LA Lawyers Philharmonic charms audience ‘bar’ none at Disney Hall on Saturday
A most unlikely orchestra took to the stage Saturday night at Disney Hall for a moving benefit concert. The Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic and Legal Voices showcased their musical mastery to a full house. The “Concert of Hope” raised funds for The City of Hope and the nonprofit Violins of Hope.
The latter organization refurbishes violins recovered from the Holocaust in an effort to tell the stories of the victims who once played them and open a dialogue against bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred of any kind. Violins of Hope celebrates the triumph of the human spirit and that was the theme of Saturday’s concert.
In an effort to lighten the mood, emcee Bill Handel of KFIAM radio quipped, “You’re about to hear the most accomplished musicians … who needed to make a living,” referring to the auditioned-based orchestra made up of lawyers, law students, judges, and other legal professionals. Some of the players are actual adversaries in the courtroom, but still harmonious brothers and sisters making beautiful music together. Many of the talents in the ensemble are virtuoso players who have trained at prestigious music conservatories including Julliard and Thornton at USC.
Lifelong Malibu resident Gary S. Greene Esq. founded the Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic in 2009 and the choir Legal Voices in 2011. Maestro Greene conducted the 75-member orchestra and 60-member choir. He is still a practicing attorney.
Saturday’s program was originally set to be performed in 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic. The orchestra had also been set to perform a benefit for The City of Hope, so the programs were combined into the “Concert for Hope” which raised money for both organizations.
The delicate instruments of Violins of Hope were actually picked up by one of the musicians who flew back and forth to Chicago as their escort.
“My orchestra is one of the few around the world invited to perform on these instruments that were recovered from the Holocaust,” Greene explained.
One of the pieces performed was Verdi’s “Agnus Dei,” which had been performed in a concentration camp in World War II. Prisoner orchestras were a ploy used by the Nazis to create the illusion that prisoners were treated under humane conditions when they were actually being systematically murdered. Most of the original players of the recovered violins perished at the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Other music played by the orchestra was recovered, written by a camp prisoner.
There were other uplifting scores performed also, including numbers from “Man of La Mancha,” sung by Tony Award winner and current practicing attorney Michael Maguire.
Since the LA Lawyers Philharmonic raises funds for charitable causes, it included its premier performance of a commissioned piece for the City of Hope written by Bill Marx, the son of Harpo Marx.
In another moment of levity, well-known actor Hal Linden, of “Barney Miller,” fame introduced a piece and commented, “My mother always wanted me to be a lawyer.” The 92-year-old then joked, “I hope I haven’t disappointed her.”
Michelle Droeger, another of a handful of Malibu residents, sang in the choir. The 59-year-old has been an attorney for 33 years. She’s a civil practitioner who has worked in environmental law, lemon law, and various litigation. The three-decade Malibu resident is currently practicing law as a mediator, but in her spare time the mother of three loves to sing. She’s made many appearances in Malibu singing at various events and also appears with the Burbank Chorale. The soprano recently joined Legal Voices.
“I discovered this choir at a deposition with an opposing counsel. She told me about it,” Droeger said. “There’s nothing more confrontational or adversarial in the legal process, but this is something where we all come together as a unit. We’re from all different practices, all different areas of the law and we’re making something. We’re creating something beautiful, especially with this concert. It was very moving.”
With her being a newer member of the choir, this was Droeger’s first time performing with Legal Voices and first time performing at Los Angeles’ premier performance hall.
“It was beautiful,” she sadi. “I got caught up in the whole experience. The concert was very touching to me because I lost a great-uncle in the Holocaust. It was close to my heart, and for a lot of people I think. A venue like the Disney Concert Hall was very moving. The whole experience was phenomenal. I loved it.”
The LA Lawyers Philharmonic and Legal Voices typically perform annually at Disney Hall. Greene’s big band, Gary Greene, Esq. and his Big Band of Barristers, also perform fundraisers a few times each year.
