Tag Archives: Concerts Under the Stars

Immersive full-dome concert experience coming to Grand Rapids Public Museum

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West Michigan’s underground music scene staple, “Concerts Under the Stars,” is back and promises unforgettable performances (Courtesy, GRPM)


By WKTV Staff

deborah@wktv.org

Attendees will be treated to a one-of-a-kind immersive concert experience (Courtesy, GRPM)

Get ready for an unforgettable sonic journey as “Concerts Under the Stars” returns to Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM).

Curated by the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium, “Concerts Under the Stars” is an immersive full-dome concert experience highlighting local musicians and visual artists.

Local West Michigan bands will perform their music, enhanced by original video art projected onto the Planetarium’s 50-foot dome. Upcoming local visual artists collaborate with the musicians to weave together an exclusive concert experience.

First to take the stage

GRPM is kicking off the 2024 series on Jan. 11 and 12 with Silent Spirit, a Grand Rapids electronic music sensation. Silent Spirit combines synthesis and contemplative rhythms to create organic atmospheres and reflective environments.

Performances will be accompanied by a full-dome visual display presented by local artist, iVy Garvey.

Attendees are invited to explore their inner selves and imagine themselves immersed in a world drawn from inspiration of the natural world.

Must-know details

Each show begins at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Visitors are invited to explore the Museum’s first two floors of exhibits during the cocktail hour before the concert.

Visitors can grab a drink and explore the first two floors of GRPM before the concerts (Courtesy, GRPM)

Performers will play two sets with a short intermission in between. Refreshments, beer, and other beverages will be available for purchase.

Parking is available through GVSU and the Museum’s parking ramp and will be validated for GRPM parking ramp guests.

Tickets are $20, with discounted pricing of $16 for GRPM members. Children must attend with an adult.

Details for February and March performances can be found here.

*Please be aware that shows may contain bright lights or dizzying visuals.

Coffin Problem set to perform at GRPM’s Concerts Under the Stars Series

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The Coffin Problem performs Feb. 6 at the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Concerts Under the Stars. (Supplied)

By Christie BenderPrepare for a fully immersive experience during the Concerts Under the Stars series at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM), featuring a night of electrifying rock music performed by Coffin Problem Thursday, Feb. 6. Sit back and experience the wonders of the cosmos alongside mesmerizing music! 

Coffin Problem is a rock band whose music resembles an abrasive, yet familiar sound to the genre. The group consists of four talented musicians including Sean Stearns, songwriter; Billy Bartholomew, bass guitarist; Trevor Goldner, guitarist and Ben Weissenborn, drummer. The group’s songs intrigue audiences with a sound that is bruising and bright, yet cavernous and cathartic. 

“There’s a lot of great vibes through the music scene,” said band member Goldner in a Local Spins article. “There’s a lot of collaboration … It’s been getting better and better year by year. There’s a lot of great folks in the music community in general that make it just fun to be a part of.”

Coffin Problem will be accompanied by a live light show on the planetarium dome by visual artist Sean Kenny. Sean is a psychologist and experimental filmmaker who founded the Picke Fort Film Collective, a Montessori-style cinema lab that specializes in hand-made 16mm film loops of improvised sound performances. Sean’s work has been shown in festivals around the world including the Ann Arbor Film Festival.

Concerts Under the Stars begins at 7:30 p.m., with Museum doors opening at 6:30 p.m. At each concert, performers will play two sets with a short intermission in between. Refreshments, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase. Tickets are $17, with reduced pricing of $12 for GRPM members. Tickets are available at grpm.org/planetarium, by calling 616.929.1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.

The 2020 Concerts Under the Stars series will continue on Feb. 27 with the smooth sounds of Indie rock from Seth Beck and will conclude on Mar. 19 with a unique mix of surf, pop rock by Hollywood Makeout. 

Frankie & Myrrh up next for Public Museum’s Concerts Under the Stars

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Frankie & Myrrh perform Feb. 7 at the GRPM’s Chaffee Planetarium.

