About The Orchestra

Under the direction of American Prize-winning conductor David Anderson, the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra continues to reach new levels of accomplishment for a community orchestra. In the 2018–19 season, the orchestra completed its nine-year “Beethoven Project” with a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, collaborating with 140 singers from the combined college choirs of UW-Whitewater, the University of Northern Iowa, and Moody Bible Institute. In its Music by the Lake performance at Aurora University’s George Williams campus, LGSO became the first community orchestra to perform Disney’s Fantasia with real-time animation. For the 2019–20 season, LGSO performs Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4.

LGSO’s outreach in the schools expands this season to two School Day tours and continues its private lesson scholarship program for students in Lake Geneva’s instrumental music programs. LGSO continues to invite school music ensembles to perform before LGSO concerts, and offers college music students a travel stipend to come to Lake Geneva to rehearse and perform with the orchestra. Extraordinarily talented student musicians in southeast Wisconsin and northern Illinois compete for the opportunity to perform with the LGSO in the Young Artist Competition.

Guest artists of national and international stature, including Rachel Barton Pine, Frank Almond, and Christopher Martin, have not only performed on stage with the LGSO, but taught local students in masterclasses and visited schools to talk with and perform close-up for middle, high school, and college students in Walworth County. Unique to a community orchestra, LGSO will host a conducting workshop in May 2020 under internationally recognized conducting teacher Donald Schleicher.

None of these accomplishments would be possible without the dedication of LGSO’s volunteer musicians, the professionalism of its musical staff, and the enthusiasm and generosity of its audiences, volunteers, supporters, and donors in the community. All these share a passion for the greatest music ever written and the desire to bring that music to our community. If an LGSO performance stirs you this season, join the club! Volunteer your time. Make a donation. But most importantly, tell your friends. The LGSO family hopes to see you and them at many more performances.