Impact Report

We will present inspiring experiences that welcome all members of our community to discover and cultivate a profound, personal connection with live orchestral music.

Excellence: Be recognized as a cultural leader, a community asset, and vital to Lincoln’s quality of life.

Engagement: Create powerful connections between and among performers and audiences through music.

Community: Cultivate a collaborative, respectful environment that promotes positive working relationships and meaningful cultural and social interactions.

Generosity: Inspire audience and community members to support LSO’s commitment to accessibility.


Music Director Edward Polochick resides in Baltimore and is on faculty at the Peabody Conservatory of Music. He has been Music Director of Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra since 1998, and under his direction, LSO has added three concerts to its season. For 31 years, Polochick served as artistic director of Concert Artists of Baltimore, and is highly sought after as a guest conductor.

Since May 2005, Executive Director Barbara Zach has led a talented administrative team to implement LSO’s artistic vision. She is a graduate of the League of American Orchestra’s Executive Leadership Program, received a 2010 Governor’s Arts Award for Emerging Leaders, and received the 2015 Alumni Achievement Award from UNL’s Hixson-Lied College of Fine & Performing Arts.

In 2019, LSO announced its first Composer-in-Residence, Dr. Tyler G. White.  His compositions have won awards through ASCAP, BMI, The American Conservatory at Fontainebleau (Prix Maurice Ravel), Vienna Modern Masters, and the Omaha Symphony. Also an acclaimed conductor, White has been the Director of Orchestras at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Glenn Korff School of Music since 1994.

Concertmaster Anton Miller has appeared throughout the United States and abroad as a soloist, chamber musician, recitalist and pedagogue. He has released several recordings and is on the faculty at The Hartt School at the University of Connecticut.

The musicians of the orchestra are professional musicians who have won a position with LSO through a screened audition process. Most of our musicians make a living playing and teaching music in the Lincoln and Omaha areas. Many of our musicians play in other orchestras and ensembles throughout the Midwest. Twenty percent of our musicians make financial contributions to LSO’s Annual Fund.

Community service: As a group, we serve on more than 30 nonprofit boards, including Friendship Home, Rotary International, Food Bank of Lincoln, and many other arts organizations. More than half of our musicians donate their time each month to volunteer in a non-musical capacity (for organizations such as TeamMates and the Nebraska Community Blood Bank) and more than half also volunteer their musical talent at churches and schools.


Family Concerts
Geared towards families and children, LSO’s Sunday afternoon one-hour family concerts are educational and entertaining. More than 1,000 patrons arrive early for face painting, an instrument petting zoo, crafts, and other educational activities prior to each concert

Young People’s Concerts
LSO’s annual YPCs reach more than 4,000 students each year. Our Teachers Advisory Committee meets ahead of time to develop lesson plans to prepare students so that their field trip to the Lied Center to attend an LSO concert is the culmination of their study of the orchestra.

Social Impact
Through partnerships with local organizations, LSO provides more than 1,000 complimentary tickets and transportation each season to underserved families from Title I schools, programs such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the immigrant and refugee community.

Pre-concert Chats
Hosts from NET Radio interview Maestro Polochick and guest soloists at the Lied Center prior to each classical concert. The pre-concert chats are always filled to capacity in the Steinhart Room at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

Reduced-Price Tickets
More than 2,000 students attend each year using the Lienemann Charitable Foundation Student Tickets for only $5 each, and more than 200 young professionals and music teachers annually use our Young Professional Patrons discount to attend concerts for only $10.

Golden Baton Dinner
This annual dinner honors four categories: Individual, Corporate, Volunteer and Musician. All patrons are invited to the dinner, which is held in conjunction with a concert.

School Visits
Through our school visits and library events with our Music Director and guest artists this year, we have impacted more than 3,500 students, including:

  • 2,801 Elementary school students
  • 90 Middle school students
  • 294 High school students
  • 291 College students

Lincoln Youth Symphony Side-by-side
Each season, Maestro Polochick rehearses with LYS, then they join LSO musicians for a rehearsal and performance on an LSO classical concert. Each musician is given a complimentary ticket for the remainder of the concert, and discounted tickets are provided for their families.

Young Artist Competition
Music students under the age of 20 are invited to compete for a cash prize, private coaching, and an opportunity to solo with the orchestra. Winners of LSO’s Young Artist Competition have gone on to perform with major orchestras, pursue teaching careers, and some are now members of LSO.

Learn more about Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra’s impact on the community with our annual report.