With more than 50 productions and performances booked across multiple venues, the Flint Institute of Music is hoping that there’s a little something for audiences interested in many different genres.
The recently announced season for 2026-27, with performances beginning in June and running through September at Capitol Theatre, Whiting Auditorium, and Flint Repertory Theatre, includes everything from major Broadway hits like Hadestown and The Book of Mormon on the same calendar as rock acts like Collective Soul, country singer Rodney Atkins, family programming like Care Bears Live! and classical symphony performances.
Rodney Lontine, president and CEO of FIM, said that building a season lineup requires balancing the tastes of the Genesee County residents while also competing in a crowded entertainment landscape that includes venues and shows a short drive from the Flint area as well.
“The arts mean so many different things to different people,” Lontine said. “The arts not only can educate, but they entertain. Sometimes they’re the only place to get away from everything. With the diversity we have in Genesee County, we try to find a little bit of something for everybody.”
Single tickets for the 2026-27 season go on sale May 29 for Capitol Theatre shows and July 1 for Whiting Auditorium, Flint Symphony Orchestra, and Flint Repertory Theatre. Packages go on sale May 29.
Lontine said the process for assembling a season includes input from marketing team members, bookers, security, and production crews and takes a significant amount of time and coordination – “We’re already working on next year,” he noted.
He said their team tracks tour schedules, social media trends, and routing opportunities. They also look at what shows are at venues in driving distance to Flint to make sure there’s not overlap. For example, several Broadway touring productions go through Detroit and East Lansing, and there are music venues competing for acts all over Mid-Michigan, so they try to avoid saturating the market with the same or similar shows to offer something different for the community.
“Our bookers are working with agents, they’re looking at upcoming tours,” Lontine said. “They’re seeing who’s trending on TikTok, social media, trying to find up and comers. We’re primarily trying to service Genesee County, but we’re a part of a larger metropolitan area. Detroit is an hour away.”
That means FIM must market not only performances, but the experience surrounding them.
“If you live here, you know these are incredible facilities,” Lontine said. “I mean, the Capitol Theatre, for an artist that comes here, they’re like, ‘Wow.’ They can’t even believe it. But it’s also educating people on not only is this world-class entertainment, but there’s also the restaurants, the ease of parking, and it’s easier to get in here. If I’m living, let’s say, in Oakland County, it’s gonna take me 30 minutes to go this way or 30 minutes to go that way. We wanna make sure we have not only world-class entertainment, but also try to educate them on how parking’s gonna be much easier. The food and restaurants are vibrant, and it’s a great city.”
The season’s biggest draws include Broadway touring productions of The Book of Mormon in March, Hadestown in April and The Wiz in June at Whiting Auditorium. Other major presentations include Clue, Cirque Dreams Holidaze and The Price is Right Live!.
At the Capitol Theatre, the season opens September 2 with Collective Soul and continues with acts including Jesse McCartney and tribute performances like Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute.
Lontine said family-friendly programming remains a central focus for the organization.
“We really try to focus more on families with children, especially the little ones,” he said.
That effort extends to the Flint Symphony Orchestra, which continues expanding its “Live to Picture” screenings of films accompanied by a live orchestra performing the score.
“The first one we did was Batman, which did really well,” Lontine said. “Then we did Raiders of the Lost Ark, and we did The Godfather. So we’re building on those, and so we’re really excited.”
This season’s featured entry in the series will be Rocky in concert during its 50th anniversary celebration. The screenings are just one of many ways the FIM tries to introduce orchestra and classical music to audiences who may not consider themselves traditional symphonygoers.
“Some people who think they may or may not like orchestra music, every time you see a movie, that whole score is a full orchestra,” he said. “And it’s just gorgeous music.”
The Flint Repertory Theatre will return to its renovated home this season after temporarily partnering with the University of Michigan-Flint during construction work. The Rep opens with Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom before reopening the renovated Bower Theatre with the musical Rent in November. The season also includes the continuing Ghost Light Cabaret Series, popular short themed concerts in the Elgood Theatre lobby, and Flint Rep on the Road, a traveling educational theater experience for local schools.
Lontine described the cabaret performances as an accessible entry point for audiences unfamiliar with live theater.
“I call it endearingly like a gateway drug because it’s low cost, low effort,” he said. “It’s an hour, but it’s wonderful and you get to see an incredible cast.”
FIM officials said the season reflects an ongoing effort to keep the arts visible and active throughout the year in Flint. The season announcement includes 52 performances, some on multiple nights.
“Our goal is to make sure there’s at least, in the major venues, at least two or three a month so it always feels like there’s something going on,” Lontine said.
He also credited continued public support through the Genesee County Arts Education and Cultural Enrichment Millage, which helps fund discounted tickets and free admission opportunities at area cultural institutions.
The full season lineup is below.
Capitol Theatre
- Sept 2 – Collective Soul
- Sept 11 – Rodney Atkins
- Sept 25 – Aries Spears
- October 3 – Jesse McCartney
- October 9 – Little River Band
- October 16 – Who’s Bad – The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute
- October 24 – Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Vampire Masquerade Ball
- November 20 – #IMOMSOHARD: The Flashback Tour
- November 21 – Dokken & Lynch Mob Reunion Tour
- December 11 – That Arena Rock Show
- December 17 – A Christmas Story
Whiting Auditorium
- October 1 – The Rocket Man Show
- October 21 – The Price is Right Live!
- November 13 – Clue
- December 5 & 6 – The Nutcracker
- December 10 – Cirque Dreams Holidaze
- December 19 – Holiday Pops
- March 5 – The Simon & Garfunkel Story
- March 22 – The Book of Mormon
- April 15 – Hadestown
- April 17 – The Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience
- May 5 – Care Bears Live!
- May 22 – Reduced Shakespeare Company in All the Great Books (abridged)
- June 6 – The Wiz
Flint Symphony Orchestra
- October 10 – American Love Story Bernstein, Gershwin and Hanson
- November 8 – Heroes, Legends and Tall Tales Copland, Strauss and Zimmer
- February 13 – Rhythm, Song and Celebration Beethoven, Montgomery and Mozart
- March 13 – Side by Side: Past, Present, Future Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky and the
- Flint Youth Symphony Orchestra
- April 10 – Across the Northern Sky Beethoven, Musgrave and Sibelius
- May 15 – A Grand Evening of Puccini Selections from La Bohème and more
- October 25 – Frightfully Fun Pops
- December 19 – Holiday Pops
- February 27 – Rocky in Concert: 50th Anniversary
- March 20 – Music of the Night Phantom Stars Sing Broadway Hits
Flint Repertory Theatre
- August 31 & September 2 – Ghost Light Cabaret Series: One Hit Wonders
- August 18 – October 4 – August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
- October 5 & 7 – Ghost Light Cabaret Series: Saturday Night’s Alright: An Evening of Elton John
- November 2 & 4 – Ghost Light Cabaret Series: Broadway Rocks
- November 27 – December 13 – Rent
- February 1 & 3 – Ghost Light Cabaret Series: A Change is Gonna Come: The Music of Sam Cooke
- February 8 – 28 – Flint Rep on the Road: Metamorphoses
- March 29 & 31- Ghost Light Cabaret Series: Dolly Parton: Glitter, Grit & Grace April 9 – 25 – Witch
- April 16 – 18 – New Works Festival
- May 3 & 5 – Ghost Light Cabaret Series: Broadway Battle II: Andrew Lloyd Webber vs. Lin Manuel Miranda
- June 4 – 20 – Finn
- June 7 & 9 – Ghost Light Cabaret Series: Flint Rep Sings ABBA
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