Pull to refresh
Logo
What Changed
Following Why Sign Up
Grand Rapids Symphony to perform 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' live to film

Grand Rapids Symphony to perform 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' live to film

New Capabilities Grand Rapids, MI local

The DeVos run played Oct. 30-31, 2026, with a third show Nov. 1 in Hastings

November 1st, 2026: Third performance in Hastings

Overview

Updated 7 days ago

The Grand Rapids Symphony played 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' live to film at DeVos Performance Hall on Friday, October 30 at 7:30 p.m. and again on Saturday, October 31, then took the program to the Hastings Performing Arts Center on Sunday, November 1 at 4 p.m.

As of November 11, neither the symphony nor the venue had published attendance figures or a review of the three performances. The symphony first played Danny Elfman's score to the film in a single October 2018 concert.

Why it matters

This concert is part of a shift in how orchestras fill seats: play a film people love, and the music reaches a new audience.

Last Monday's email for Grand Rapids, MI

Sent Nov 9. It carried:

Get next Monday's: one short email a week. Free. Unsubscribe in one click.

Questions about this story

Free account needed to ask — your question is kept and asked for you right after sign-up. Answers are public.

No questions yet — be the first to ask.

Key Indicators

2,543
Venue capacity per night
DeVos Performance Hall's own page lists 2,543 seats. Coverage of these shows says 2,404.
5,086
Maximum combined attendance
Two sold-out shows at 2,543 seats each, using the venue's own count.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Sign up to generate historical perspectives on this story.

Log in Sign Up

People Involved

Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman
Composer and original singing voice of Jack Skellington
Composer of the score the Grand Rapids Symphony will perform live
 Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Creator of the original poem and characters; producer of the film
His 1993 film screens at the concert while the Grand Rapids Symphony plays Elfman's score live
 Geoffrey Larson
Geoffrey Larson
Conductor for both performances
Listed as conductor for the two DeVos shows on October 30 and 31; no post-performance coverage confirmed the run.

Organizations Involved

Grand Rapids Symphony
Grand Rapids Symphony
Performing arts organization
Was the performing ensemble for the two DeVos shows and the Nov. 1 Hastings performance; no post-show figures were reported.

The professional orchestra based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that will play the film's score live under the screening.
DeVos Performance Hall
DeVos Performance Hall
Performing arts venue
Host venue; its own page lists 2,543 seats, though coverage of these shows says 2,404.

The downtown Grand Rapids hall hosting the two shows. Its own page lists 2,543 seats; coverage of this concert says 2,404. It does not publish ticket counts.
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Film studio
Distributor of the 1993 film

The studio that released 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' in 1993 and licenses the film for live-to-film concert performances.

Timeline

October 1993 November 2026

5 events Latest: November 1st, 2026 · 1 week ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Third performance in Hastings

    Latest Performance

    The run was scheduled to continue Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Hastings Performing Arts Center, a partnership between the Thornapple Arts Council and the Friends of HPAC; tickets were $25-$45.

  2. Second live-to-film show, Halloween matinee

    Performance

    The symphony's season listing gives a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee at DeVos Performance Hall; the venue's own event page lists 2:30 p.m. for the same date.

  3. GR Symphony performs the film live, night one

    Performance

    Night one of the live-to-film run at DeVos Performance Hall, a Friday 7:30 PM show; up to 2,404 seats.

  4. Symphony plays the score live for one night

    Performance

    The Grand Rapids Pops performed Elfman's score with the full film at DeVos Performance Hall in a single Gerber SymphonicBoom concert, led by associate conductor John Varineau. Tickets started at $18.

  5. 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' premieres

    Release

    Tim Burton's stop-motion Disney film opens with Elfman's music and lyrics.

Scenarios

1

Both Halloween shows sell out

Deadline passed (Nov 3, 2026)

Discussed by: Grand Rapids arts media; the venue and symphony issue sell-out notices when shows sell clean.

Both nights reach the 2,404-seat cap. Halloween-weekend demand for a cult film plus the symphony's subscriber base would drive it. A sellout would surface as a venue announcement or local review after opening night.

2

Run goes ahead as scheduled

Deadline passed (Nov 1, 2026)

Discussed by: Baseline case; the venue's own listing fixes the dates.

The DeVos shows were set for October 30 and 31, with a third performance November 1 at the Hastings Performing Arts Center. No cancellation notice appeared before the dates.

3

Show canceled or rescheduled

Deadline passed (Oct 30, 2026)

Discussed by: The venue's own caveat that schedules can change.

An operational issue forces the venue to cancel, postpone, or change a date. The events page would be updated and ticketholders notified.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

November 1940

Fantasia (1940)

Walt Disney's third animated feature paired classical orchestral works with animation, conducted by Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra. It was the studio's first serious attempt to make the orchestra itself part of the show.

Then

The film lost money at release and Disney re-cut it several times to find an audience.

Now

It became a lasting classic and set the pattern of Disney animation built around orchestral music — the template 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' follows.

Why this matters now

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Disney film whose score can be performed live by a symphony; Fantasia is the ancestor of the animation-plus-orchestra pairing.

From July 2005

Video Games Live (2005–present)

Composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall founded a touring show pairing a live orchestra with video game footage and lights. The debut in Los Angeles sold out and the production went global.

Then

The format spread to orchestras worldwide as a recurring touring brand.

Now

It helped normalize 'score plus visuals in a concert hall' as a mainstream orchestral programming category.

Why this matters now

Same mechanism as the GR Symphony show — use beloved visual media to bring new audiences into an orchestral hall.

From 2009

Star Wars in Concert (2009)

Lucasfilm mounted a touring production with a live symphony playing John Williams' 'Star Wars' score while film footage synced to the music. It played arenas across multiple continents and returned for later tours.

Then

The tour demonstrated serious arena-scale demand for film scores performed live.

Now

It helped establish the live-to-film tour as a format orchestras schedule for anniversaries and holidays.

Why this matters now

A studio franchise pairing a live orchestra with its film — the same format the Grand Rapids Symphony is using for a Halloween-night show.

Sources

(16)
+10
DeVos Performance Hall Grand Rapids Symphony Nightout Grand Rapids Theater Yodel Grand Rapids Magazine Barry County Chamber of Commerce Local Spins RateYourSeats Grand Rapids Symphony Nightout Nightout Nightout DeVos Performance Hall Grand Rapids Symphony Grand Rapids Symphony