FIM Winter season brings the star fever, Black History Month concerts, more in Feb.

FLINT, Michigan — The FIM Flint School of Performing Arts has a diverse lineup of performing arts for the 2026 Winter season. From the annual Seeing Stars! From benefit events that raise money for students’ tuition assistance year-round to a special Black History Month collage-style concert, there’s no shortage of creative sparks throughout February. 

The FIM Flint School of Performing Arts is the largest community arts school in the state. Every year, FIM’s programming reaches over 300,000 people through classes, lessons, outreach programs, concerts, and more. Their mission is to unite all of Flint through the transformative power of the arts. 

In order to help increase their mission, the annual benefit, Seeing Stars! Helps raise money for tuition assistance, making students’ dreams a reality. This assistance is available for students of all ages for their lessons, classes, ensembles, and camps. 

Davin Pierson Torre is the FIM FSPA Director and Vice President of Performing Arts Instruction. She works alongside students in music, dance, theatre, and creative arts therapy programs for all ages and skill levels. Since a significant part of the organization’s mission is to remove financial barriers and enable everyone to experience the arts and its positive impact, the annual benefit is Seeing Stars! helps raise money for tuition assistance, making students’ dreams a reality. This assistance is available for students of all ages for their lessons, classes, ensembles, and camps. 

The 29th annual benefit, Seeing Stars! takes place on Friday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m at the FIM Dort Music Center. This year’s theme is star fever, and attendees are invited to wear groovy disco attire. The night will include student performances, a strolling dinner of local restaurant tastings, a silent auction and raffle, a special toast, and desserts. 

“It’s a super fun evening where guests enjoy food from the best restaurants,” Torre says. “Just name where you want to go — you want to go to Redwood, how about Brick Street, The Cork, how about Luigi’s for some pizza? All of these wonderful restaurants donate food for the event. From there, guests go into the recital hall for a collage-style performance by the complete range of music, dance, and theatre students. Everything from a six-year-old snare drum player all the way up to a violinist playing solo Bach at an extremely high level.”

Torre says 41% of the student body receives need-based tuition assistance, with awards ranging from 20% to 90%. Last year, the annual signature fundraising event awarded nearly $328,000 to local FSPA performing arts students and their families. This year’s goal is to raise $45,000. There is a wide range of current student ages, from preschoolers to adults and senior citizens. 

“The Flint community comes out, they give, and they understand the importance of children of all ages having access to this form of expression — and a community where creativity and artistry of all kinds are welcome,” she says. 

While generous patrons and sponsors donate year-round, meeting the students and seeing them perform gives donors a chance to see the impact firsthand. Torre is grateful to see the impact daily in her role. 

“I would like to highlight two students who have made performance careers and received Seeing Stars! tuition assistance,” Torre says. “One is Ashton Edwards, who started at the school in dance at age four and now is a principal dancer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet. Tuition assistance made all the difference for them, and now they’re known nationally for their ballet work. The other student is Anne-Marie Atanga, who studied dance, flute, and voice. She’s a student at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor School of Music, Theater, and Dance. She just won their Concerto Competition.”

While only a small percentage of students who leave the FSPA pursue performance careers, the great majority have gained other benefits that they carry into their careers, family life, and civic life off the stage, says Torre.

“If students are here to be part of the community, to play music, dance, or act with others and make friends — whatever the goal is, that tuition assistance is there to make that possible,” she says. 

To celebrate the tradition, spirit, and history of Black people in America, FIM is presenting a collage-style concert for Black History Month on Friday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. at MacArthur Recital Hall. The concert features student performances showcasing contributions by Black composers, musicians, choreographers, dancers, playwrights, and actors. 

“What’s so interesting about this annual event is that every department of the school participates,” Torre says. “So it will be music — strings, winds, voice, piano, percussion, theatre, and dance. There is a chance for everybody to come together to develop the program. Student voice is so important, and they really participate in the program selection and what it’s going to be.”

This year’s program includes composer Florence Price, a staged reading from the play, Jackie & Me, and a percussion ensemble performance of Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag.”

A complete listing of upcoming events and programming is available online.