As a musical organization that has been in existence since 1977, it can be a challenge to put together a season that feels fresh every year. But that is a challenge Lakewood Symphony Orchestra Music Director Matt Switzer relishes.

“Planning a season is approached from many directions — how many concerts, how many soloists, what repertoire has been performed in the past five to seven years, what works will challenge the orchestra?” he explained. “The 2018-2019 season came together from a repertoire that hasn’t been performed by the orchestra in a number of years, an exciting new repertoire that the orchestra has never performed and thematic choices of repertoire to pull it all together.”

That theme is “Music By the Book,” and the season officially kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4, at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway, with the “Classics” program.

The show will feature works from Mozart, including his opera “Don Giovanni,” and Dvorak’s “New World Symphony.” The soloist for the concert will be Emily Switzer, who last performed with the symphony in 2013 and has furthered her musical education at Tanglewood, Music Academy of the West, Yale University and Yale School of Music.

The season continues with “Leisure” on Nov. 15, the annual holiday concert on Dec. 6 and 7, the Children’s Corner performance on Feb. 2, “Romance” on March 7, “Nature” on April 18 and season-closer “Action and Adventure” on May 30. The “Action and Adventure” performance also features the presentation of the 2019 winner of the Lakewood Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Concerto Competition.

“No matter which concert you attend this season with the Lakewood Symphony Orchestra, you can be assured of compelling music, fantastic soloists and great value,” Switzer said. “This season will be fantastic.”

For tickets, call 303-987-7845 or visit www.lakewoodsymphony.org.

Fill your ‘Lungs’ at Miners Alley

One of theater’s great thrills is seeing a show few people have ever seen, so I always get extra excited when I see a one that is a regional premiere.

That is just the case with “Lungs,” the new show running at Miners Alley Playhouse, 1224 Washington Ave. in Golden, through Oct. 14. Written by Duncan Macmillan, directed by Len Matheo, the show features two of the metro-area’s finest actors (and real-life married couple), Adrian Egolf and Luke Sorge.

The show follows a couple as they tackle questions of family and change, hope, betrayal, dumb luck and the wounds — both self-inflicted and not — that arise in a relationship.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Call 303-935-3044 or visit www.minersalley.com for tickets.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week - Courtney Barnett at the Ogden Theatre

Many think pieces over the years, especially recently, propose rock as a music genre is dead. The people who hold that belief clearly haven’t spent much time listening to indie and alternative rock, where artists like Courtney Barnett and Katie Crutchfield are making rock more inventive than ever.

Barnett and Crutchfield’s band, Waxahatchee, will be storming the stage at the Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29, and 8 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30.

Australia’s Barnett released her eagerly-awaited sophomore album, “Tell Me How You Really Feel,” earlier this year and it’s one of 2018’s most literate and enjoyable albums.

And in September, Waxahatachee released a new EP, “Great Thunder,” full of song sketches that are better than most musician’s best efforts.

Grab your tickets to the show at www.ogdentheatre.com.

Bug out this Halloween

If you think nobody likes being stung or bitten by an insect, then clearly you’ve never heard of Dr. Justin Schmidt.

Schmidt is an entomologist who has been stung by 83 different species. Imagine that. If you have questions — beyond the obvious — then Bugtober is the exhibit for you.

The Butterfly Pavilion, 6252 W. 104th Ave., will be hosting Bugtober, a Halloween-themed event that highlights the most dangerous of the invertebrates, from Oct. 1-31.

The exhibit dives into species that use powerful venoms and poisons to ward off predators and capture unsuspecting prey. Some of the toxic creatures include the red bark scorpion, metallic pinktoe tarantula, Colorado tiger centipede, white-eyed assassin bugs, velvet ants, giant African millipede and orb weavers.

There will also be a trivia night, indoor trick-or-treating, flash light tours and more. And prepare those questions for Schmidt, who will be at the Pavilion from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18. He’ll be talking about the creation of the Schmidt Pain Index and has been featured on several television shows.

Visit www.Butterflies.org/Bugtober for all the details.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com .