Remembering violinist, alumnus Barry Socher

Violinist Barry Socher (’69, violin), an alumnus of USC Thornton and former Strings department faculty member who performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 35 years, recently passed away at the age of 68.

While at USC, Socher studied with Alice Schoenfeld, Eudice Shapiro, Frederick Lesemann, Hans Beer, and Daniel Lewis. He also served as concertmaster of the Los Angeles Master Chorale orchestra, the Pasadena Pops, the Fresno Philharmonic, the Ojai Festival orchestra, and the Oregon Bach Festival orchestra, it addition to teaching at the Idyllwild School of Music, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, and Pomona College. A frequent collaborator of scholar and composer Peter Schickele, Socher was a founding member of the delightfully irreverent Armadillo String Quartet.

An accomplished composer, Socher’s FinTango was performed by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra during his final performance with the ensemble last year. Musical director Gustavo Dudamel dedicated the LA Phil’s Sunday, October 23rd performance to Socher’s memory.