Arts exhibitions and performances have returned in full swing to West Michigan. This season, there’s absolutely no shortage of concerts, symphonies, plays, musicals, ballet, visual arts and beyond.
We have big Broadway shows like & Juliet, The Lion King and Beetlejuice coming through; plenty of live performances with symphonies, ensembles and dancers taking to the stage; and powerful art exhibitions exploring race, culture and the future. With any luck and lots of work, all these amazing events and more will be coming to West Michigan in the year ahead. Here’s our annual guide to arts events for the coming season.
MUSIC
Fontana Chamber Arts
359 Kalamazoo Mall Ste. 200, Kalamazoo
fontanamusic.org
Akropolis Reed Quintet, Sept. 21
VOCES8, Oct. 22
Meg Okura Trio, Feb. 22
Anthony Ross (Cello) & Timothy Lovelace (Piano), Apr. 19
Frauenthal Center
425 W. Western Ave., Muskegon
frauenthal.org
Beatles vs Stones—A Musical Showdown, Oct. 17
A Celtic Christmas, Nov. 21
Franke Center for the Arts
214 E Mansion St., Marshall
thefranke.org
Chameleon, Sept. 13
Bluegrass Night, Sept. 20
Djangophonique, Sept. 27
Dixon’s Violin, Oct. 24
Mississippi Heat, Nov. 15
Irish Pub Night, Jan. 10
Ember & Ash, Jan. 16
Ice, Wine, Beer & Blues, Jan. 30-31
Tinsley Ellis, Feb. 21
Hannah Laine, Apr. 17
Tito Puente Jr., May 23
Tom Franke Gala, May 30
Grand Rapids Symphony
300 Ottawa Ave. NW Ste. 100, Grand Rapids
grsymphony.org
Richard and Helen DeVos Masterworks:
Opening Weekend! Beethoven’s Ninth, Sept. 12-13
The French Masters, Sept. 26-27
Dvořák’s New World Symphony, Oct. 17-18
Brahms’ Fourth, Nov. 14-15
Boléro, Jan. 9-10
Ravishing Rachmaninoff, Jan. 23-24
Celebrate America @ 250!, Feb. 6-7
Mahler’s Sixth, March 6-7
Seductive Ravel, March 27-28
Orchestral Fireworks!, May 8-9
Coffee/Chamber Masterworks:
Coffee/Evening with Marcelo, Nov. 7
Coffee/Evening with Duo, Mar. 13
Coffee/Evening with Bob, Apr. 24
Fox Motor Pops:
Music of Hans Zimmer, Oct. 24-25
Holiday Pops Presented by Meijer, Dec. 5-7
Boston Pops Tribute, Jan. 16-17
Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony, Mar. 20-21
SOUNDS OF LAUREL CANYON: 60s & 70s Rock Legends, May 1-2
Symphony Specials:
Mariachi Cobre, Sept. 20
Ben Folds with the Grand Rapids Symphony, Oct. 4
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring in Concert, Oct. 31-Nov. 1
The Polar Express in Concert, Nov. 21-22
Trisha Yearwood, Dec. 17
Shrek 2 In Concert, Jan. 2
Holland Symphony Orchestra
96 W. 15th St. Ste. 201, Holland
hollandsymphony.org
Orchestral Fate, Sept. 6
Heroes & Villians, Oct. 4
Holiday Concerts, Dec. 13
Dreams of Heaven & Earth, Mar. 28
Romantic Connections, Apr. 25
Hope College Great Performance Series
100 E. Eighth St., Holland
hope.gps
Koresh Dance Company, Sept. 18
Miguel Zenon Quartet, Oct. 9
Neave Trio, Nov. 13
Dudok Quartet Amsterdam, Jan. 22
Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Mar. 12
Reduced Shakespeare Company, Apr. 11
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
359 Kalamazoo Mall Ste. 100, Kalamazoo
kalamazoosymphony.com
Emanuel Ax Plays Beethoven, Sept. 27
Composing Tomorrow, Oct. 9
Mozart & Tchaikovsky, Oct. 18
Oktoberfest, Oct. 22
Brahms & the Schumanns, Nov. 15
Carols by Candlelight, Dec. 17
Ragtime, Jan. 14
Sounds of the Middle East, Jan. 29
Mahler’s Third Symphony, Feb. 21
Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, Mar. 28