By Christie Bender
Grand Rapids Public Museum

Sit back and experience the wonder of the cosmos with the wonder of music! The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) welcomes Frankie & Myrrh for the second concert in the Concerts Under the Stars series on Thursday, Feb. 7, in the GRPM’s Chaffee Planetarium.

The sound of Frankie & Myrrh has been touted as music for driving on an empty late night city highway with bright sodium lights and 24 hour convenience store parking lots in the summer when you were 20. Makes you want to dance, kind of leaves a sense of assured loneliness and the acceptance of it. Accompanying Frankie & Myrrh with live visuals on the planetarium dome will be Meghan Moe Beitiks.

 Meghan Moe Beitiks, has designed lights for the California Academy of Sciences, the Asian Art Museum, SF Sketchfest, and Atom-R. She is an artist working with associations and disassociations of culture/nature/structure, analyzing perceptions of ecology through the lenses of site, history, and emotions in order to produce work that interrogates relationships with the non-human. She was a Fulbright Student Fellow in Scenic Design to Latvia and a recipient of the Edes Foundation Prize for Emerging Artists. She received her BA in Theater Arts from the University of California at Santa Cruz and her MFA in Performance Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at Grand Valley State University, and has designed media for previous Concerts Under the Stars in 2018.

Concerts Under the Stars will begin at 7:30 p.m., with Museum doors opening at 6:30 p.m. New this year, performers will play two sets, with a short intermission in between. Refreshments, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase.

Tickets are $12 for GRPM members and $15 for non-members if purchased in advance, and $15 for members and $18 for non-members on the day of the concert. Tickets are currently on sale at grpm.org, by calling 616.929.1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.

The 2019 Concerts Under the Stars series will continue on February 28 with ambient R&B from Bronze Wolf and conclude on March 21 with the electronic sounds of Pink Sky.


Fiona Dickinson performs in first 2019 Concerts Under the Stars

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Fiona Dickinson

By Christie Bender
Grand Rapids Public Museum

Sit back and experience the wonder of the cosmos with the wonder of music! Kick off the New Year with Concerts Under the Stars at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) featuring the sounds of dark folk music with Fiona Dickinson on Thursday, Jan. 17.

This site-specific performance will combine shoegaze and dream-pop with ethereal interludes to create two seamless sets that flow into familiar song structures and out into meditative drones. Musicians Dan Fisher, Shane Tripp, and Ben Wiessenborn will assist on the project as a backing band. Accompanying Fiona with live visuals on the planetarium dome will be Meghan Moe Beitiks.

“Fiona Dickinson is a great start to the 2019 Concerts Under the Stars series,” said Kate Kocienski, VP of Marketing and PR for the GRPM. “Although each concert is a different genre, so you would need to see all of them for the full experience.”

Concerts Under the Stars will begin at 7:30 p.m., with Museum doors opening at 6:30 p.m. New this year, performers will play two sets, with a short intermission in between. Refreshments, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase.

Tickets are $12 for GRPM members and $15 for non-members if purchased in advance, and $15 for members and $18 for non-members on the day of the concert. Tickets are currently on sale at grpm.org, by calling 616-929-1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.

The 2019 Concerts Under the Stars series will continue on Feb. 7 with psych rock from Frankie and Myrrh, Feb. 28 with ambient R&B from Bronze Wolf, and will conclude on Mar. 21 with the electronic sounds of Pink Sky.

Fiona Dickinson is a British songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and music educator currently residing in Grand Rapids. Along with her work arranging strings for the ambient noise project, Saltbreaker, Fiona has a lengthy list of collaborations on stage and in the studio. She also has a background in composition for independent film and live score for site-specific performance with dance, video, and analog projection.

Meghan Moe Beitiks, has designed lights for the California Academy of Sciences, the Asian Art Museum, SF Sketchfest, and Atom-R. She is an artist working with associations and disassociations of culture/nature/structure, analyzing perceptions of ecology through the lenses of site, history, and emotions in order to produce work that interrogates relationships with the non-human. She was a Fulbright Student Fellow in Scenic Design to Latvia and a recipient of the Edes Foundation Prize for Emerging Artists. She received her BA in Theater Arts from the University of California at Santa Cruz and her MFA in Performance Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at Grand Valley State University, and has designed media for previous Concerts Under the Stars in 2018. 

