What is the Live Arts Studio?

We get asked that a lot, in part because there is nothing quite like anywhere in the region. We opened in the spring of 2021 and held our first public performances that June of that year. It took a very long time to get things set up in a way that allowed to get all the permits and permissions in place. One of the big obstacles we faced was that no one in the county knew quite what to make of this idea. We weren’t a retail space and yet we were in a shopping center. We needed seating for guests but we weren’t a traditional theater or dining establishment. In the end we got everything signed and we opened.

We immediately presented several shows with Broadway veterans and even did some small “singer/song writer” type rock show and used the space as a recording studio and rehearsal studio. We were off!

Then two months after out first shows opened we were told that the owners had leased our space to a new tenant and so we spent the next few months trying to find a new space at Westfield and the center was incredibly helpful. We ended up right across the hall from the first space and started to work on the current venue which unlike the first one, needed a lot of work. We were able to open in large part because of the generosity of two of our donors Dr. Diane Lebedeff and Dr. Steven Gersh. They are great friends who say the potential of this early on and jumped in with both feet to make it a reality.

We went through the permitting process again and after a long winter of renovations we opened the current space late spring of 2022 and haven’t looked back. Last season we offered more than 40 performances to our audiences. On any given week we hold at least two, and most weeks we have three to four rehearsals of one kind or another in the evening for singers and choristers from all over the region. We also have musicians who as we are leaving one rehearsal they are coming in to do late night recording sessions. This is truly exciting!

We also have partnerships with several organizations that are now part of our creative family.

They include:

Music Educators of Greater Annapolis (MEGA)

Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO)

Music at St. Anne’s

We aren’t active as much during the day but this season, that is changing and we are offering programs this year for the community (most are free) that will take place during the day for people who want to come and see live performances but can’t get out at night.

When I came up with this idea I was inspired by the idea that music can be where you find it and it should be accessible and something that can be more spontaneous than a traditional concert experience. My hope is that this idea will continue to grow and evolve along with the needs of the community we serve.

With the continued support of our patrons, donors and the community this exciting venture will hopefully serve as a model for other groups looking to reach into the community.