Skid Row Becomes Front Row Center for Classical Music Concert

Edward Davis was a welder in Compton not long ago. That was before his problems with alcohol, and before landing in a downtown rehabilitation center.

And that was before Mozart.

Davis’ eyes were fixed on members of the wind ensemble and string section of the American Chamber Symphony, which visited the Weingart Center on Friday to play for the homeless.

He rocked discreetly through the opening movement of Mozart’s Serenade No. 10 as it was performed by conductor Nelson Nirenberg’s 14-member ensemble. About 100 other Weingart Center residents and clients listened too.

“I’m not really into classical music,” said Davis, 35, between the minueto and rondo movements. “But I like the effect--sort of soothing and quiet. Especially when you’re in a rehab program, and your mind starts to get clear. You get a chance to really hear music.”

In line with the mission of the symphony group, Friday’s concert was intended to bring world-class music to a nontraditional venue--Skid Row.

Since 1981, the American Chamber Symphony has performed charitable concerts for schools, community centers and other audiences that normally do not have access to classical chamber or symphony performances, said Nirenberg.

“There is a need for music outside of the privileged communities,” Nirenberg said. “Playing the big gala events at the large halls is fine, but we think our concerts should be for everyone.

“It’s not just a gig,” he said. “If we are able to touch somebody’s life, that’s what music is supposed to be all about. It doesn’t matter, really, who the audience is.”

The performance was co-sponsored by the Weingart Center, which provides a variety of services to the homeless, the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department and a musicians’ union.

During breaks in the performance, members of the symphony introduced themselves to the audience, and Nirenberg fielded questions about Mozart and Dvorak, whose work also was featured. One man in the audience wondered aloud whether Mozart was the same person who patented an Austrian beer brewing process; another asked about the sickness and frustration the composer went through before he died.

“As an adult, Mozart went through rough times,” Nirenberg said. “He could never land a job. . . . But he never lost touch with his inner goals. He kept writing and composing, and although he died very young, he was able to persevere through his music.”

Ron Edward Gill, 33, said Mozart’s plight was expressed in his music.

“Some of the music is sad, some makes you laugh inside,” said Gill, who is being treated in the center’s mental health clinic. In an afterthought, he mused: “I’d like to play. . . . I used to play the clarinet.”