West Side Story, Apr. 18
90s Throwbacks, May 20
The Nutcracker, Nov. 22
Sibelius & Dugan, Feb. 7
Music Takes Flight, Mar. 10
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Mar. 21
Improv Meets Symphony, July 9-10
Beatles in the Beer Garden, June 17
80s & More, July 15
Saugatuck Center for the Arts
400 Culver St., Saugatuck
sc4a.org
Music from the Mitten, Sept. 3
California Dreamin’: Music from the 60s & 70s, Sept. 18-19
Music That Raised Us: The Motown Sound, Oct. 9-10
St. Cecilia Music Center
24 Ransom Ave. NE, Grand Rapids
scmc-online.org
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Gilbert Kalish & the Viano Quartet, Nov. 20
Quintet Revelations, Apr. 16
Schubertiade, May 14
Spectacular Jazz Series
Catherine Russell, Oct. 9
John Pizzarelli Trio, Jan. 15
Emmet Cohen, Feb. 26
Branford Marsalis Quartet, Mar. 19
Acoustic Cafe Folk
The Milk Carton Kids, Sept. 9
Leo Kottke, Sept. 23
Sierra Hull, Sept. 25
Chris Thile, Oct. 23
Josh Ritter, Nov. 2
Yonder Mountain String Band, Dec. 4
Sam Bush, Mar. 26
The Gilmore
359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo
thegilmore.org
Chelsea Guo, Sept. 21
Luther S. Allison Trio, Oct. 4
Giorgi Gigashvili, Oct. 5
Miki Yamanaka Trio, Dec. 6
The 2026 Gilmore Piano Festival, Apr. 30-May 10
West Michigan Symphony
360 W. Western Ave. Ste. 200, Muskegon
westmichigansymphony.org
MAIN SERIES
The Music of ABBA with Direct from Sweden, Oct. 3
Orchestra’s Greatest Hits, Nov. 14
Home for the Holidays - Around the World, Dec. 19
Superheroes at the Symphony, Jan. 30
Gershwin’s Piano Concerto, Feb. 27
Fiesta Sinfonica, Mar. 20
Guitar Romance, Apr. 17
All-Star Finale, May 8
THE BLOCK
Alvin Waddles Trio, Sept. 26
BLKBOK, Oct. 17
Dmitri Matheny Quintet, Oct. 24
Charlie Albright, Nov. 15
Paul Keller Quintet, Dec. 13
Jordan VanHemert Quartet, Feb. 7
Robert Johnson & Friends, Feb. 13
Michelle Cann, Feb. 28
House of Hamill, Mar. 13
Camille Zamora, Mar. 21
Varo String Quartet, Apr. 18
Stéphane Wrembel Quartet, May 1
THEATER & DANCE
Actors Theatre
160 Fountain St. NE, Grand Rapids
actorstheatregrandrapids.org
Spain, Sept. 11-20
Hyenas, Oct. 9-18
Dance Nation, Mar. 5-14
cullud wattah, May 7-16
Aquinas Contemporary Writers Series
1700 E. Fulton St., Grand Rapids
aquinas.edu
Jeff Zentner, Sept. 25
Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Nov. 6
Christopher Merrill, Mar. 26
Broadway Grand Rapids
122 Lyon St. NW, Grand Rapids
broadwaygrandrapids.com
Water for Elephants, Oct. 7-12
The Boom of Mormon, Nov. 4-9
Kimberly Akimbo, Jan. 27-Feb. 1
& Juliet, Mar. 10-15
Disney’s The Lion King, Apr. 8-26
The Outsiders, June 9-14
The Great Gatsby, July 21-26
Central Park Players
421 Columbus Ave., Grand Haven
centralparkplayers.org
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Oct. 17-26
Let Nothing Dismay You, Dec. 12-21
Marjorie Prime, Feb. 27-Mar. 8
She Kills Monsters, Apr. 24-May 3
Circle Theatre
1703 Robinson Rd. SE, Grand Rapids
circletheatre.org
Jesus Christ Superstar, Sept. 4-20
Deos Contemporary Ballet
1595 Galbraith Ave. SE, Grand Rapids
deosballet.com
The Tempest, Nov. 21-23
Cracked Nuts, Dec. 19-20
Ember Series 26, Mar. 20-22
Awaken Series 26, Spring 2026
Face Off Theatre
359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo
faceofftheatre.com
The Colored Museum, Nov. 7-16
Mahalia: A Gospel Musical, Dec. 2025
Farmers Alley Theatre Kalamazoo
221 Farmers Alley, Kalamazoo
farmersalleytheatre.com
