Janelle Lake

Janelle Lake is a creative and diverse full-time harpist in Chicago. Equally comfortable with solo, chamber, and orchestral works, she specializes in contemporary, jazz, and pop music. Currently, she teaches 30 students at Loyola University and in her own private studio in Chicago.

Her musical life is joyfully split into teaching and freelancing. She plays with many ensembles in the Chicago area including the Elmhurst Symphony, Southwest Symphony, and the Lake Effect Flute and Harp Duet. You can often see Janelle darting through downtown Chicago in her “harpmobile” on the way to play at the Julius Meinl Coffee Shop, the Art Institute, or the Four Seasons for a special event. Janelle Lake received her BM and MM from Northwestern University.

For eight years, Janelle worked as a the artistic director of the Venus Harp factory. There she learned more of the craftsmanship of the harp and loves to teach harp care as a result.

Janelle Lake is a wife, a mother of two, and loves to travel and swim.