STYX And KABOOM COLLECTIVE Announce 'Twenty Years On' Documentary About Pioneering Rock-and-Orchestra Collaboration

Kaboom Collective, the Cleveland-based nonprofit arts organization that has become a launching pad for the next generation of creative professionals, has announced the world premiere of "Twenty Years On", a feature documentary chronicling the twenty-year partnership between Kaboom, its members and legendary rock band STYX. The premiere will take place on Saturday, June 6, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at Heights Theater Studios, Kaboom's professional soundstage in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

When Kaboom founder and conductor Liza Grossman first brought STYX together with a youth orchestra in 2006, it was a concept that had no real precedent in rock music. A world-class arena rock band sharing the stage with student musicians, performing fully orchestrated arrangements of some of rock's most beloved songs, was something audiences and the industry had simply never seen at that scale. It worked. And the rest of the music world took notice.

In the two decades since, the rock-and-orchestra format has been replicated by artists and orchestras across the country and around the world. Kaboom and STYX were among the first. "Twenty Years On" tells the full story of how it began, why it endured, and what it has meant for the hundreds of young musicians who have passed through Kaboom's program along the way.
Grossman said: "Every person in this film made a choice to show up, to trust the process, and to give everything they had to something bigger than themselves. That is what Kaboom has always been about, and STYX understood that from day one. Watching those young artists grow into doctors, educators, Broadway musicians, and studio artists over twenty years has been the greatest gift of my career. This film is for every one of them."

STYX, one of rock's most enduring bands with a catalog that spans more than five decades and includes anthems like "Blue Collar Man" and "Too Much Time On My Hands", became a genuine partner in Kaboom's mission from the very beginning. Members of the band have returned to perform, mentor, and collaborate with Kaboom students again and again, reflecting a relationship built on mutual respect and a shared belief that great music belongs to everyone.

STYX's Tommy Shaw said: "We are excited to be a part of the Kaboom Collective documentary 'Twenty Years On'. It is amazing to celebrate our relationship and performance with the Cleveland Youth Orchestra twenty years later and see the kids grown up. We can't wait for you to see it!"

"Twenty Years On" is directed by Evan Haiman and produced by Charlie Brusco, Liza Grossman, Evan Haiman and Joe Weagraff, with executive producers Jean Harry and the Brenda Fuchs Family Foundation and the Arthur E., Elsie G. and Betty M. Kranz Family Foundation. The film draws on archival footage from the landmark 2006 concert at Blossom Music Center and the 2016 concert special "Sing For The Day", woven together with present-day interviews and new studio sessions recorded at Heights Theater Studios.

The film follows the musicians who stepped onto that stage in 2006 back to where it all began. Some went on to careers in music. Some took completely different paths. One former performer is now head of the neurological stroke department at a major hospital. All of them are still connected to what happened that night. Through interviews, archival footage, and an onstage reunion with members of STYX, the film captures the lasting pull of that shared experience. A new generation of Kaboom Studio Orchestra musicians then takes center stage, recording bold orchestral arrangements of "Blue Collar Man" and "Build and Destroy" inside a working studio, showing how the original spark continues to ignite young artists today.

"Twenty Years On" follows the organization's award-winning 2025 short documentary "Kaboom Collective: Beyond The Stage", cementing Kaboom's identity not only as an arts education organization but as a storytelling force in its own right. The self-produced premiere at Heights Theater Studios is itself a fitting venue, the same soundstage where many of the students featured in the film have trained, recorded, and performed.

The June 6 event will include a screening followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests.

Kaboom Collective is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization based in Cleveland, Ohio. A launchpad for the next generation of artists, Kaboom produces orchestral scores, animated films, live shows, studio albums, and documentaries, all led by working industry professionals who mentor students throughout. Since its founding, Kaboom has served over 250 students, with alumni earning internships, studio placements, and paid roles across the music and media industries. Rooted in equity and inclusion, Kaboom is committed to ensuring that cost, geography, and background are never barriers to a professional creative career.

For more information, visit www.20yearson.com.

Photo credit: Jason Powell