Janelle Lake (Southwest Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
Janelle Lake
Industry: Music
Email: harpist.janelle@gmail.com
Phone: (847) 636-2612
Address: Mundelein Center for Fine & Performing Arts, 1020 W. Sheridan Rd. Chicago, Illinois, 60660
Position: Founder and manager of the Southwest Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Website: www.janellelake.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harpistjanelle/
“2026 South Suburban Small Business Association (SSSBA) Summit Awards winner in the category of Creative Arts”
About the Spotlight Member
Janelle is the founder and manager of the Southwest Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She is a performer & instructor. Janelle has taught at Loyola University, the University of Chicago, Chicago’s WISH program, the Sherwood School at Columbia College, and the Music Connection, and has a large and diverse private studio. Janelle is a staff member in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Loyola University Chicago. She is a registered Suzuki teacher. Her students have won multiple awards including scholarships to Brown University, first place at the Greater Chicago Chapter of the American Harp Society competition, Superior Ratings at the Illinois Federation of musicians’ Evaluations, Loyola’s Honors program, and multiple First Class Honors ratings from the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Mrs. Lake believes that whichever method makes the best music while remaining healthy for the player is the right method. She is a registered Suzuki teacher for harp books 1 through 5.
Janelle holds principal harp positions with the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra and Southwest Symphony Orchestra and performs regularly with many other ensembles. She is a founding member of the Young Lake harp duet. Janelle loves to travel and has lived on a boat on the Great Barrier Reef, camped in the Serengeti, summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, dived with sharks in South Africa, swam in the world’s largest rooftop pool in Singapore, traveled by train across Europe, zip lined in Honduras, and has been to all 50 US states. Besides her passions of harp playing and travel, Janelle delights in being a wife and a mother of two young girls.
About the Company
Meet Janelle Lake Janelle Lake delights in using music to connect people. As the founder and manager of the Southwest Chicago Symphony Orchestra, her current passion project is uniting the traditionally classically trained musicians of the north side of Chicago with the traditional gospel-trained musicians of the south side of Chicago.
Mission Statement
Uniting the traditionally classically trained musicians of the north side of Chicago with the traditional gospel-trained musicians of the south side of Chicago.
Vision Statement
Janelle's vision as a harp teacher is to create a supportive and inspiring learning environment where students develop strong musicianship, confidence, and a lifelong love of music. Through thoughtful instruction and encouragement, I help each student grow at their own pace and discover their unique musical voice.