Concerts Under the Stars return to the Grand Rapids Public Museum

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Concerts Under the Stars returns to the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium in January.

By Christie Bender

Grand Rapids Public Museum


The Grand Rapids Public Museum is excited to announce that Concerts Under the Stars are returning for 2019. Concert-goers will enjoy a fully immersive experience of audio and visuals in the Museum’s Chaffee Planetarium.

Beginning on January 17, join the GRPM for the first performance in the Concerts Under the Stars series, Fiona Dickinson, featuring dark folk music. Concerts Under the Stars will run January through March 2019. Visitors can sit back and experience the wonder of the cosmos with the wonder of music to performances featuring the sounds of folk, rock, electronic and R&B.

“The Museum is excited to bring back Concerts Under the Stars for the third year highlighting local music and audiovisual artists in this very unique venue,” said Kate Kocienski, VP of Marketing and PR for the GRPM. “Live music in the Chaffee Planetarium is a one-of-a-kind experience for concert-goers, and not something that is replicated at other venues.”

Fiona Dickinson is a British songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and music educator currently residing in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Along with her work arranging strings for the ambient noise project, Saltbreaker, Fiona has a lengthy list of collaborations on stage and in the studio. She also has a background in composition for independent film and live score for site-specific performance with dance, video, and analog projection.

Dark folk is a sub-genre of folk music that blends traditional Nordic folk music and ambient music and is considered to be closely related to metal. Fiona will be accompanied by live visuals on the planetarium dome by Meghan Moe Beitiks.

Meghan Moe Beitiks, has designed lights for the California Academy of Sciences, the Asian Art Museum, SF Sketchfest, and Atom-R. She is an artist working with associations and disassociations of culture/nature/structure, analyzing perceptions of ecology through the lenses of site, history, and emotions in order to produce work that interrogates relationships with the non-human. She was a Fulbright Student Fellow in Scenic Design to Latvia and a recipient of the Edes Foundation Prize for Emerging Artists. She received her BA in Theater Arts from the University of California at Santa Cruz and her MFA in Performance Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at Grand Valley State University, and has designed media for previous Concerts Under the Stars in 2018.

Concerts Under the Stars will begin at 7:30 p.m., with Museum doors opening at 6:30 p.m. New this year, performers will play two sets, with a short intermission in between. Refreshments, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase.

Tickets are $12 for GRPM members and $15 for non-members if purchased in advance, and $15 for members and $18 for non-members on the day of the concert. Tickets are currently on sale at grpm.org, by calling 616.929.1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.

The 2019 Concerts Under the Stars series will continue on February 7 with psych rock from Frankie and Myrrh, February 28 with ambient R&B from Bronze Wolf, and will conclude on March 21 with the electronic sounds of Pink Sky.

Concerts Under the Stars hosts Major Murphy at Chaffee Planetarium

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The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) continues the 2018 Concerts Under the Stars series in the Chaffee Planetarium with new music from Grand Rapids’ band Major Murphy on Thursday, April 12.

 

Major Murphy reimagines 1970s radio rock with bristling sensitivity for our present era. They have debuted three albums with the newest “No. 1” being released just recently on March 30, combining the sounds of rock, pop and dream pop.

 

This concert will feature a chilled-out tempo and atmosphere, and the sprawling jam, expanding in effervescent layers of psychedelia. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase.

 

Major Murphy is the collaboration of Jacob Bullard, Jacki Warren, and Brian Voortman. Their first EP was recorded before they had ever formally played a show, but in the months following its release, the band hit the road and begin playing out regularly. These shows gave Major Murphy a new perspective and confidence to their music.

 

This concert will feature a custom light show on the planetarium’s dome, which boasts state-of-the-art technology with 4k visuals and surround sound for an amazing immersive concert experience.

