No matter how great the desire to dance, sing or play an instrument, a person has to eat. If the art won't pay, the prudent person finds something that will.

Members of the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony have found a way to keep their day jobs and still satisfy their artistic leanings.

Working in various professions by day, symphony members still find time to devote themselves to performing the music they love - and for worthy causes to boot.

David Bernard, symphony president, music director and conductor, said the group he founded gives several benefit concerts each year.

A performance in the fall raised money for the music program at the Elaine Kaufman Cultural Center's Lucy Moses School. The Moses school provides a scholarship fund that enables underprivileged children to learn how to play the violin using the Suzuki instruction method.

Symphony manager Andrea Berger said the group's June 13 concert at the Bar Association of the City of New York will honor Annabelle Prager, founder of the Interschool Orchestras of New York, an important institution for young musicians in New York City.

An Oct. 22 concert at Alice Tully Hall featuring 11-year-old violin virtuoso Jordan Urbach will benefit the Trickle Up Foundation, which provides seed money to low-income people from around the world to start small businesses.

Ticket prices are kept low, usually about $15, to make it easier for people to attend, Bernard said.

"We are a professional orchestra of nonprofessional musicians," Bernard said. "Our members include many business professionals who have been very successful at their careers. The discipline you have to have to be a good musician can only help you in business."

Bernard is managing director of DB Marketing Technologies, a Manhattan consulting company. Berger, who plays the piccolo, is an attorney with the City of New York.

Violinist Roy Niederhoffer runs R.G. Niederhoffer Capital Management, a hedge fund. He met Bernard when they were both in the Long Island Youth Orchestra - Bernard was an assistant conductor - and jumped at the chance to join the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony when it started.

"David had the wonderful idea to combine the highest possible quality of amateur orchestra with a public service component," Niederhoffer said. "So there are not just people who want to play, but also a wonderful way to promote chamber music and musical education for people who would not normally have an opportunity to enjoy it."

"We may not be professional musicians, but we have a professional approach to the music," Bernard said.

The roughly 45-member group rehearses at least once a week. Niederhoffer said the members appreciate that "David is an intense conductor, and he starts rehearsals on time to the second. He demands the kind of attention professionals give to their craft. There is not a lot of fooling around."

The symphony "gives us the opportunity to get together with people who share the same values," Niederhoffer said. "The musical quality is extremely high. I can really say that these are people who play at a professional level."

Many symphony members are recruited from the classical and chamber music scene about town. Some are referred by members as openings occur in different sections. And some find their way on their own.

Berger said a Venezuelan woman recently joined after she moved to the city. The viola player found the group by checking out its Web site.

"It's an exciting group to be a part of because the people are there because they want to be there," Bernard said. "They do it because they love it."

Chamber music

For more information about the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony and its concert schedule, see http://www.chambersymphony.com/.

Originally published on May 26, 2003