Hear Your Local Symphony Before You See Them

GRAYSLAKE, IL — Ahead of its September 12 season opener, the Lake County Symphony Orchestra (LCSO) has made full recordings of its 2025–26 season available on its YouTube channel, giving Lake County residents a free way to hear the ensemble before attending a live performance.

The recordings, captured professionally rather than from audience phones, showcase a season's worth of repertoire and offer what LCSO describes as an honest preview of the artistic level the orchestra performs at — a level organizers say many nearby residents may not realize exists in their own community. If you've never heard the LCSO play, or if it's been a while, this is the easiest way to hear exactly what a night with this orchestra sounds like, before you ever set foot in the James Lumber Center.

There's a version of “supporting local” that just means buying a ticket, and that matters — but there's another version that's just as real: knowing what's actually happening in your own community. Lake County is home to a full symphony orchestra playing at a genuinely high level, and plenty of people who live minutes from the James Lumber Center have never heard a note of it. These recordings are a low-stakes way to close that gap. Put one on while you're making dinner. Give it fifteen minutes. You may be surprised by what's been playing in your own backyard all along.

It's also the best possible preview of what's coming this September 12 at 7:30 PM at the James Lumber Center in Grayslake, when the LCSO opens its 2026–27 season, Life, in Four Movements, with New Worlds — a program of Beethoven, Louise Farrenc, and Mendelssohn led by guest conductor Jennifer Huang. If last season is any indication, opening night is going to be worth clearing your calendar for.

Listen to the 2025–26 season playlist on YouTube, subscribe to stay updated as new recordings go up, and — if you like what you hear — join us September 12 for New Worlds. Single tickets and season packages are available now.

Listen on YouTube

Tickets and season packages are available at: lakecountysymphonyorchestra.com/september-2026-concert