INTERVIEW: Viktoras Prizgintas talks about the Allegro Chamber Orchestra, which he founded and conducts and which has grown from nine members to more than a hundred young dedicated musicians.

With a master's degree from Mannes College of Music, Viktoras Prizgintas set out on a musical career that has involved him in many lives. They've ranged from his teaching days at Mannes, where he met his future wife and fellow cellist Lise Lindros, to the Harlem School of the Arts and the Monroe-Woodbury Schools, where he developed the All-District Orchestra that later became a model used by others in music education.

In 1986 he began the Allegro Chamber Orchestra with a nine-piece string group. Since then, it has grown into three orchestras with more than a hundred members. Directing is now his full-time independent profession.

In addition to weekly rehearsals, Prizgintas presents various festivals throughout the year featuring Allegro with guest artists from such institutions as the New York Philharmonic, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Orpheus and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Allegro players have appeared in Boston, Virginia, Florida, and Washington, D.C. In 2001, they gave a concert tour in the Tuscany region of Italy, and in 1999 they played at the Kennedy Library to accompany the Green Mountain Ballet. From 1998 to 2001, they performed in December at the White House.

In a recent interview, Prizgintas described the Allegro Chamber Orchestra and his role as its founder and artistic director. He is an enthusiastic and philosophical supporter of the arts as a way for young people to find themselves through music.

Q. When you began your string ensemble in 1986, did you dream that it would develop as it has?

A. Yes. Small was never an option. I knew it would be big because the need was there to engage students outside the system. I wanted to make the process of playing music lively, to raise the bar of understanding and excellence. A young person needs to say "I am," to express individuality and at the same time be a part of a group.

I have a philosophy: I ask students, "What do you bring to the process?" Showing up is not enough. You must want to learn even if the teacher cannot teach you very well. On the other hand, some refuse to learn even if the teacher is the best, but with me they soon drop out.

Q. How do you explain such growth? Do you have a practical method to involve your musicians?

A. I give each Allegro student a playlist that requires them to make a tape of their practice sessions and to submit it with the score once a month. A metronome must be turned on and audible while recording. I listen to each tape and go over each score and correct the mistakes in notes and rhythm. They may argue and moan, but I have no problem with people complaining. Being indifferent is deadly. Students respect the process of putting the performance together beforehand and share in the success.

I am often asked, "How do you engage your students?" It's a heady relationship. I get kids to work harder by giving them more work. Love me or hate me, I treat them all the same, those who are at the top end or those who struggle with the challenges. I struggled so I know what it is like.

Q. You are not affiliated with any school system. How do you manage to survive as an independent orchestra?

A. Finances are a problem. We charge just $35 a month, and less for a second member of a family. And we give scholarships, too. It's month to month so that students can drop out at any time without a financial commitment. We have three groups at three levels: the Training Orchestra, the Concert Orchestra and the Baroque Ensemble.

Some students have been with me for more than nine years while belonging to other youth orchestras as well. At least half of the kids take no private lessons, so Allegro is it. What I offer can be offered anywhere. I simply am doing it for them as individuals and as an orchestra.

It is important to start with elementary kids because they make the process of learning through music possible. From the start, the relationship between the teacher and student must be honest. I look not for perfect notes but for a sincere effort to learn.

Q. Do you have any musical highlights that stand out in your mind?

A. In October of last year, Allegro Chamber Orchestra made a CD recording titled "Tribute to Community," which we distributed free last fall at a memorial tribute for those who perished in 9/11. Additional copies will be available free on this Memorial Day to all our veterans at Harriman Square. This year the orchestra will perform the "1812 Overture," complete with artillery fire and church bells.

Q. What has this commitment meant for you personally?

A. The chance to make friends with wonderful musicians and people, like violinists Krista Feeney and Erico Sato, violist Rebecca Young, bassist John Feeney, trumpeter Robert Sullivan, trombonist Joseph Alessi and pianist James Rensink, among others. Of our Allegro performers, violist Lauren Niebour won our first concerto competition in 2001, Brian Yates performed the Handel Oboe Concerto, and Madeline Huberth, who played the Bach Cello Concerto last January, will solo in Mozart's Piano Concerto in D minor at West Point in June. She is only in the eighth grade!