The Lakeland Symphony Orchestra (LSO) has announced the lineup for its 61st season in Polk County: Tradition and Tomorrow.
“We want to make it accessible for everybody while honoring the future of classical music and what that looks like for an audience experience but also honoring and nodding to the tradition that makes symphonic classical music such a unique and special thing to get to experience,” said LSO Executive Director Ashley Miller.
Led by Interim Music Director Jason Thomas Aylward, this season promises to celebrate the orchestra’s rich history while looking toward the future.
The Jenkins Memorial Symphony Series includes five performances from October 2026 through March 2027 in Branscomb Auditorium at Florida Southern College. Student admission to the Jenkins Memorial Symphony Series is free.
The intimate Gallery Concert Series, in its fifth year, will include four performances in September, November, February, and April at The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art.
Connection, community, and a ‘little bite’ of opera
Miller said the LSO plans to bring some larger ensembles than have previously performed in the Gallery Concert Series at The AGB. She said 18 musicians will perform in “American Ingenuity,” on Nov. 19.
“The AGB is really having a renaissance of sorts and creating exciting experiences in our community, and for us to be able to perform there and bring chamber music to that intimate setting is really meaningful to us as an organization,” Miller said. “What I see happen when we gather our patrons for those more intimate experiences is that they begin to create connections and friendships and a community within itself.”
She said the final performance at Branscomb Auditorium on March 27, “Debussy & Friends,” will include a performance of Claude Debussy’s rarely performed one-act opera L’Enfant Prodigue or The Prodigal Son.
She describes the semi-staged performance with four Polk County vocalists as a “little bite of opera.”
“We know that we have opera lovers in the community, and that’s an element of classical music that we want to continue to be able to bring in a way that is accessible for both the community and the symphony,” Miller said.
Cultivating the next generation of musicians and music-lovers
Much of the LSO’s outreach is geared toward Polk County youth.
Miller said the organization reached about 9,000 Polk County fifth graders during the 2025-26 season. In 2027, every fifth grader in the county will again have the opportunity to experience a symphony performance with the LSO’s School Day Enrichment Concerts in October and March.
“It’s really the biggest it’s ever been as far as being able to reach all of those students. We’ve really got it down to a science with the folks at the Polk County Public Schools Fine Arts, and we’re also really grateful for the superintendent to be behind this and support this,” Miller said.
Logistics between buses and venues and finding the perfect date are sometimes challenging — two concerts in October and two in March make it possible according to Miller.
“You know, you get those 2,000 fifth graders at a concert, and they just make our musicians feel like celebrities. It’s like being at a rock concert,” Miller said. “To hear their comments when they are coming out of the auditorium, just about what they experienced is really inspiring, and just really shows you how important those 45 minutes out of a fifth grader’s life can be.”
The Cookie Concert tradition — free for families and children — also returns to Branscomb Auditorium in March 2027 with an “Instrument Playground” and one-hour concert.
Finally, the LSO will again present the Beth Mason Young Artist award, which includes a scholarship and the chance to perform with the orchestra. Vocalist Kennedy Davenport received the award in 2026.
2026-2027 Performances
Jenkins Memorial Symphony Series at Branscomb Auditorium at Florida Southern College Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, 7 p.m. “America: Our New World” celebrating America’s 250th anniversary through Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, narrated by Dennis Ross, and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”
Saturday, Dec. 19, 2026, 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec 20, 2026, 2 p.m.
“Carols”
Saturday, March 13, 2027, 7 p.m.
“Vienna Nights” featuring internationally acclaimed flutist Ransom Wilson.
Saturday, March 27, 2027, 7 p.m.
“Debussy & Friends” featuring Claude Debussy’s rarely performed one-act opera L’Enfant Prodigue, a unique opportunity to experience one of the composer’s earliest stage works
Cookie Concert Mar 14, 2027
1 p.m. – Instrument playground and activities
2 p.m. – Concert featuring Peter and the Wolf and other selections for children
Free for all; no ticket required
Gallery Concert Series at The AGB Museum of Art Saturday, Sept. 10, 2026, 7 p.m.
“Resonancia” celebrating Hispanic brass music featuring the LSO’s brass quintet
Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026, 7 p.m.
“American Ingenuity” featuring the LSO’s chamber orchestra
Thursday, Feb. 18, 2027, 7 p.m.
“Winds of Winter” featuring the LSO’s chamber winds
Thursday, April 8, 2027, 7 p.m.
“In St. Petersburg” featuring the LSO’s string quartet
Both individual and season ticket subscriptions can be purchased online or by calling the LSO box office at 863-688-3743.