SOUTH LOS ANGELES : Symphony Plays a Part in Young Lives

For 45 years, the Southeast Symphony Orchestra has filled church halls and school auditoriums in South Los Angeles with the sounds of classical music.

The 40-member Southeast Symphony does not have a high degree of name recognition or much funding. But its supporters say the symphony provides a valuable place for African-American classical musicians to hone their skills while providing quality entertainment for area residents.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for them to train. We provide a stage so these musicians can be seen and heard,” said Myrtle Moore, a member of the orchestra’s 26-member board of directors. “It is a community-based orchestra supported by the community.”

According to Moore, 75% of the Southeast Symphony’s annual budget, which ranges from $40,000 to $60,000, is funded by donations from residents. Private companies and foundations such as the National Endowment for the Arts provide the remaining 25% of the nonprofit group’s funding.

The orchestra performs five concerts each season, and most are free, including one today at the Jean Delacour Auditorium on Menlo Avenue south of Exposition Boulevard. It starts at 3 p.m. and parking is $3.

Founded in 1948 by Mabel Massengill Gunn, a local pianist, the orchestra debuted at a time when when most African-American Angelenos lived in what was then called Southeast Los Angeles and when positions in established symphonies were closed to blacks.

While there are more opportunities for African-Americans in the classical music world today, the orchestra is still a good first job for musicians looking for experience after leaving school, said Yvette Devereaux, the symphony’s music director and a composer.

Devereaux, the orchestra’s first woman conductor, joined the group last fall after graduating from Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory of Music.

Christopher Grice, a 17-year-old South Los Angeles resident who attends Hamilton Academy of Music, a music magnet school on the Westside, said the symphony is a valuable outlet for young musicians to sharpen their skills and seek out mentors.

“I love playing the music,” said Grice, a violinist. “And it’s great playing around older people. Race is not a factor when it comes to music, but it’s good to know that there are a lot of good black musicians out there. Before this I didn’t know of any black orchestral groups around.”

Robert Watt, assistant principal French horn player of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and guest soloist with the Southeast Symphony, said small orchestras are having a hard time recruiting young musicians because budget cuts have forced schools to scale back their music programs.

“It would be good if it all connected and the whole system made sense. If there were more music in the schools then this would be a better orchestra,” Watt said. “They would constantly be fed by students coming up and needing this exposure.”