LIVE
Mourning [A] BLKstar
x kaboom studio orchestra
ONE NIGHT ONLY
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A LIVE ALBUM
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AN IMMERSIVE SHOW
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A SOUND ONLY CLEVELAND COULD CREATE
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ONE NIGHT ONLY * A LIVE ALBUM * AN IMMERSIVE SHOW * A SOUND ONLY CLEVELAND COULD CREATE *
In an extraordinary meeting of musical worlds, Kaboom Studio Orchestra and Mourning [A] BLKstar came together to create a groundbreaking live album and performance experience. Over months of collaborative workshops and rehearsals, the two groups reimagined Mourning [A] BLKstar’s powerful catalog, composed new works, and crafted an immersive soundscape where orchestral textures, experimental soul, Black liberation music, and Afrofuturism collide.
The result is more than an album. It is a sonic journey, pushing boundaries of genre, process, and performance. Captured in a live audio and video recording session in Cleveland, this project invited the audience inside the creative process as it unfolded in real time. It is a celebration of collaboration, community-driven artistry, and the bold voices of Cleveland’s creative scene.
LIMITED EDITION
LIMITED EDITION
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THE COLLAB
What started as an idea to bring two musical worlds together quickly became something much bigger. Over months of workshops, rehearsals, and experimentation, Kaboom Studio Orchestra and Mourning [A] BLKstar built an entirely new body of work, reimagining existing songs, composing new material, and crafting an immersive sonic experience where orchestra, electronics, and voice collide.
In spring 2024, the project culminated in a live audio and video recording session in Cleveland, capturing the electricity of the collaboration. The performance blurred the lines between concert, recording session, and art installation, with the audience witnessing the creative process unfold in real time.
THE PERFORMANCE
This was more than an orchestra backing up a band. It was about building something together. About breaking open genres. About creating a space where musicians, artists, and community voices could meet, challenge, and inspire each other.
Why It Matters
The recording is now in post-production, with a vinyl release and documentary film on the way, telling the story of this powerful collaboration and the artists who made it happen.
What’s Next
Music video
Music video
Hold Me is the first visual release from our live collaboration with Mourning [A] BLKstar. Captured during our performance, the video brings together the raw intimacy of the song with the cinematic textures of the orchestra, offering a powerful glimpse into the heart of this project.
HOLD ME
Documentary screening and album releasE party
On June 26, 2025, we celebrated the release of Beyond the Stage, a live album and behind-the-scenes documentary capturing our powerful collaboration with Mourning [A] BLKstar. Held in Cleveland Heights, the evening brought together artists, students, and supporters for an immersive screening, exclusive album listening session, live Q&A, and limited-edition merch drop. The room was filled with energy, gratitude, and a shared sense of creative purpose.
Photos by Amber Patrick.
MOURNING [A] BLKSTAR x KABOOM STUDIO ORCHESTRA
A Sonic Journey from Cleveland to the Future, Where the Young Rule
In an extraordinary meeting of musical forces, Kaboom Studio Orchestra and Mourning [A] BLKstar came together to create a groundbreaking live album and performance experience. Over months of collaborative workshops and rehearsals, the two groups reimagined Mourning [A] BLKstar’s powerful catalog, composed new works, and crafted an immersive soundscape where orchestral textures, experimental soul, Black liberation music, and Afrofuturism collide.
The result is more than an album. It is a sonic journey, pushing boundaries of genre, process, and performance. Captured in a live audio and video recording session on May 31, 2024, at Kleist Center for Arts and Drama at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, this project invited the audience inside the creative process as it unfolded in real time. It is a celebration of collaboration, community-driven artistry, and the bold voices of Cleveland’s creative scene.
The album will be released on vinyl and digital platforms in summer 2025, alongside a documentary film premiering at a special viewing party in June 2025. The documentary has also been submitted to film festivals across the globe, sharing this Cleveland-born collaboration with the world.
CREDITS
Film Production Team
Executive Producers
Evan Haiman + Liza Grossman + Joe Weagraff
Producers
Isabella Dunlap + Meredith Hurley + Joseph Putrino IV
Director of Photography
Derek Snyder
Second Camera
Kevin Ng
Editors
Isabella Dunlap + Derek Snyder
Post Audio
Sam Haiman
Narration
Liza Grossman + Meredith Hurley
Production Manager
Meredith Hurley
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Mourning [A] BLKstar
Vocals
RA Washington
LaToya Kent
James Longs
Electronics
RA Washington
Trumpet
Theresa May
Guitar + Keys
Pete Saudek
Bass
Jah Nada
Drum Set
Dante Foley
Live Show Narrator
Kennedi Brown
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Kaboom Studio Orchestra
Conductor
Liza Grossman
Violin
Miriam Koby + Pranay Gupta + Kailani Farivar
+ Kaden Runge + Coda Scheuer
Viola
Isabella Dunlap + Nathanial Tisch + Nicolo Moulthrop
Cello
Renee Danko + Darrell Zhang
+ Jordyn Fears + Meghan Slusarski
Bass
Delaney Allen + Grace Cooper
Harp
Anatasia Seckers
Flute
Lily Waugh
Oboe
Jasmine Hisch
Alto Sax | Clarinet | Flute | Oboe
Bailey Coon
Clarinet
Ashley Handwerk + Chloe Fuller + Ava Haehn
Bass Clarinet
Michael Sejka
Bassoon
Emma Foster
Bassoon | Contrabassoon | Bari Sax
Arian Di Biase
Trumpet
Chistopher Hunt + Meredith Hurley
Horn
Anderson Oleskiewicz + Ezren Roark
Trombone
Kyle Zeitz
Tuba
Henry Foster
Percussion
Joseph Putrino IV + Johnathan Carman
Drum Set
Crystal Burks
Kaboom Collective
Executive Director
Joe Weagraff
Creative Director
Liza Grossman
Producer
Evan Haiman
Lead Arranger
Clint Needham
Arrangers
Nik Kypriotis + Michael Sejka + Clint Needham
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Dancers
Choreographer
Darnell Weaver
Blakk Jakk Dance Collective
Delores Barnes + Elisa Byrd + Naron Goggans + Leah Jeter + Alexis Mann + Jameelah Rahman + Ron'Dale Simpson + Jayce Taylor + Delantae Turnipseed
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Music Executive Producers
Liza Grossman + Joe Weagraff
+ Theresa May + David Kennedy
Recording + Mixing Engineer
David Kennedy
FOH Engineer
Javier Davis
MAB Sound Engineer
Jared Clark | Vertical Sound
Lighting Designer
Maya Fein
Stage Manager
Ella Pierse
Photography
Amber Patrick + Nick Brilla
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Branding + Design Team
Lead Artist
Jennifer Juan
Artists
Bailey Coon + Chloe Fuller + Lily Waugh
Album + Poster Art
Lily Waugh
Album + Poster Script
Chloe Fuller
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Sound + Stage Team
Lead Engineer
David Kennedy
Engineers
Anderson Oleskiewicz + Ezren Roark
+ Pranay Gupta + Nicolo Moulthrop
Loading Crew
Philip Gould + Anderson Oleskiewicz
All songs by Mourning [A] BLKstar
