All News and Feature Stories

Interlochen President Jeffrey Kimpton welcomes the students of Interlochen Arts Academy's 50th year. The title, "Pioneers of a New Frontier," is a direct reference to Joseph Maddy's opening speech at the first year of the Academy. 

Interlochen donor, Mark Mayfield, shares his thoughts about the important role that Interlochen has played in his life and why he supports the mission of Interlochen. 

Interlochen Trustee John Hackett served and supported Interlochen for three decades. 

Mary Jane Jacobi passed away on Thursday, June 23, 2011 in Naples, Florida.  Mary Jane served as the first lady of Interlochen along side her husband Roger Jacobi, president of Interlochen Center for the Arts from 1971 to 1989.

In 2011, Interlochen Center for the Arts will post regular videos highlighting the sights, sounds, people and creativity at Interlochen Arts Camp. 

Recently, Camp alumnus Barrett Foa established the Barrett Foa Musical Theatre Scholarship. It will be given annually to a high school camper studying musical theatre who shows strong potential for growth. “Crescendo” asked Barrett to share his thoughts about establishing the scholarship and how his own Interlochen experience has shaped his life and career so far.

Delali Ayivor, a creative writing student at Interlochen Arts Academy, has been named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. The 18 year-old senior is the 41st Arts Academy student to earn the distinction of being named a Presidential Scholar.

Staring in the fall of 2011, the world will get a little smaller for Interlochen students: the Arts Academy has created educational partnerships with two leading arts programs in Asia: the High School of the Shanghai Conservatory in Shanghai, China, and the School for the Arts (SOTA) in Singapore.

The full text of Jeffrey Kimpton's address to the Arts Academy class of 2011, titled "Preparing for the 50th: Lessons from John F. and Robert L."

The list of awards and honors earned by the Interlochen Arts Academy class of 2011 is extensive. Here are just a few of the highlights from the 2010-11 academic year.

In late 2010, Interlochen Center for the Arts received an unexpected gift of nearly half a million dollars from the estate of John and Joan Herlitz to establish an endowed scholarship for visual artists and to support the construction of new visual arts studios. To those who knew John and Joan Herlitz, the gift was a continuation of their lifelong commitment to the arts and to the development and training of artists.

In May 2011, three Academy students will travel to South Bend, Indiana for the 2011 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.

Two Academy playwrights have created a new play, which was performed by theatre students in a staged reading. 

Ariela Bohrod was named the winner of the Bolz Young Artist Competition in Madison, Wisconsin.

Brittany Newell, a junior from Belvedere, California, has been selected as the winner of the 2010-2011 Virginia B. Ball Creative Writing Competition.

Eleven Arts Academy students were honored in the 2011 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. 

How does body alignment and proper breath control affect a flute’s sound quality? In an effort to answer this question, students recently participated in one part flute lesson, one part wellness exercise and one part physics experiment.

Kenneth C. Fischer (IAC '55, '57-58, '60-62, Faculty/Staff '66) was recognized at the annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) conference on Monday, January 10, in New York City at the organization’s annual awards ceremony and luncheon.

Danny Rothschild, an Academy senior and creative writing major was one of ten winners in the 2010 Young Playwrights, Inc. National Playwriting Competition. As part of this honor, his play, “A Ninth Time” was presented in January 2011, during the Young Playwrights Conference in New York City.

In December 2010, six Interlochen alumni received Grammy nominations in six different award categories.

Aaron Dworkin, an Interlochen alumnus (IAA 86-88) and the founder of the Detroit-based Sphinx Organization has been nominated by President Barack Obama to serve on the National Council of Arts.

In October 2010, John Conkling, Ph.D. spoke with chemistry, motion picture and comparative arts students about pyrotechnics and chemical reactions. 

PROJECT trio visited the Interlochen campus in October 2010 to work with students and perform. Their repertoire includes a wide variety of music that often blurs the lines between traditional classical music and other genres like jazz and hip-hop.

In October 2010, Tony Award-winning actor, singer and dancer, Sutton Foster visited theatre students at the Arts Academy. She talked with students and critiqued short student performances. 

Five Academy students were invited to travel to the White House to participate in a dance workshop and attend an event honoring Judith Jamison, the long-time artistic director of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company.