Supporting Illinois' Arts Sector

Founded in 2004 as the Full Score Chamber Orchestra, the Lake County Symphony Orchestra (LCSO) has evolved into a significant regional cultural asset. The orchestra presents a diverse range of orchestral and chamber music, seamlessly blending established masterworks with compositions by contemporary composers. In addition to its Mainstage season, the LCSO is known for its family concerts, holiday performances, outdoor patriotic celebrations, and educational programs aimed at introducing new audiences to the world of orchestral music.

This is a season of milestones. The 2026–27 Mainstage season, Life, in Four Movements, opens September 12 with New Worlds — a program of discovery built around Beethoven's Creatures of Prometheus, a rediscovered overture by 19th-century composer Louise Farrenc, Mendelssohn's The Hebrides Overture, and Beethoven's own Symphony No. 1. Guiding the orchestra through is guest conductor Jennifer Huang, the first woman to conduct LCSO in its 22-year history.

The 2026–27 season also marks the orchestra’s first full season under Executive Director Lauren Moldenhauer, the first woman to hold the role. Moldenhauer, the LCSO's principal flutist, began the new role in 2025. Under her leadership, LCSO has strengthened its long-term foundation with the establishment of the Rita Lou Brown Music Director Chair, supported by a $100,000 endowment. Says Moldenhauer, “I experience this organization from every angle — from the budget spreadsheets and season planning behind the scenes, all the way through sitting on stage for the downbeat. Now, officially at the helm, I'm more energized than ever about what's next: a season full of firsts, new partnerships like our upcoming performance at Stevenson High School, and a community we're so proud to call home."

Ruben Quesada is a poet, translator, and editor. He edited the pioneering anthology Latinx Poetics: Essays on the Art of Poetry, which received the Gold Medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards. His poetry collections, including "Revelations," "Next Extinct Mammal," and "Brutal Companion," have garnered widespread critical acclaim. His writing and criticism have been featured in prestigious publications such as The New York Times Magazine, Best American Poetry, Guernica, Seneca Review, and Harvard Review. Ruben is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Guild Literary Complex in Chicago.

Ruben's most recent writing project, JANE, reimagines the Latin American Legend of La Segua through the character of a flight attendant named Jane. Originating from early 16th-century archives and manuscripts, the legend of La Segua revolves around an Indigenous woman betrayed by a lover and doomed to roam the streets. She emerges at night, her face shrouded in darkness, symbolizing a cautionary tale against racial mixing between Indigenous people and Spanish colonizers. This story resonates with the contemporary Latin American context, where disparities between lighter and darker-skinned individuals still exist. 

The FY25 Creative Accelerator Fund played a crucial role in completing this manuscript by providing essential support for professional development, manuscript promotion, and community outreach, including workshops and poetry readings. Reflecting on the grant’s impact, Ruben says, "Receiving this grant has not only revitalized a historical myth through poetic storytelling but has also ensured that narratives of migration and resilience resonate within our communities, creating a lasting cultural impact."