 

Tickets are $10 for GRPM members, $12 for non-members if purchased in advance, and $15 for non-members on the day of the concert. Tickets are currently on sale at grpm.org, by calling 616.929.1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.

 

The final 2018 Concerts Under the Stars will take place on May 15 with local band Mertle.

Grand Rapids Public Museum announces new concert with Mertle added to Concert Under Stars Series

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By Christie Bender

Grand Rapids Public Museum

 

Due to popular demand, a sixth, additional concert has been added to this year’s Concerts Under the Stars at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Local band Mertle will be playing in the Chaffee Planetarium May 15.

Visitors can sit back, relax and enjoy the fully immersive audio and visual experience, with live band and live visuals on the planetarium dome.

Mertle is a local alternative, indie pop/rock band comprised of Max McKinnon (vocals, and keys), Kendall Wright (guitar), Connor Wright (drums) and Jared Demeester (bass).  Mertle has opened for The Shins, as well as other shows in the Lansing and Grand Rapids areas, including at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

This concert will also feature visuals by Meghan Moe Beitiks.

“We are excited to be adding an additional band to this year’s line-up,” said Kate Moore, VP of Marketing and PR for the GRPM. “The concerts have continued to be popular and sell out before each date, so we are bringing another opportunity for the community to experience music in the Chaffee Planetarium.”

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase.

Tickets are $10 for GRPM members, $12 for non-members if purchased in advance, and $15 for non-members on the day of the concert. Tickets are currently on sale at grpm.org, by calling 616-929-1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.

The remaining 2018 Concerts Under the Stars Series continues with Major Murphy on April 12 and will close with Mertle on May 15.

Dan Rickabus is next featured performer Museum’s ‘Concerts Under the Stars’

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Dan Rickabus performs at the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Chaffee Planetarium

By Kate Moore

Grand Rapids Public Museum

 

The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) continues the 2018 Concerts Under the Stars series in the Chaffee Planetarium on March 22 hosting Dan Rickabus and his 9-piece band.

 

Drummer, producer and songwriter Dan Rickabus spends his days crafting sounds for The Crane Wives, Public Access, Seth Bernard and many others in Michigan’s beautiful music community. Last summer, he released a new collaborative solo record called “Void / Journal” – an album of cosmically conscious, existentially charged, groove-oriented dream-folk that explores what it means to be alive and breathing amidst the limitless beyond.

 

Dan has gathered a 9-piece band of his friends and collaborators to perform the vibrant, immersive music of “Void / Journal” in the mystical setting of the planetarium.

 

Dan Rickabus will be joined by a nine-piece band of friends.

“This performance is an honor and a dream come true for us,” Rickabus said. “We can’t wait to share this artistic adventure with you.”

 

This concert will feature a custom light show on the planetarium’s dome by Nate Eizenga. Nate is a Grand Rapids native who moonlights as a video artist, focusing on accompaniment for live musical performances. By using controllers intended for digital music production to create, mix and manipulate video in real time he crafts a visual experience that toes the line between artistic spontaneity and musical synchronicity. Since his first public show in 2015 Nate has performed for numerous events, including past Concerts Under the Stars shows.

 

The recently renovated planetarium boasts state-of-the-art technology with 4k visuals and surround sound, for an amazing immersive concert experience.

 

Concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase.

 

Tickets are $10 for GRPM members, $12 for non-members if purchased in advance, and $15 for non-members on the day of the concert. Tickets are currently on sale at grpm.org, by calling 616-929-1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.

 

The next 2018 Concerts Under the Stars will take place on April 12 with the alternative rock sounds of Major Murphy.

Under the Stars features one woman band at the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Chaffee Planetarium

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Jes Kramer

The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) continues the 2018 Concerts Under the Stars series on March 1 hosting one woman band Jes Kramer for a fully immersive audio and visual experience in the Chaffee Planetarium.

 

This concert will feature a custom light show on the planetarium’s dome that complements Kramer’s music. The recently renovated planetarium boasts state-of-the-art technology with 4k visuals and surround sound, for an amazing immersive concert experience.

