A New Dawn for L.A. Pops Orchestra : Music: David Newman will begin the 1992 season tonight at UCLA by conducting a new score he wrote for the revival of the silent movie ‘Sunrise.’

After a year and a half at the helm of the Los Angeles Pops Orchestra, composer-conductor David Newman begins his 1992 season tonight not at his usual site--a hotel or outdoors during the summers--but in a real auditorium, Royce Hall at UCLA.

Tonight at 7, Newman will lead the 97-member L.A. Pops Orchestra when it accompanies the 1927 silent film “Sunrise” with a new score he wrote for its revival. The performance will be followed by a dinner benefiting both the orchestra and the American Heart Assn.

Interestingly, though Newman claims to have no intention of competing with the year-old, 78-member Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, led by John Mauceri, and with its recording contract, its established summer home and prestigious foreign tours. But Newman does have on his roster for tonight at least 10 of the same players. That doesn’t of course, count L.A. Philharmonic concertmaster Sidney Weiss, who is Newman’s concertmaster at UCLA tonight.

Newman says he intends, during the winters at least, to stay with indoor concert halls.

Since 1977, the orchestra has played 12 to 19 times a year, according to General Manager Victor Wong, mostly in large meeting rooms in fashionable hotels. Its Boston Pops-style format offered music from films, musicals and the symphonic repertory, played for patrons seated at tables. Along with the musical entertainment, food and wine was often served.

But Newman says there are new plans afoot for the 15-year-old symphonic ensemble, which performs during the summers at the Trillium, a convertible tennis court in the San Fernando Valley.

“We have many ideas for what we are going to do,” says Newman, scion of a musical California family--his father was the nine-time Oscar-winning composer Alfred Newman, his uncle was longtime 20th Century Fox music director Lionel Newman, his siblings are musicians working in the fields of Hollywood and his cousin is singer-songwriter Randy Newman.

“But pops concerts--despite our name--may be the thing we do the least.”

The fact is, the 37-year-old former violinist says, “I’m not very interested in pops concerts. I’m interested in special events.”

Possible programming directions for the orchestra’s concert series, which Newman hopes to perform at Royce Hall, include:

* Reconstructed films, with either restored historical scores or newly written scores commissioned by the orchestra, shown with the film, as at UCLA tonight.

* Concert performances of musical theater pieces, either new, or historical, or neglected.

* Children’s concerts with hands-on participation, the format to include new as well as existing musical works, “but with the audience taking part.”

With all these options, Wong says, and with no current deficit on its books, “Our job is to raise the funds to make these events happen.” There are some built-in impediments to such fund raising, he says.

“Being a pops orchestra, we are not eligible for grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, though we can apply for grants from the State of California and from the City of Los Angeles.

“Also, this is a bad time to be raising money, as everyone knows. Some of the businesses and corporations which have been big contributors to our orchestra are reassessing or cutting back in their support.”

In addition, Wong says: “In the symphonic field, we are just one of about 80 orchestras in the L.A. area, all looking for financial and corporate support.”

For six projected performances between now and next October, Wong says, the organization is working within a budget of $350,000. This includes the “Sunrise” performance tonight, four summer pops concerts over two weekends at the Trillium, plus a return to UCLA in October.

“Because of the economy, we gave no concerts in the summer of 1991,” Wong says. “Now we are ready to come back this year.”