In 2023, arts organizations are largely back on their feet and offering incredible seasons of art, conversations, fun and community involvement. Now that it’s fall, arts organizations are diving right back into their seasons with renewed gusto. This month, you can visit the theaters for big Broadway shows and intimate plays, listen to symphonies launch into their seasons, and head to local museums for a variety of stunning art. Check it out.
Central Park Players
421 Columbus Ave., Grand Haven
centralparkplayers.org
Wait Until Dark, Oct. 13-22
Face Off Theatre
359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo
faceofftheatre.com
Exit Strategy, Oct. 19-22
Fontana Chamber Arts
359 Kalamazoo Mall Ste. 200, Kalamazoo
fontanamusic.org
Fry Street Quartet, Oct. 13
Farmers Alley Theatre Kalamazoo
221 Farmers Alley, Kalamazoo
farmersalleytheatre.com
Working the Musical, Sep. 21-Oct. 8
Addy & Uno, Oct. 27-Nov. 5
Frauenthal Center
425 W. Western Ave., Muskegon
frauenthal.org
The Magic of Motown, Oct. 6
World Ballet Series: Cinderella, Oct. 8
DSB: Tribute to Journey, Oct. 27
Gilmore Theatre/WMU Theatre
1903 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo
wmich.edu/theatre
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Oct. 27-Nov. 5
Grand Rapids Art Museum
101 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids
artmuseumgr.org
Everything Beautiful in its Time: Six Centuries of Prints, Sept. 2-Dec. 3
Underneath Everything: Humility and Grandeur in Contemporary Ceramics, Oct. 7-Jan. 14
Experimental Film Selections from Open Projector Night, Oct. 7-Jan. 14
Grand Rapids Ballet
341 Ellsworth Ave. SW, Grand Rapids
grballet.com
Contemporary Visions, Oct. 6-8
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre
30 N. Division Ave., Grand Rapids
grct.org
The Spongebob Musical, Sep. 15-Oct. 8
Grand Rapids Symphony
300 Ottawa Ave. NW Ste. 100, Grand Rapids
grsymphony.org
Violent Femmes, Oct. 6-7
Lehninger Conducts Liszt & Bartók, Oct. 20-21
Mozart & Grieg, Oct. 27
Holland Chorale
hollandchorale.org
Adventures in Harmony: Low Voice Edition, Oct. 3
Holland Chorale w/ Chanticleer, Oct. 23
Hope College Great Performance Series
100 E. Eighth St., Holland
hope.gps
Escher String Quartet, Oct. 26
Holland Symphony Orchestra
96 W. 15th St. Ste. 201, Holland
hollandsymphony.org
Brahms 3, Oct. 28
Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids
2727 Michigan NE, Grand Rapids
jtgr.org
Judgment at Nuremberg, Oct. 12-22
Kalamazoo Civic Theatre
329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo
kazoocivic.com
All Of Us: A Celebration of BIPOC Voices, Oct. 6-15
Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Oct. 27-Nov. 5
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
314 South Park St., Kalamazoo
kiarts.org
A Bridge Between Two Worlds: Works by Wu Jian’an, Sept. 16-Dec. 31
C. C. Wang: Lines of Abstraction, Sept. 16-Dec. 31
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
359 Kalamazoo Mall Ste. 100, Kalamazoo
kalamazoosymphony.com
Craft Music: Classics on Tap, Oct. 4
Bachtoberfest, Oct. 21
El Amor Brujo: Love Bewitched, Oct. 29
LaFontsee Galleries & Farming
833 Lake Dr. SE, Grand Rapids
lafontsee.us
Cut & Paste, Oct. 21-Nov. 4
Miller Auditorium
2200 Auditorium Dr, Kalamazoo
millerauditorium.com
Mean Girls, Oct. 24-25
Muskegon Civic Theatre
425 W. Western Ave., Muskegon
muskegoncivictheatre.org
Little Shop of Horrors, Oct. 6-21
Muskegon Museum of Art
296 W. Webster Ave., Muskegon
muskegonartmuseum.org
Oddities & Delights, Sept. 14-Feb. 25
Tiffany Lamps: The Richard H. Driehaus Collection, Sept. 7-Jan. 14
Opera Grand Rapids
1320 E. Fulton St., Grand Rapids
operagr.org
The Abduction from the Seraglio, Oct. 13-14
Saugatuck Center for the Arts
400 Culver St., Saugatuck
sc4a.org
Creative Fellow Mindy Trafman, Through Dec. 31
Of Plants and Place, Ongoing
Ningaaseg, Oct. 20-Jan. 26
A Bright Night: Free Community Celebration, Oct. 27
St. Cecilia Music Center
24 Ransom Ave. NE, Grand Rapids
scmc-online.org
Madeleine Peyroux, Oct. 21
Stulberg International String Competition
359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo
stulberg.org
Esme Arias Kim w/ WMU Symphony Orchestra, Oct. 1
The Gilmore
359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo
thegilmore.org
Baby Grands: Esteban Castro, Oct. 7
Rising Star: Esteban Castro Trio, Oct. 8
Rising Star: Illia Ovcharenko, Oct. 29
Announcing the 2024 Gilmore Artist
One of the most prestigious awards in the music world is the Gilmore Artist, which comes with $300,000 and is only given every four years. Now, in 2024, the first artist since 2018’s Igor Levit has been announced: Alexandre Kantorow. The French pianist has won multiple historic awards and been hailed by critics as “the young tsar of Piano” and “Liszt reincarnated.”
Learn more at thegilmore.org.
