Violinist recalls getting in a lather

New York violinist Jennifer Frautschi, raised in Pasadena, makes her subscription concerts debut as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic May 16 to 18, performing the Berg Violin Concerto with guest conductor Pierre Boulez.

The L.A. performances represent a coming home of sorts for the 29-year-old musician. But Frautschi is disappointed that her schedule will cause her to miss another upcoming home-team event: the 30th anniversary concert of the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra -- May 11 at 3 p.m. at Pasadena Civic Auditorium -- to which former members of the symphony, composed of middle school students, are invited.

A spokeswoman for the free event said there is no way to estimate how many former symphony members will attend, since RSVPs are not required. But Frautschi says her experience as a nervous 11-year-old concertmaster with the PYSO was invaluable to her later solo and chamber music career.

“I learned a little bit about how to lead a large ensemble, and as a soloist it’s good to know what’s going on when you are sitting in front of an orchestra,” she says.

Frautschi notes another highlight of 1984-86, the years she played with the youth orchestra: “We played our concerts at Ambassador Auditorium -- it was great acoustically, but in the bathrooms they had soap leaves, these paper-thin soap leaves instead of liquid dispensers,” she recalls. “For an 11-year-old, that is very cool.”

-- Diane Haithman