Louis Lanza Jr., celebrated longtime violinist for the Philadelphia Orchestra and Philly Pops, has died at 89
A violin prodigy at 9, he played in the orchestra for 47 years and performed around the world with conductors Eugene Ormandy, Riccardo Muti, and Wolfgang Sawallisch.
Louis Lanza Jr., 89, formerly of Marlton and Philadelphia, longtime second violin for the Philadelphia Orchestra and Philly Pops, principal second violin for the Reading Symphony, Trenton Symphony, and Amerita Chamber Players, popular soloist, and Army band veteran, died Sunday, Oct. 5, of age-associated decline at Virtua Mount Holly Hospital.
A violin prodigy at 9, Mr. Lanza was the student concertmaster at South Philadelphia High School for three years in the 1950s. He earned music scholarships to the old Philadelphia Conservatory of Music and the Juilliard School of Music in New York, and joined his older brother Joe and four cousins — Francis, Joseph, Robert, and William de Pasquale — in the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1964.
He went on to play in the orchestra for 47 years and performed around the world with conductors Eugene Ormandy, Riccardo Muti, and Wolfgang Sawallisch. He played 28 years with conductor Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, and the classical music website slippedisc.com cited him as “one of the longest serving orchestral players of all time.”
From 1961 to 1964, he was a first violinist with the National Symphony in Washington.
In 2004, he and his brother, who played violin for 48 years in the orchestra, were included in the documentary, Music From the Inside Out, about life in the orchestra. They appeared often in The Inquirer and Daily News and played together with orchestra colleagues at Phillies games, holiday concerts, and music benefits for 42 years until his brother died in 2006.
In 1983, Mr. Lanza was featured in an Inquirer story about the orchestra playing for students at his old grade school, and his third-grade teacher said: “He was a perfect student, a wonderful student. I’m afraid he was one of my pets.”
Mr. Lanza embraced all kinds of sounds over the years, and he played disco, show tunes, and chamber and contemporary music in solo shows at schools, churches, private events, and other venues. He also collaborated with his musical wife and children for years in a show they called the Lanza Family Presents.
“He treasured making music with his beloved wife and children,” his family said in a tribute. “Their lives were filled with the sound of music in and out of the home.”
He attended Juilliard with Van Cliburn, played concerts with Luciano Pavarotti and Yo-Yo Ma, and accompanied Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Billy Joel, and other stars. He mentored other musicians and was inducted into the South Philadelphia High School Cultural Hall of Fame in 2014. His Hall of Fame citation notes his “hard work and love and devotion to music.”
He enlisted in 1958 after Juilliard, served three years in the Army band and orchestra in Washington, and performed often with bunkmate and singer Steve Lawrence. He told his family later that he had two goals in life: join the Philadelphia Orchestra and travel the world.
“He accomplished both,” his family said.
Louis Lanza Jr. was born April 2, 1936, in Philadelphia. He and his brother grew up in South Philly, hard by the Melrose Diner, and were tutored in the violin by their uncle and others close to their musical family.
He studied with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra while in high school, was featured as a senior in the Philadelphia School District’s All-Philadelphia High School Music Festival, and graduated in 1954. He also traveled with the Juilliard Orchestra on a European tour in 1958.
He met singer Joan Trombetta in Philadelphia through friends, and they married in 1966. They had a son, Louis III, and a daughter, Cara, and lived for years in East Oak Lane.
Mr. Lanza and his family spent memorable summers in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., with the orchestra in residence, and he took his family often on day trips to scenic spots in New York, Vermont, and Canada. He enjoyed entertaining, followed the local sports teams, and reveled in his Italian heritage, especially the food.
He and his wife traveled the world privately and with the orchestra, and he visited China, Japan, Brazil, and elsewhere. He moved to Marlton in 2003 after his wife died in 2001.
Mr. Lanza had a vibrant sense of humor, his son said, and a former colleague at the orchestra called him “amiable.” He put down the violin for good in 2018 after his shoulders weakened.
“He was emotional and intense, and very caring,” his son said. His family said: “He was a gentleman, a man of faith, and generous to all.”
His son said: “He was great.”
In addition to his children, Mr. Lanza is survived by five grandchildren, companion Rose Ann Jugla, and other relatives.
A funeral service was held Monday, Oct. 13.
Donations in his name may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave. Floor 17. Chicago, Ill. 60601.