YOUR COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA

Lake Forest Civic Orchestra wins the prestigious Community Orchestra of the Year award for the first time in its nearly 40-year history. We take a look back at how the orchestra started and where it’s going next. 

THE LAKE FOREST CIVIC ORCHESTRA (LFCO), founded in 1988, is serious about its mission to “create inspired communities by sharing high-quality musical experiences that promote lifelong learning and that reinvigorate the human spirit.” Over the decades, the nonprofit has done just that—supporting young musicians through collaborations with the Lake Forest High School Orchestra, the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, and other music programs in the area.

This decades-long commitment to community was rewarded on a state level this year as the Illinois Council of Orchestras named the LFCO as Community Orchestra of the Year for 2026. According to the council’s judging panel, the honor was given in recognition of the LFCO’s “exemplary service and achievements.”

Among those award-season achievements was a January 2025 performance of Beethoven’s masterful “Symphony No. 9” under the baton of Maestro Chris Ramaekers in collaboration with the Chicago Master Singers and Lux Cantorum Chicago—featuring two winners of the O’Malley National Concerto Competition (formerly Walgreens competition) of the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory.

LFCO board member LoriLee Sadler Bielski says the group’s application also focused on years of strategic goal setting that led to successful fundraising and sustainable operations.

“Several years ago the orchestra’s board developed strategic pillars with near- and long-term goals for each pillar. Those pillars—performance excellence, program innovation and collaboration, community engagement, financial health, and operational maturity—all work together to form a stronger organization,” says Bielski, noting that the orchestra frequently sends chamber groups into the community to perform for a wide array of local events. “Stronger performances and visibility in the community makes it easier to fund raise; operational maturity gives grant makers and donors alike confidence that their investment will be used wisely and to good effect.”

LFCO lives up to its tag line as “your community orchestra.”

“To participate in nonprofit fundraisers and anniversary celebrations, to make those events richer experiences for all, is at the heart of what we do,” Howard Martino, LFCO board president. “We understand that many people might not consider attending a classical music concert, but when they hear classical instruments performing familiar music outside the concert hall, we have an opportunity to win them over.”

This is the first time in LFCO’s nearly 40 year history that it’s secured such a state honor. To find what’s coming next for the nonprofit, with its new Music Director Nicholas Wallin from Lake Forest College, we set up a short Q&A with Bielski, a long-time member of the board.

How did that performance of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9” help elevate the orchestra’s presence in the region? Our performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, which would not have been possible without Chicago Master Singers and Lux Cantorum Chicago, brought this beloved masterwork to our loyal patrons but also to many who had never attended a symphony orchestra concert. The James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts accommodated a large audience and enabled friends and families of our choral partners as well as area school children and their families to attend. It took two years of planning and fundraising to bring that concert to life, and through that experience we have the confidence to take on additional masterworks in collaboration with other artistic partners in the years to come.

What does the award mean for its future of the LFCO? Our patrons appreciate (and expect) a beautiful musical experience each time they attend a concert. With this award, we have external validation of the quality of our organization that may spur new patrons to attend a concert, and businesses and other grants organizations to consider us for donations and grantmaking.

As the LFCO accepts this prestigious honor, what are its goals for future growth and expansion of programming? With Music Director Nicholas Wallin up front, we’re already planning our 40th anniversary celebration season in 2028-2029. Guest artists and a masterwork performed collaboratively with other arts organizations are all on the vision board at this time. We’ll also experiment with things like multiple performances of the same program in different venues to reach more people and thematic programming that joins familiar works with lesser-known or new works to help our audience and our musicians expand their musical language and maybe even find a new favorite composer or style. We look forward to growing and developing with, and for, our community in the coming years!

Lake Forest Civic Orchestra’s next performance, “Inspired by Place,” will be held at the Gorton Center on November 15 at 4 p.m. For more information, visit lakeforestcivicorchestra.org.