MUSIC : McInnes Enjoys a Rare Career as Viola Soloist : The violist, who has returned to USC, his alma mater, says teaching is his greatest joy. He performs tonight in Costa Mesa.

The viola plays an important role in an orchestra or string quartet as the middle voice between the violin and cello. But it’s usefulness as a solo instrument is less frequent.

That violist Donald McInnes has built a long and distinguished career as a soloist is a remarkable and rare feat. Today, he enjoys the reputation as one of America’s top viola soloists.

“I originally thought that I’d be happy finding a teaching position at a small but good school where I could give a couple of concerts a year,” McInnes, 51, admitted in an interview from his comfortable home in Alhambra. “As it turned out, I still teach, but my career as a soloist surpassed anything I could ever anticipate.”

Tonight at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, he performs the Bartok Viola Concerto with the Pacific Symphony under the baton of Carl St. Clair. Also on the recently revised program is the Overture to Rossini’s “La gazza ladra,” excerpts from Bernstein’s “Arias and Barcarolles” and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5.

McInnes feels a certain closeness with the Bartok Concerto because it was commissioned by his teacher, William Primrose.

Memories of another teacher, Stefan Krayk, also continue to influence him.

“It was from Krayk that I acquired my basic musical tastes,” he claimed. “There are realms of what a performer knows is acceptable to the listener, and if you go beyond that, it becomes distasteful.”

In 1966 McInnes graduated from USC, not realizing that he would become one of the most active viola soloists in the world. He vividly remembers the first time his career appeared to be growing in a direction he didn’t realize was possible.

“The first event that really changed my career was when I was invited by Rudolf Serkin to participate in the Marlboro Festival in 1970-71,” he said. “The second was also in 1971 when I was awarded the Ford Foundation Grant.”

Of the $10,000 stipend McInnes received, half was supposed to go to a composer of McInnes’ choice as a commission to write a new piece for viola. The composer McInnes chose was William Schuman, and his Viola Concerto on English Rounds went on to become a mainstay of viola repertory.

“I thought long and hard about what composer I should choose,” he remembered. “I came up with Schuman because he passed three criteria: I wanted a composer I liked, one who needed the work and one whose name would help my career as well.”

After the Schuman Concerto was recorded with Leonard Bernstein, McInnes’ career took off. But after being in demand all over the world and touring extensively, he realized that teaching gives him the most joy.

“I enjoy academia and working with bright kids because you learn from them and are constantly challenged by them,” he said. “It makes you really rethink your own art.”

After teaching at the University of Seattle and the University of Michigan, he returned in 1985 to his alma mater, USC, where he still teaches.

“In the original USC string department, there was Jasha Heifetz for violin, Gregor Piatagorsky for cello and Primrose on viola,” he said. “We have graduates active in orchestras all over the world.”

But burn-out may be taking its toll with McInnes. He admits that his busy days touring the world were fun, but now he wants to relax and spend more time with his students.

“I love to be at home,” he admitted. “I have enjoyed touring and performing throughout my life, but now I’d like to spend some more time relaxing and teaching.”

Violist Donald McInnes joins conductor Carl St. Clair and the Pacific Symphony in music of Bartok, Bernstein, Rossini and Tchaikovsky at 8 p.m. at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tickets: $10 to $33. Also Thursday. Information: (714) 556-2787.

CONCERT SERIES RESUMES: The North Orange County Community Concert Assn. has announced its 45th season, which will open Nov. 20 at Plummer Auditorium, 201 E. Chapman Ave. in Fullerton, with a program by duo-pianists Ralph Markham and Kenneth Broadway. They will play works by Mozart as arranged by Busoni and Grieg, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Liszt and Percy Grainger.

The four-concert series will continue in 1991 at the Fullerton First United Methodist Church, Pomona and Commonwealth avenues in Fullerton with the Epic Brass Quintet (Jan. 21), contralto Gweneth Bean (Feb. 10) and duo-harpists John Escosa and Michael Rado (March 8).All concerts are at 8:15 p.m.

Series tickets are $22 for adults, $11 for students and $55 for families. Tickets include reciprocity privileges with other Community Concert associations.

Information: (714) 871-6632 or (714) 871-1808.