By Tom Ganser
Correspondent
Last month, Salem Lakes resident Jenni Hansen took to the stage with the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra at George Williams College in Williams Bay, where she and others had an exploration of what makes music American.
Hansen, a Westosha Central High School graduate, is a principal percussionist for the orchestra.
The LGSO, now in its 17th season, boasts talented musicians from southeast Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
LGSO Music Director David Anderson described how the selections he had chosen for the program, “An American Celebration,” offer examples of different aspects of American music, including patriotic songs, folk tunes, Broadway, jazz, and “Hoe-Down” from Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo,” a composition that evokes unique American culture.
The LGSO performed John Phillip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever,” selected by an Act of Congress in 1987 as the official national march of the United States of America, as an exciting encore.
On Aug. 10, from 6 to 9 p.m., the LGSO’s “Summer Splash” fundraiser will be held at Simple Café, 525 Broad Street, Lake Geneva.
The event includes both tasty creations from Simple Café and the talents of LGSO members and friends in Lake Geneva.
“Summer Splash” supports the LGSO and educational opportunities for local students of the arts.
To purchase tickets for “Summer Splash” and to learn about the LGSO’s upcoming 2017-18 season (“To My Friends Pictured Within”) and the LGSO Chamber Music series, visit www.lakegenevaorchestra.org