Come From Away, Sept. 25-Oct. 12
A Very Kalamazoo Christmas, Nov. 20-Dec. 7
Primary Trust, Jan. 22-Feb. 1
Misery, Mar. 5-15
Good Night, Oscar, Apr. 16-26
Into the Woods, May 28-June 7
Dear Evan Hansen, July 9-26
Forest Hills Fine Arts Center
600 Forest Hill Ave. SE, Grand Rapids
fhfineartscenter.com
Illuminate The Tour, Oct. 26
Cirque Dreams Holidaze, Nov. 23
Stomp, Apr. 19
Frauenthal Center
425 W. Western Ave., Muskegon
frauenthal.org
World Ballet Company: The Great Gatsby Ballet, Oct. 1
An Evening of Buster Keaton Films, Oct. 4
Grand Kyiv Ballet Presents – Snow Queen, Nov. 15
Sister’s Christmas Catechism, Dec. 20
Gilmore Theatre/WMU Theatre
1903 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo
wmich.edu/theatre
Utopia, Sept. 26-Oct. 12
Cats, Oct. 24-Nov. 9
The House That Will Not Stand, Nov. 14-23
Next Stop, Broadway!, Dec. 4-6
The Coast Starlight, Jan. 30-Feb. 15
Much Ado About Nothing, Mar. 20-29
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Apr. 10-25
Grand Rapids Ballet
341 Ellsworth Ave. SW, Grand Rapids
grballet.com
Sherlock, Oct. 24-26
The Nutcracker, Dec. 12-21
Swan Lake, Feb. 27-Mar. 1
Jumpstart 2026, Mar. 27-29
In the Countenance of Kings, Apr. 24-May 3
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre
30 N. Division Ave., Grand Rapids
grct.org
Rock of Ages, Sept. 12-Oct. 5
Pete the Cat, Oct. 14-19
Disney’s Frozen, Nov. 14-Dec.14
Ain’t Misbehavin’, Jan. 16-Feb. 1
The Lightning Thief, Feb. 27-Mar. 15
Dial M for Murder, Apr. 17-May 3
Legally Blonde: The Musical, June 5-28
Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids
2727 Michigan NE, Grand Rapids
jtgr.org
Coney Island Christmas, Dec. 4-14
The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Feb. 5-15
Wiesenthal, Apr. 16-May 3
Games, June 11-21
Kalamazoo Civic Theatre
329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo
kazoocivic.com
Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot, Sept. 19-28
You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Oct. 10-19
Disney’s Frozen JR., Oct. 24-Nov. 2
The Colored Museum, Nov. 7-16
Annie, Dec. 5-21
The Cherry Orchard, Jan. 16-Feb. 1
The SpongeBob Musical, Feb. 6-15
Dogfight, Feb. 20-Mar. 1
Angels in America, Mar. 13-22
The Odd Couple, Apr. 10-19
Mirror of Most Value, Apr. 17-26
The Producers, May 1-17
Miller Auditorium
2200 Auditorium Dr, Kalamazoo
millerauditorium.com
Swan Lake, Oct. 1
Girls Night: The Musical, Oct. 4
Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, Nov. 7-8
A Celtic Christmas, Nov. 29
A Carpenters’ Christmas, Dec. 6
Cirque Dreams Holidaze, Dec. 16
CHICAGO the Musical, Jan. 20-21
Blue Man Group, Jan. 28-29
Clue, Feb. 4-5
TINA - The Tina Turner Musical, Mar. 3-4
Beetlejuice, May 8-10
Menopause The Musical 2: Cruising Through ‘The Change’, May 16
Muskegon Civic Theatre
425 W. Western Ave., Muskegon
muskegoncivictheatre.org
Frozen Jr., Sept. 6-7
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Oct. 10-25
Bright Star, Nov. 21-Dec. 7
Once On This Island, Jan. 16-25
Love, Loss, and What I Wore, Feb. 14-22
Anastasia, Apr. 30-May 3
New Vic Theatre
134 E. Vine St., Kalamazoo
thenewvictheatre.org
Folk Songs and Memories, Sept. 5-20
Ghost Stories, Oct. 17-Nov. 1
A Christmas Carol, Nov. 21-Dec. 21
Opera Grand Rapids
1320 E. Fulton St., Grand Rapids
operagr.org
H.M.S. Pinafore, Oct. 10-11
Chorus Concert, Nov. 13
Stuck Elevator, Feb. 20-21
Opera is Lit, Mar. 12
