When you sit in The Peristyle as the symphony tunes, when you watch a dancer balance on the edge of silence just before the music begins, when you feel a jazz trio lift the room, you know there is nothing else like live performance. It is profoundly human. It exists in that fleeting, unrepeatable moment, felt as deeply by the people who perform as by the people who witness it. 

This is the essence of what we do. And now, it is the name we carry: Live Arts Toledo. 

From “alphabet soup” to clarity 

For the past several years, we have operated under the name Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts, or “TAPA” for short. That name reflected an important step in our history, the merger of Toledo Symphony and Toledo Ballet. It made sense as a corporate structure and emphasized what we wanted that merger to achieve: a dedicated alliance for the performing arts. TAPA was never meant to be a public brand. It was designed simply for articles of incorporation, internal documents, and legal paperwork. 

But a funny thing happened in the earliest days of TAPA. How were we supposed to answer the phone if we didn’t know whether the caller wanted tickets for the Toledo Symphony or the Toledo Ballet? And while we had many legacy employees and trustees from those ensembles, how would we refer to colleagues or board members who joined post-merger? The list went on: what logo to put on email signatures, business cards, fundraising appeals, and voicemail greetings. 

We intended to function as a blended family in the arts, but we only had the TAPA name as a shared identity. Very quickly TAPA came to represent attitudes and relationships it was never intended to hold. 

This came to a fever pitch when we began work on a feasibility campaign to plan for what became our new headquarters at the Toledo Center for Live Arts. We intended to ask questions about the project concept. What we heard instead was consistent feedback—sometimes fierce criticism—about the TAPA brand. We listened carefully as our best friends, loyal subscribers, generous donors, and parents in our school programs revealed strong confusion about TAPA, what the acronym stood for, or what we meant to achieve with it. One patron called it “alphabet soup.” Another said, “Nobody gives a crap about TAPA.” 

These were hard truths to hear, but they were very important. They reminded us that names matter, and that the way we speak about ourselves should never stand in the way of someone discovering the magic of live performance. 

The journey to Live Arts 

Two years ago, I met Mike Hart for a glass of wine at the Chop House. The meeting was transformational. I remember saying, “Mike, I’ve got a branding problem.” He smiled and politely agreed. He asked, “How can I help?” That night, I realized we could not settle for a name that was functional but uninspiring. We needed a name that breathed as much life as our art. 

For two years, TAPA leadership worked with the brilliant team of branding experts, strategists, market researchers, and account representatives at Hart Inc. to explore new possibilities. Together, we searched our core beliefs, deepest convictions, and greatest dreams. We studied white space around arts brands. We looked for names that felt clear, inspiring, and memorable. We tested ideas, weighed options, and asked ourselves what truly defines us. The answer was always the same: the live arts. 

In February 2020, just 13 months into our merger, we revealed one of our boldest seasons. It was filled with great masterpieces and creative projects. A global pandemic would shelve most of these ambitions, but we never forgot the theme of that year’s brochure: Live Art. Alain Trudel, Toledo Symphony Music Director, offered beautiful reflections on the concept in his opening letter to patrons:  

“We produce live art. Our musicians, dancers, and performers are the art, and it is created right before your eyes by people. It is created in the moment and can never be produced again in the same way. Because of this, live art seizes us to feel, sense, and hear new things because it’s elusive and passes us by. It reminds us to be present.” 

The live arts are magical. They touch us, transform us, and remind us of our shared humanity. This isn’t just marketing language. It was—and is—our truth. 

More than a name, a focus 

Live Arts Toledo is more than a new label. It is a strategic push to sharpen our focus on what matters most: the living, breathing experience of performance. It is that moment of wonder that no recording, no livestream, no artificial analogue can replicate. 

It is alive in all that we do: in the Toledo Symphony, where centuries-old masterpieces come roaring to life in the hands of gifted musicians on stage; in the Toledo Ballet, where generations of dancers tell timeless stories through movement; in the Toledo Jazz Orchestra, where spontaneity and rhythm tell a distinctly American story; and in the Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestras and School of Music, where the spark of creativity passes from one generation to the next. 

Together, these ensembles and programs form the cultural heartbeat of our city. Together, they validate and celebrate our best instincts. 

A new name, a new home 

There is another reason this moment feels so right. Just as we take on this new name, we are also opening our new headquarters: the Toledo Center for Live Arts. It is a home for all of our artistic, educational, and administrative activities to intermingle. It is a living symbol of what we stand for. 

Walk its halls around 4PM, and you might hear a young violinist practicing scales in one room, a group of dancers working en pointe, Symphony musicians preparing on a string quartet, and a jazz trio improvising just around the corner. It is kinetic. It is joyful. It is alive. 

This space allows our students, our faculty, and our professional artists to come together under one roof. And that proximity changes everything: the way we rehearse, the way we teach, and the way we dream. 

Why it matters for Toledo 

For our community, this rebrand means clarity. It means that, when you see Live Arts Toledo, you know that something inspiring is about to happen—that a concert, a class, or a celebration of the human spirit is right around the corner. 

It also means strength. As one united voice, Live Arts Toledo can advocate more powerfully for the importance of the arts, attract more resources to our city, and ensure that Toledo continues to be known for its vibrancy, creativity, and cultural leadership. 

At the end of the day, this is not just a name change. It is a promise that the arts in Toledo will remain alive, accessible, and transformative. That the joy of live performance will continue to shape our community, stir our imaginations, and remind us of what it means to be human. 

This is Live Arts Toledo. It belongs to all of us, and it will carry us forward—alive in every note, every step, every story. 

Explore the new brand and upcoming live performances at liveartstoledo.com.