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They’re with the band

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Philadelphia Orchestra violinist Boris Balter will have a short trip home after work tomorrow. A native of Odessa, Russia, Balter — now a resident of the 300 block of Queen Street — has been performing with Philly’s most famous ensemble since 1985. Finally, he’s getting the chance to play for his own neighbors — just blocks from his own neighborhood — for free.

"I hope people in the neighborhood will show up, and hopefully they will appreciate what they hear," says Balter, 49, referring to the orchestra’s concert in Capitolo Park, Ninth and Federal streets.

Two other violinists performing tomorrow, beginning at 7 p.m., are brothers Joe and Lou Lanza (no relation to Mario), originally of the 1500 block of Emily Street.

The brothers, both in their 60s, attended Girard Grammar School, Vare Junior High and South Philadelphia High School for Boys. And though they live elsewhere now, they still sing the old neighborhood’s praises.

"I am extremely proud of being a South Philadelphian," says Joe Lanza. "I never hide it. I always extol it. I’m equally proud of being Italian. Our history is one of greatness, and I’m proud of it."

South Philly High produced many a Philadelphia Orchestra member, and once boasted 12 musicians all at once, Joe notes. When his brother Lou joined the ensemble in 1964, he was the 13th member from the high school.

The Lanzas’ father was a master tailor and chief foreman with many of the big shops in Philly. But sewing was not their pop’s only talent: The Italian immigrant could sing, and he performed in many local productions, recalls Joe.

Something the senior Lanza told his boys at a very young age struck an eternal chord with Joe. "He said, ‘I didn’t come to America because I didn’t want to be Italian. I came to America to give you a better chance. You’ve got to do better than me or I failed.’"


Opera was the first music the brothers heard at home. Every Saturday afternoon the family would sit around the radio and listen to opera broadcasts.

It seemed almost all of the Lanza relatives were musically inclined, as the brothers’ maternal grandfather was a professional harpist who traveled the world to perform. The Lanzas’ uncle, Michael Pascuccio, was a violinist who made his living teaching and performing.

It was Pascuccio who got Joe interested in the delicate wooden instrument, and at the tender age of 4, Joe Lanza asked for a violin for Christmas and learned to play.

Not wishing to be outdone by his older brother, Lou picked up the instrument four years later.

"Growing up in South Philadelphia was a tremendous experience," says Lou Lanza. "There was a generation of Italian and Jewish people on Seventh Street who felt very strongly about their children being exposed to the fine arts. Immigrants thought very highly of the arts. They made sure their children were exposed to the fine arts."

In time, the Lanza pair won scholarships to the prestigious Juilliard School of Music.

Their parents sacrificed a great deal so they could have a career in music, and tomorrow evening’s performance will be a sort of homecoming for the duo.

"I think [playing in South Philly] is something that is long overdue," says Joe Lanza — personal bias aside, of course. "I think it’s important that we reach out to all communities."

The Lanzas and fellow violinist Balter are by no means the only current members of the Philadelphia Orchestra with South Philly ties. About a dozen musicians either call or once called the community home.


It was a beautiful autumn day in 1999 that Gary Alan Wood, director of education and partnerships for the Philadelphia Orchestra, chose to spend walking around South Philly.

Fresh from his native Minnesota, Wood had heard so much about the rich history and affection that South Philadelphians harbor for their home, he decided to check it out for himself.

Meandering through the crowded Italian Market and then strolling further south, the director found himself at Ninth and Federal streets. All types of people were out enjoying the sights and sounds, and music could be heard from area establishments, he recalls.

And there, among the cheesesteak giants, Wood saw a park — Capitolo Playground, to be exact — and an opportunity.

"It was amazing," he says. "I was just awestruck by the rich heritage. The way the families were out — it just seemed like a natural community gathering place, a perfect spot for an Orchestra concert. What better way to share the music than to be amongst folks in such an area?"

Now, four years later, the director’s dream of bringing the famed ensemble to South Philly is coming true.

The Orchestra will perform popular Italian arias sung by tenor Stuart Neill. Assistant conductor Rossen Milanov will lead the musicians in works by Rossini, Verdi, Puccini, Mendelssohn, Sousa and others. Tomorrow’s performance marks the seventh in the Philadelphia Orchestra’s free neighborhood concert program. Two years ago, the ensemble revived its neighborhood concerts with performances in Upper Darby, North Philadelphia and Northeast Philly, and last year debuted in West Philly and Washington Township, N.J. "The orchestra is world-renowned," Wood points out. "It prides itself on its concerts in London and Vienna. But I think what really makes the institution great is what it does in its own backyard."

The musicians agree, he adds, and that’s why they’re willing to take their talents directly to the streets of Philadelphia.

Neighborhood concerts provide an opportunity for folks who might otherwise not have a chance to see the Philadelphia Orchestra, the director notes.

"You have to take the music to the street. Music is universal. It doesn’t belong in one enclosed building. It deserves to be shared. Music itself, in its basic form, is about communication — thoughts, feelings. A lot of the success of communication has to do with how it’s presented," says Wood.

And about finally presenting the music in South Philly, he says, "the air is different and the sounds are different and I know it’s going to be great."

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