Madama Butterfly, May 15-16
Wharton Center for Performing Arts
750 E. Shaw Ln., East Lansing
whartoncenter.com
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, Sept. 16-21
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Oct. 14-19
Dog Man, Nov. 1
Chicago, Nov. 12
The Wiz, Dec. 9-14
Back to the Future: The Musical, Jan. 13-18
Hadestown, Jan. 30-Feb. 1
The Choir of Man, Feb. 24
Kimberly Akimbo, Mar. 10-15
The Simon & Garfunkel Story, Mar. 22
Clue, Apr. 7-12
& Juliet, June 23-28
VISUAL ARTS
Forest Hills Fine Arts Center
600 Forest Hill Ave. SE, Grand Rapids
fhfineartscenter.com
Raymond Trujillo, Aug. 26-Sept. 26
Bertha Verbrugee, Oct. 1-30
Cyn Tennant, Jan. 7-Feb. 6
Jennifer Gould & Suzanne Ditsler, Feb. 10-Mar. 12
Betsy Ratzsch, May 20-June 26
Frederik Meijer Gardens
1000 East Beltline Ave. NE, Grand Rapids
meijergardens.org
BUSTED: Contemporary Sculpture Busts, Through Sept. 21
Jaume Plensa: A New Humanism, Oct. 24-Mar. 15
Mums at Meijer Gardens, Oct. 1-31
ENLIGHTEN, Nov. 24-Jan. 3
University of Michigan Health-West: Christmas & Holiday Traditions, Nov. 26-Jan. 4
Grand Rapids Art Museum
101 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids
artmuseumgr.org
David Hockney: Perspective Should Be Reversed, Through Nov. 2
Pablo Picasso: Relentless Innovation, Through Oct. 26
ArtPrize 2025 ft. Luis Fernandez, Sept. 17-Oct. 5
The Matter of Awe: Landscapes in Art, Nov. 22-Aug. 16
As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic, Dec. 6-Apr. 26
Parisa Ghaderi: For Dancing in the Streets, Dec. 6-Apr. 26
Decadent Spirit: French Art at Turn of the Century, May 26-Sept. 6, 2026
Ghosthouse Fine Art Studio
929 E. Fulton St., Grand Rapids
ghosthousegr.com
Gourage for Living These Days, Sept. 19-30
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
314 South Park St., Kalamazoo
kiarts.org
2025 West Michigan Area Show, Through Sept. 14
Leo Villareal: Interstellar, Through Sept. 21
Ink Rhapsody: The Art of Lingnan Masters in Hong Kong, Through Oct. 26
Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper, Oct. 4-Jan. 11
Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks, Feb. 7-June 7
LowellArts
223 W. Main St., Lowell
lowellartsmi.org
Sol Seven, Through Oct. 4
Artist Market, Nov. 6-Jan. 10
West Michigan Art Competition, Jan. 31-Mar. 28
GVSU Art Gallery
1 Campus Dr., Allendale
gvsu.edu/artgallery
Mathias J. Alten, Through 2028
Crisscrossing: The Art of Henk Krijger, Through Dec. 13
La Voz de mi Gente: Luis Fernandez, Dec. 13
fishladder 2025, Through Oct. 10
Muskegon Museum of Art
296 W. Webster Ave., Muskegon
muskegonartmuseum.org
96th Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition, Sept. 18-Nov. 19
Art Nouveau: Age of Elegance, Oct. 2-Jan. 11
Cups, Oct. 16-Nov. 9
Crossroads: Intersections of Black Family Culture, Dec. 11-Mar. 15
Expressions, Mar. 26-May 10
Ox-Bow School of Art
3435 Rupprecht Way, Saugatuck
ox-bow.org
Harvest Dinner, Oct. 4
Bloody Brunch, Oct. 18
Ox-Bow Goes to Heck, Oct. 18
Saugatuck Center for the Arts
400 Culver St., Saugatuck
sc4a.org
Sōw [in sorrow], Through Sept. 5
A Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden, Through Jan. 9
Flourish, Nov. 8-Apr. 24
Avenue for the Arts/106 Gallery
106 S. Division Ave., Grand Rapids
avenueforthearts.co
Make It Take It!, Sept. 5
Jamie Weinfurter, Oct. 1-15
Looking Back | Moving Forward: The Avenue Turns 20, Nov. 1-15
