December 1, 1963 - Taking advantage of the new Jessie V. Stone Building, the Academy choir and orchestra began the tradition of holiday extravaganzas, which continue to attract audiences in this festive month. A year later, the dance department joined the effort. With the addition of Corson Auditorium, we had a proper venue for multiple large-scale performances and a new tradition of ballet concerts soon evolved around the alternating cycle of "Nutcracker," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Coppelia." This pattern continues to the present with this month’s seasonal performance of Sleeping Beauty. This year’s performance is featured in this issue of Crescendo.
December 13, 1967 - The Academy Band, led by Don Jaeger, performed at the 21st annual Midwest National Band Clinic. With a repertoire ranging from the Richard Strauss Serenade, Op. 7 of 1881 to the brand-new Designs, Images and Textures by Leslie Bassett, the band served notice that the six-year-old Academy was making strides beyond the imagination of the thousands gathered in Chicago for this popular gathering of musicians and educators. Academy bands returned to the Midwest Clinic in 1981 and 1996, and our orchestra, jazz and percussion ensembles have also appeared on multiple occasions.
January 6, 1968 - LIFE magazine featured a splendid article on the six-year-old Academy with 20 photographs and thoughtful writing. Theatre editor Tom Prideaux and photographer Henry Groskinsky had spent a week here in November visiting classes, eating cafeteria meals with students and learning all they could about Interlochen Arts Academy. At the week’s end, Henry wanted to take photos of a dance performance unnoticed, so he arrived hours early to the Jessie V. Stone Recreation Building and hid himself on a ledge above the bleachers. When the issue appeared, we were upstaged on the cover by Katharine Hepburn, but INSIDE we had 12 pages all by ourselves. (Articles on Ms. Hepburn and organized crime had only 14 between them!) Even 42 years after the fact, there are surely thousands of the issues all over the country—in basements and on eBay. Shop for your copy and be amazed!
December 11-13, 2009 - The theatre division enjoyed the holiday spotlight when composer and Academy parent Alan Menken made a surprise visit to watch the Academy production of his 1994 musical "A Christmas Carol," based on the Dickens classic. Menken’s attendance at the performance and subsequent interactions and words of encouragement with students made for a merry time indeed.
