Jeffrey Marc Buchman, artistic director
David Lockington, music director
Projection Design: Gamut Creative
Production Director: Marshall Yoder Stage Manager: Dyan Yoder
Production Team: Captus Creative
Lighting Design: Tom Lohman
TV Director: David DiManna
Asst. Director: Rosa Mercedes
"Creative expression and thought lives within all of us, sparked by memorable moments of inspiration. LiveArts is about celebrating those singular moments that make imagination take flight and dreams soar. It is the embodiment of a community coming together in the spirit of collaboration to celebrate the “inner artist” in us all. We all have a story to tell. We all have our own insights, hopes and dreams that we long to share and it is through the arts -- the living arts -- that the voice of a community is expressed. Who we are as a people is articulated in what our arts organizations have to say. LiveArts says we nurture, we inspire, we empower.
Whether it is children showing their raw and uninhibited desire to express through music and dance, or adults carrying with them a lifetime of love of the arts, there was some moment that lit the flame of expression in them. Inspiration can emerge from almost anywhere. Often, it comes from the myriad of powerful emotions that living life brings with it. It also comes from the beauty and wonder of nature. But sometimes, it comes from hearing a simple, yet profoundly beautiful melody soaring off the strings of a cello like a swan taking flight.
This is how our journey in LiveArts begins."
~ Jeffrey Marc Buchman
With two orchestras, two marching bands, two dance companies, four choruses and soloists totaling more than 1,500 performers, the multimedia, multi-genre showcase created by Jeffrey Marc Buchman for the Grand Rapids Symphony also put more than 7,100 people in the audience for the extravaganza featuring Grand Rapids Ballet, Opera Grand Rapids and Broadway Grand Rapids.