Changing lives through the power of music

Gary S. Greene leads the Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic and Legal Voices, composed of legal professionals. (photo courtesy of Gary S. Greene)

With a wave of his baton, conductor Gary S. Greene brings an orchestra to a crescendo, sharing the extraordinary power of music and classical composition.

But Greene is no ordinary conductor, and his orchestra is not comprised of ordinary musicians. The longtime Beverly Hills resident is a full-time private practice trial attorney, equally at home in a courtroom or concert hall. As conductor of the Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic and Legal Voices, the orchestra is made up of musically-skilled lawyers, judges and legal professionals. Greene, who is also a classically-trained violinist, formed the orchestra in 2009 after a chance meeting with a fellow legal professional and musician.

“I was invited to an event and was introduced to a judge, Brett Klein, who plays trumpet, and we started chatting. He said he knew a couple of judges who played violin. I said, ‘maybe we ought to see if we can get these musicians together and form an orchestra.’”

Greene wasted no time, placing ads in legal publications for musicians and seeking coverage in local newspapers including the Beverly Press and Park Labrea News. He received more than 100 responses, and quickly discovered they had enormous potential.

“I asked for only advanced musicians. I was shocked,” Greene said. “When I got this group together and I looked at their backgrounds – this one graduated Juilliard, this one the New England Conservatory, this one the Cleveland Institute, San Francisco Conservatory, the USC Thornton School – I said, ‘this is a group of advanced musicians who happen to be judges and lawyers.’ The bottom line was these people wanted to be professional musicians and then they realized at some point that they wanted to make a living, so they decided to go to law school and carried on careers as lawyers and judges.”

After paring the group down to 30 and coming together for a single rehearsal, the orchestra played its first concert in 2009 at a private event in Downtown Los Angeles for the legal publication Met News. It was such a big hit that the orchestra was immediately asked to perform at the opening of a new headquarters for the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

“It all snowballed from there,” Greene added. “There was a huge response.”

The orchestra became so popular that people in the legal field who are also singers approached Greene, and he formed Legal Voices, the orchestra’s choir. Today, the Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic is comprised of 75 members and the chorus has more than 200 vocalists. The orchestra performs three to four concerts per year for general audiences of all ages in venues including the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Saban Theatre, Greystone Mansion and UCLA’s Royce Hall. Greene also appears eight to 10 times a year with another group he formed in 2012 – Gary Greene, Esq. & His Big Band of Barristers.

“[The band] was very successful,” he said, adding that the Big Band garnered top honors in a national competition within its first six months. “We took first place, it was really amazing. We became America’s No. 1 legal band and we have carried that title on through now.”

In 2017, the Big Band was honored by Congressman Brad Sherman and played at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., which Greene called a very special moment. He added that his success on the local and national stages has allowed him to use the power of music to enrich lives. The orchestra is a nonprofit and the musicians are not paid. Sponsorships and tickets sold at concerts raise money for legal services for those who cannot afford them.

“It’s important to give back,” he added. “We do many events where we volunteer for charities and have raised tens of thousands of dollars.”

The Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic and Legal Voices performs at the Disney Concert Hall. (photo courtesy of Gary S. Greene)

Greene also noted the connection between music and education, a philosophy at the heart of his musical endeavors. Greene’s uncle Ernst Katz formed the Junior Philharmonic in 1937 and was an inspiration throughout his life. Greene, who grew up in the Beverly-Fairfax District before moving to Beverly Hills in 1969, first appeared on stage as a child in 1957 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, speaking at a Junior Philharmonic concert. Greene later served for many years as concertmaster for the Junior Phil.

“[My uncle] gave me the opportunity to conduct when I was a teenager, so it was an apprenticeship, like the way things were done centuries ago. You learned through apprenticeship, and I learned through my uncle,” Greene added. “It gave me an appreciation for music and providing an opportunity for people to play music. I carry on his legacy today.”

The Junior Phil, which took no government subsidies and existed solely on donations, exposed countless young people to classical music over the years, all for free. Greene stressed that the Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic’s musicians and vocalists are all volunteers, seeking to express their love for music by performing in public. He welcomes anyone in the legal field who is also a musician to visit the orchestra’s website at lalawyersphil.org to schedule an audition.

“Music has power. It is my passion and is something I love to share with people,” Greene said. “It is also a legacy that I carry on. Music has the power to shape lives, to change lives, and that’s something I never forget.”

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