You don’t need a degree in music to be a professional musician,” says Brendi Rawlin. “The easiest way to lose your passion for music is to have a career in it.”

That’s a simple explanation why Rawlin, an oboe prodigy from age 12, decided later in life to pursue a public relations career and treat music as an important hobby.

In August 2006, Rawlin, 32, and Jennifer Chidester launched Limelight Public Relations, which specializes in lifestyle and entertainment companies. They have five employees and satellite offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

As for the oboe, Rawlin plays the instrument for the La Jolla Symphony, which will play its first concert of the season Nov. 3-4 at UCSD’s Mandeville Auditorium. Rawlin says her lifelong involvement with music helps in her career. “Being a musician and going on auditions, you learn to take rejection very well,” she says. “And practice teaches you patience and discipline. In my field, it really helps. I’ve developed a really tough skin. I do my best thinking after I sit down after playing.”

Rawlin’s father was a journeyman trumpet player when she was growing up, touring with Elvis at one time. A brother played the French horn and a sister played the harp. She says she has never regretted turning away from a musical career. “It was the best dumb decision I ever made.”