In Wednesday’s (3/9) Los Angeles Times, Steve Lopez writes, “I don’t recall the exact date that Robert Gupta, a Los Angeles Philharmonic violinist, first told me about his plan. But at some point after Gupta befriended my buddy Nathaniel Ayers, roughly three years ago, he said he wanted to give free concerts at mental health clinics. [Ayers is a formerly homeless, conservatory-trained musician troubled by mental difficulties.] Busy lives often get in the way of good intentions, and I wondered whether a rising phenom like Gupta—who joined the Phil in 2007 at the age of 19, and that’s not a typo—would find time for charity. But on Monday afternoon, Gupta was exactly where he had promised he would be. He was about to give his third in an occasional series of matinee concerts in the basement of the L.A. County Department of Mental Health clinic on Maple Street, across from the police station on skid row, and the small auditorium was packed with mental health workers and their clients. … Few people have done more to help Mr. Ayers than Gupta, who occasionally gives him lessons but more importantly is his friend.” Click here to read “LA Story,” Symphony’s article about Lopez, Ayers, and the book and movie their friendship inspired.
Posted March 10, 2011
