While classical music remains a genre that conjures images of crusty elitists and wealthy socialite snobs, UCLA alumnus Leah Bergman feels that everyone should have the opportunity to experience the classics despite not having the money for a thousand dollar season ticket.

The West Los Angeles Symphony, which Bergman founded, will perform a free concert tonight in Royce Hall of the music of Tchaikovsky and Leonard Bernstein. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the orchestra has helped create a sense of community through music.

By day, Bergman is a deputy district attorney for Los Angeles and has been for 25 years. By night, she is an impresario, drawing crowds of politicians, policemen and other community leaders to attend the concerts. She cites both recent Los Angeles mayors, Richard Riordan and Jim Hahn, as avid attendees of the orchestra's concerts.

"We've had a large following, which has included all the major people who run Los Angeles. Because I'm in law enforcement, I draw these people and they keep coming," Bergman said.

But Bergman's orchestra is not just for the powerful.

"The concerts afford members of the community who can't go to the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles to hear the L.A. Phil, such as elderly people, immigrants and families with young children, the opportunity to have the experience of a good quality orchestra and soloists without having to pay," Bergman said.

Unlike most community orchestras, which draw from amateur musicians, Bergman insists that only professional musicians be brought in to play in order to maintain a high standard of performance. The high quality orchestra then attracts high quality soloists, such as tonight's Russian pianist Kirill Gliadkovsky, who will in turn attract more audience members. This rosy picture of good, better, best gets interrupted when there is talk of money.

Bergman's orchestra is a nonprofit organization that applies for government grants, corporate sponsors and donations from viewers. Usually she keeps costs down by having the orchestra play in free venues. With financial support, however, she has been able to rent out Royce Hall once a year for the past four years as a big season finale. It isn't cheap. Royce costs $11,000 to rent and the musicians (there will be 68 in tonight's orchestra) cost collectively $14,000, or $200 per musician.

"It's a huge undertaking for us to do this and we consider this our gift to the community – by treating the community to this wonderful venue, which is really a tough nut for us to crack," Bergman said.

But for Bergman, all the financial hardship is worth the ability to play in Royce Hall.

"It's the epitome," Bergman said. "We sound beautiful there. We don't have to worry about playing in places that weren't meant to be concert halls."

Bergman's love of music came largely from her days at UCLA, where she played clarinet in the UCLA Symphonic Wind Ensemble. In fact, among the professionals in the West Los Angeles Symphony, Bergman still claims a spot in the clarinet section.

Bergman's other motivation for playing in Royce, of course, is to get UCLA students involved with the orchestra, which typically plays in churches and synagogues within close driving distance of UCLA. She hopes to get youth involved in classical music and even has the orchestra's musicians tour local schools and field questions from students. Bergman is confident that classical music can be for everyone.

"Once people come they are hooked," Bergman said. "They come over and over again because they realize how terrific the concerts are."