Community Calendar

Stuck Elevator
February 20 & 21, 2026
7:30 PM
Betty Van Andel Opera Center

Opera Grand Rapids proudly presents the Michigan premiere of Stuck Elevator, a groundbreaking chamber opera by composer Byron Au Yong and librettist Aaron Jafferis. Inspired by the true story of an undocumented Chinese immigrant trapped in a Bronx elevator for 81 hours, this genre-defying work fuses opera, hip-hop, and spoken word to illuminate the unseen struggles of immigrant life in urban America. This landmark production features an all native Chinese-speaking cast and the first all-Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) creative team to stage the opera, under the visionary direction of Mo Zhou, marking a significant milestone in the work’s performance history.

An indie dance party for the ones who still romanticize a scratched iPod, American Spirits, and a blurry night soundtracked by bloghouse and post-punk revival. All Your Friends is at Bell’s Back Room on February 21, 2026, bringing the sweat, synths, and nostalgia of the early 2010’s house party.

This is your basement-floor flashback to tight jeans, smudged eyeliner, and nights that felt like a house show turned afterparty. Expect a high-energy dance floor fueled by indie sleaze classics and remixes you forgot you loved, from LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture to Foals, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, MGMT, Crystal Castles, and more. No frills, just bodies in motion.

Whether you never left the Lower East Side or just miss the chaos of that era, All Your Friends is a night dedicated to bad decisions, blown speakers, and the soundtrack of your favorite forgotten memories. Come ready for the sweat, the noise, and the party your Tumblr warned you about at Bell’s Back Room.

Stuck Elevator
February 20 & 21, 2026
7:30 PM
Betty Van Andel Opera Center

Opera Grand Rapids proudly presents the Michigan premiere of Stuck Elevator, a groundbreaking chamber opera by composer Byron Au Yong and librettist Aaron Jafferis. Inspired by the true story of an undocumented Chinese immigrant trapped in a Bronx elevator for 81 hours, this genre-defying work fuses opera, hip-hop, and spoken word to illuminate the unseen struggles of immigrant life in urban America. This landmark production features an all native Chinese-speaking cast and the first all-Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) creative team to stage the opera, under the visionary direction of Mo Zhou, marking a significant milestone in the work’s performance history.

The Simon & Garfunkel Story will come to DeVos Performance Hall on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 7:30PM.

Using huge projection photos and original film footage, featuring a full live band performing all the hits including ‘Mrs. Robinson’, ‘Cecilia’, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, ‘Homeward Bound’ and many more.

The immersive concert-style theater show chronicles the amazing journey shared by the folk-rock duo, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. It tells the story from their humble beginnings as Tom & Jerry to their incredible success as one of the best-selling music groups of the ‘60’s to their dramatic split in 1970. It culminates with the famous “The Concert in Central Park” reunion in 1981 with more than half a million fans in attendance.

With more than 100 million album sales since 1965, Simon & Garfunkel’s perfect harmonies and songs that poignantly captured the times made them one of the most successful folk-rock duos of all time. Over the years, they 10 Grammy Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1977, their “Bridge Over Troubled Water” album was nominated at the Brit Awards for Best International Album. In 2003, Simon and Garfunkel were awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the following year saw their “The Sound of Silence” awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

Tickets on sale Friday, September 26th at 10:00AM. *Please note the box office will not be open for this on sale.

Marx in Soho is a long-running, single-actor stage play by the lauded American historian Howard Zinn.

Actor Bob Weick performs as Karl Marx, who is returning from the past to examine the world since his departure. It deals with themes of power, wealth, and inequality, along with showcasing unique ways to learn about history. For more information about the play itself, please visit: https://www.marxinsoho.org/

A panel discussion after the play will help answer questions, add historical context, and reflect on themes of human rights and history.

In celebration of the centennial of John Coltrane and Miles Davis, pianist Emmet Cohen brings together an all-star quintet to explore the fundamental questions that shaped their artistry: Why are we here? What are we reaching for? Where does the music take us? Guided by the spirit of the infinite, Cohen continues the journey set forth by the architects of jazz — seeking deeper truths through sound. A dedicated champion of musical community, Cohen believes in jazz as a living, evolving conversation — one that unites people across time and place. Join Cohen and his ensemble for a bold, reimagined experience of the music that forever changed the course of jazz.

SCHEDULE
6:30 PM | Doors Open
7:00 PM | Royce Auditorium Doors Open
7:30 PM | Concert Begins
9:00 PM | Post Concert Reception

Join WGVU for a special book swap event at Pigeon Hill Brewing Company in Muskegon. This family-friendly community event invites book lovers around West Michigan to bring books you've already read, leave with some fresh new reads, and make some friends in between! Please bring between 2-4 books, and make sure that your books are in reasonably good condition before bringing them in. Any books that have significant marks or damage will not be accepted.

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Join WGVU for a special book swap event on Friday, Feb. 27th, 5-7 p.m., at Pigeon Hill Brewing Company's taproom in Muskegon. This family-friendly community event invites book lovers around West Michigan to bring books you've already read, leave with some fresh new reads, and make some friends in between!

Please bring between 2-4 books, and make sure that your books are in reasonably good condition before bringing them in. Any books that have significant marks or damage will not be accepted.

A concert of diva showstoppers from Oz! Join Alli Mauzey and Alyssa Fox of WICKED fame (Broadway and national touring productions) for a night of gravity-defying performances. GOOD WITCH/BAD WITCH has been thrilling audiences coast to coast with their stunning vocals and playful banter!

The Women of Lockerbie
By Deborah Brevoort
Directed by Colleen Thompson

Performances: February 27 – March 14, 2026
Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm
Saturday Matinees at 2 pm
A story of loss and forgiveness as Madeline Livingston looks for her son’s remains that were lost in the terrorist attack on Pan Am 103.