 

Concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase.

 

Tickets are $10 for GRPM members, $12 for non-members if purchased in advance, and $15 for non-members on the day of the concert. Tickets are currently on sale at grpm.org, by calling 616.929.1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.

 

The 2018 Concerts Under the Stars Series will continue March 22 with alternative folk by Dan Rickabus and April 12 with the alternative rock sounds of Major Murphy.

Local artist Edye Evans Hyde featured performer at Museum’s next ‘Concerts Under the Stars’

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Edye Evans Hyde

The Grand Rapids Public Museum continues the 2018 Concerts Under the Stars series on Thursday, Feb. 8, hosting local jazz vocalist Edye Evans Hyde for a fully immersive audio and visual experience in the Chaffee Planetarium.

 

Hyde has been singing jazz, blues and pop music for more than 30 years in West Michigan, Los Angeles, Asia and Europe. Hyde was the 2011 West Michigan Jazz Society Musician of the Year. Over the years, she shared the stage with world-renowned blues singer Linda Hopkins, pop singer Michael Bolton, vocalist Maria Muldaur, actress Connie Stevens, the late Ray Charles, and Cuban trumpet player Arturo Sandoval.

 

Each concert features a live custom light show on the planetarium’s dome that complement the various genres throughout the series. The recently renovated planetarium boasts state-of-the-art technology with 4k visuals and surround sound, for an amazing immersive concert experience.

 

Concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase.

 

Tickets are $10 for GRPM members, $12 for non-members if purchased in advance, and $15 for non-members on the day of the concert. Tickets are currently on sale at grpm.org, by calling 616-929-1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.

 

The 2018 Concerts Under the Stars Series will continue Mar. 1 with one-woman-band Jes Kramer, Mar. 22 with alternative folk by Dan Rickabus, and will close on Apr. 12 with the alternative rock sounds of Major Murphy.

Public Museum’s Under the Stars continues with local performer Janga

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Theo Ndawillie II (Janga)

Join the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) Thursday, Feb. 9, for the next performance of Concerts Under the Stars – a new series in the Chaffee Planetarium. Visitors enjoy a live concert with a fully immersive audio and visual experience.

 

Following a sold out performance on Jan. 19, Janga will be performing funk music accompanied by a live full-dome light show, while visitors sit back and experience the wonder of the cosmos with the wonder of music.

 

This show will feature the music of Janga, the solo project of Grand Rapids-based composer, keyboardist, percussionist and cyclist Theo Ndawillie II, accompanied by musicians from Vox Vidorra and the Grand Rapids Symphony. Theo spends most of his time performing and writing with his band Vox Vidorra, teaching at Triumph Music Academy, and working on commissions. Theo has been commissioned by the Grand Rapids Symphony, Symmetry Films (shehimher), ADAPT Theatre Company and others. His hobbies include finding ways to combine musical endeavors with various forms of environmental and social activism. Theo has been a member of the Well House Board of Directors since January 2016.

 

The Concerts Under the Stars series features visuals by Nate Eizenga. For the past decade, Nate has been fascinated by performances that use visual imagery to enhance the experience of live music. Frustrated with preprocessed, press-play videos, he taught himself to mix and manipulate video in real-time, finally playing his first live show with musician Darkly in early November 2015. Since then he has continued to refine his craft, playing alongside Darkly as well as DJs from Rocksteady Disco, FourFour SoundSystem and Vinyl Fetish. Possessing both musical synchronization and artistic spontaneity, his work is guaranteed to mesmerize even the most reserved viewers.

 

Concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase.

 

Tickets are $10 for GRPM members, $12 for non-members if purchased in advance, and $15 for non-members on the day of the concert. Tickets are currently on sale at grpm.org, by calling 616-929-1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.

 

The 2017 Concerts Under the Stars Series will continue on March 16 with jazz-inspired electronic by Mishigami, and on April 6 with folk music by Emma Loo and Sam.

 

The Chaffee Planetarium is located at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, 272 Pearl St. NW.