh, 29, associate concertmaster with the Vermont Symphony, states with a shrug that he isn’t forever married to the profession. For two years he’s been auditioning, unsuccessfully thus far, with larger orchestras around the country, an experience the Vietnamese-born violinist calls “scary.”

The boyish-looking musician comes across as one who will survive and succeed in whatever he attempts. With some prodding, he relates a saga of fleeing his homeland during the fall of Saigon in 1975, climbing aboard a leaky boat at midnight with all 11 members of his family, and then drifting with no food or water for a week before being rescued.

After living a short period in Arkansas, Trinh and his family settled in Massachusetts so he could pursue his music career.

While waiting for an orchestral position to open up, he keeps busy. “I’ve worked in real estate, and now I’m learning the computer business,” he says.

Amanda McLarry is likewise open to suggestion: “I’m interested in learning the ropes. I like all aspects of music.”

The 21-year-old violinist, who came out from Oklahoma with her brother, Royce, was impressed with a career seminar led by institute artistic director Sir Charles Groves and Bowl general director Ernest Fleischmann. “I might consider music administration in the future,” she says.

Her brother is also an example of a young musician willing to adjust to the ever-changing demands of the profession. “Normally I’m a violinist,” the 23-year-old Oklahoman says. “But I took up viola for the institute (auditions), because I figured that would increase my chances of getting accepted. Now, I’m in a quartet here and I’m beginning to lean toward staying with the instrument.”

Another, even more amazing case of youthful flexibility is Owen Lee, at 16 the youngest member of the institute. The Santa Monica High School student had studied piano since he was 6. This summer he is ensconced in the double bass section at Northridge. Lee’s colleagues gasp when they learn he took up the instrument only 1 1/2 years ago because there was an opening in his high school orchestra. “I’m still deciding what I want to do” he says.

Seated quietly off to the side, Luis Antonio Ibanez unashamedly speaks of his commitments: “I’ve already made the decision. I can’t live without music.” The Bolivian-born violinist is 29 and has already spent much of his adult life as a professional musician--playing and teaching in Latin America and, more recently, serving as a member of the Portland (Me.) Symphony.

Ibanez says he has come here for the “exposure” to such respected faculty members as Joseph Silverstein, Andre Previn, Paavo Berglund, Otto-Werner Mueller and Groves.

Has the experience of working with these respected conductors had an effect? Not really, says Lee with a slight smile. “I see the professional conductors and the conducting fellows as equals. The music can’t change that much from one to the other.”

Amanda McLarry disagrees. “I’ve learned a lot by watching the pros work with the fellows. They’ll point things out in rehearsal and a lot of what they say makes us think.”

For Trinh, the opportunities to play chamber music informally and in concert situations have been particularly valuable.

“You can improve your ability to listen,” he points out. Royce McLarry chimes in, “I think I enjoy the chamber music more than anything. But there just isn’t enough time. The emphasis is heavily orchestral.”

No one disputes the biggest thrill offered by the institute--the opportunity to play at Hollywood Bowl. The Sunday program will be capped by a performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 led by Andre Previn.

“There’s nothing like performing,” says Lee. “There I am, buried in the bass section, but each player is different, each one makes a contribution.” Trinh smiles. “Performing makes you feel important,” he says. “I like that.”

None of the players look forward to the institute’s end Sunday night. “I’m sure there’ll be tears and hugs after the concert,” Amanda McLarry says.

And after the final hugs? Ibanez wants to return to Bolivia “to teach and perform and be with my family.” The McLarrys will finish their schooling at Oklahoma City University. “I’ll be graduating soon,” Royce says, “and I’ll be looking around.”

Lee, still in high school, feels no pressure to make a decision. “I could become an architect. I hope to go to USC. It’s a great all-around school and they have a very good music department.”

“I may start a computer business with my family,” Trinh notes, remarking that before they left Vietnam penniless, his parents were “millionaires.”

Apparently, the stereotypical role of destitute, out-of-work musician carries no special appeal--for Trinh or the others.