By Ruth SOWBY

Thirty-year member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, La Crescenta resident Leticia Strong plays her viola like she was born to play. On a warm Friday evening at the Hollywood Bowl, she was part of the 100-member LA Phil. Works by Tchaikovsky were the order of the night. Popular with the crowd was the composer’s suite from “The Sleeping Beauty.” But it was the “1812 Overture” and booming fireworks that the audience was waiting for. 

They weren’t disappointed. The Bowl’s shell turned all colors of the rainbow, matching the vibrant colors of the exploding fireworks.  

Strong added, “This night the sound person had the acoustics on high. I don’t remember it being so loud.”  

Asked how she liked the fireworks, “All of us under the shell can’t see them.”       

Strong is married to David who teaches math at Pepperdine University. The  couple has five children and their youngest recently graduated from CV High School. A son, Aaron, has returned from his two-year Germany Hamburg Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  

Husband David is proud of his children and musical wife.  

“I wish my math students would give me a standing ovation every time I finish teaching,” he said.