ARTS, CULTURE AND FESTIVALS MAKE SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT TO MUSKEGON COUNTY ECONOMY

2019 and 2021 Economic Impact Estimates Illustrate Value of Arts & Cultural Institutions Muskegon, MI – The economic impact of arts and cultural institutions and festivals on the Muskegon County economy is substantial, according to estimates recently released by Visit Muskegon, the county’s convention and visitors bureau. Arts and cultural institutions and festivals in Muskegon […]

WMS season finale goes from “Fantasia” to “Fantastique”

Muskegon, Michigan, June 1, 2022—Mickey Mouse vs. the Broom. Unrequited love and dope-induced nightmares. Sorcerers, monsters, and beheading by guillotine. No, it’s not an Alice Cooper concert, it’s the finale of West Michigan Symphony’s 2021-2022 Season, held at 7:30 pm on June 24 at the Frauenthal Center in downtown Muskegon. “Fantastic Finale” is, in fact, […]

Four stellar string musicians will present a plethora of sounds and styles in “Greatest Hits of the String Quartet”

Muskegon, Michigan, June 1, 2022—Arturo Ziraldo is enthusiastic about his upcoming performance featuring the Greatest Hits of the String Quartet, to be held at 7:30pm Friday, June 17 at The Block in downtown Muskegon. Normally, a so-called “chamber music” program features complete, multi-movement works, often from two or three different periods. Ziraldo wanted to offer […]

West Michigan Symphony Pilot Tests a Concert Shuttle Service

Isn’t it wonderful to see the renaissance in downtown Muskegon, with more people and events, especially on weekends, creating an exciting sense of bustle? Well, yes. And… occasionally this bustle results in parking challenges, especially to those with limited mobility. To address this, the West Michigan Symphony will be beta-testing a free shuttle service for its […]

WMS concert celebrates humanity’s diversity and unity

Program opens with Copland’s stirring Fanfare for the Common Man and closes with Tchaikovsky’s “Ukrainian” Symphony Muskegon, Michigan, May 27, 2022—Although planned over a year ago, West Michigan Symphony’s upcoming “Around the World” concert resonates closely with what is happening around the world right now. Led by Music Director Scott Speck, the program opens with Aaron […]

3,000 area students will attend the first live symphony Link Up concert in three years

Children from 30 schools in six area counties will play recorders along with West Michigan Symphony MUSKEGON, MI, April 26, 2022—Few things in life are more impressive than getting to play along with a 60-piece live orchestra, no matter what your age. For a fourth-grader, it’s life-changing. For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic […]

Engaging the Next Generation

WMS EDUCATION PROGRAMS Youth EnsemblesOn Saturday, March 26, 2022, the West Michigan Symphony Children’s Choir, Debut Strings, and Premier Strings presented their spring concert at the Frauenthal Theater. “We are Music Together” appropriately described the beautiful sounds and melodies these talented young musicians presented.  The evening began with the sweet sound of 25 choristers appropriately […]

WMS concert features a blues-infused symphony by the “dean” of African American composers and introduces a rising young cello prodigy

Muskegon, Michigan, April 1, 2022—At one time William Grant Still’s 1930 Symphony no. 1 “Afro-American” was among the most frequently performed symphonies in the repertoire. Music Director Scott Speck and the West Michigan Symphony will bring this magnificent blues-infused work to the Frauenthal Center stage at 7:30 pm Friday, May 13. Also on the program […]

Music together: Children’s Choir, Debut and Premier Strings share the stage

MUSKEGON, MI, February 21, 2022—Nearly 80 young musicians ages 10 through 17 will take the stage at the Frauenthal Center for a joint concert featuring West Michigan Symphony’s Children’s Choir, Debut Strings, and Premier Strings. We Are Music Together will feature music by Pinkzebra, Rachmaninoff, Haydn, Saint-Saëns, and more. The WMS Children’s Choir is directed […]

Irish-American supergroup Cherish the Ladies will “blow the roof off” Frauenthal in West Michigan Symphony concert

MUSKEGON, MI, February 14, 2022— The New York Times calls their music “passionate, tender, and rambunctious” and The Washington Post praises their “astonishing array of virtuosity.” For over 37 years, Irish-American Cherish the Ladies has won the hearts of audiences worldwide with their rousing blend of traditional music, captivating vocals, and propulsive step dancing. The […]

Michigan Arts & Culture Council
National Endowment for the Arts