Lang Lang, Renée Fleming, and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis to headline Interlochen’s Shirley Young Distinguished Artist Series, a summer residency and performance series that will run 2025 - 2028
A component of Interlochen’s upcoming 2028 centennial celebration, the Shirley Young Distinguished Artist Series will bring several of the world’s leading artists to Interlochen to work with students and stage public performances.
Pianist Lang Lang will inaugurate the series with a performance on Aug. 2, 2025; Renée Fleming, an acclaimed soprano, will perform Aug. 8, 2026; and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis will stage a series of concerts, including a performance with the World Youth Symphony Orchestra on July 10, 2027. The 2028 Shirley Young Distinguished Artist Series guest will be announced at a later date.
L-R: Pianist Lang Lang, soprano Renée Fleming, and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.
Pianist Lang Lang, soprano Renée Fleming, and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis will headline Interlochen’s Shirley Young Distinguished Artist Series, which will launch in summer 2025 in celebration of Interlochen’s upcoming centennial in 2028.
Imagined as a deep exchange between some of the world’s leading artists and the students of Interlochen Arts Camp, the Distinguished Artist Series opens in summer 2025 with a performance by Lang Lang and the World Youth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra Cristian Măcelaru on Saturday, Aug. 2.
“Over the next few years, the Interlochen community will have meaningful educational access to, and immersive musical experiences with, some of the most celebrated artists of this generation,” said Trey Devey, president of Interlochen Center for the Arts. “We’re ecstatic to be able to share these incredible performances with our students, friends, and neighbors. For our students, these residencies are more than opportunities to see exceptional concerts: they are chances to learn from and share the stage with today’s most respected and recognized artists. These residencies will provide unparalleled learning experiences, lifelong memories, and lasting inspiration for the next generation of classical and jazz performers.”
“The US-China Cultural Foundation is thrilled to support this series and to deepen our connection to an institution that was close to the heart of our founder, Shirley Young,” said Doug Hsieh, trustee of both the US-China Cultural Foundation and Interlochen Center for the Arts. “Through this series, we hope to not only to foster remarkable opportunities for students and audiences but also to further build upon the global reach and reputation of Interlochen.”
A component of Interlochen’s upcoming centennial celebration, the Shirley Young Distinguished Artist Series will bring excitement and joy to concert-goers; build on Interlochen’s distinguished history as a leader in classical music; and enrich the experience of students at Interlochen Arts Camp. The series is named in honor of the late Shirley Young—a New York-based businesswoman, cultural diplomat, and emeritus trustee of Interlochen Center for the Arts—and is supported by funding from the US-China Cultural Foundation. Net proceeds from these concerts will be directed into the Shirley Young Distinguished Artist Series Endowment, creating a self-sustaining fund that will enable Interlochen to bring artists of this caliber to our community for generations to come.
The series will begin this summer with a residency and public performance by globally acclaimed pianist, educator, and philanthropist Lang Lang. Heralded by The New York Times as “the hottest artist on the classical music planet,” Lang Lang is one of the most influential and committed ambassadors for the arts in the 21st century.
During his residency, which will take place during the final week of Interlochen Arts Camp 2025, Lang Lang will host a master class for Arts Camp piano students, rehearse with Interlochen’s World Youth Symphony Orchestra (WYSO), and perform George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” with WYSO at a special orchestra concert on Saturday, Aug. 2. The Aug. 2 concert will also feature selections from noted John Williams’ film scores performed by the Interlochen Philharmonic and the World Youth Symphony Orchestra. Cristian Măcelaru, Music Director Designate of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Interlochen Arts Camp and Academy alumnus will conduct the performance, and Louis Langrée, Conductor Emeritus of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Director of the Théâtre National de l’Opéra-Comique in Paris, will conduct both ensembles.
The series will continue in summer 2026 with a performance and residency by Grammy Award-winning soprano Renée Fleming. Renowned as one of the most acclaimed singers of our time, Fleming has performed at concert halls across the globe and at notable events including the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony; Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee; and the 2014 Super Bowl. Beyond her career as a performer, Fleming is a leading advocate for the intersection of music, health, and neuroscience. Her many accolades include the U.S. Medal of the Arts; a Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal; and France’s Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. She is the author of the book The Inner Voice and the editor of the 2024 essay collection Music and the Mind.
During her residency, which will run Aug. 6-9, 2026, Fleming will lead master classes for the Camp’s choir and opera students and stage a performance of her acclaimed concert program Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene with students from the Camp’s World Youth Symphony Orchestra and Interlochen Philharmonic on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. Memphis Symphony Orchestra Music Director Robert Moody will conduct. Inspired by Fleming’s Grammy Award-winning 2023 album of the same name, Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene is a live multimedia performance that explores the relationship between nature and humanity. The program weaves together baroque repertoire, contemporary compositions, and popular melodies—including selections by Nico Muhly, Björk, Gabriel Faure, Edvard Grieg, Giacomo Puccini, and others—accompanied by an original film created by National Geographic to reflect the musical selections.
In addition to her musical activities, Fleming will lead a Music and the Mind symposium featuring a panel of mental health experts on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. Following the event, Fleming will be available to sign copies of her essay collection Music and the Mind. This special event will be presented in partnership with Munson Medical Center.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) with trumpeter, composer and bandleader Wynton Marsalis and the will serve as the Distinguished Artist Series’ summer 2027 guests. Hailed by many as the “Pied Piper of jazz” and “Doctor of swing,” Wynton Marsalis has rekindled and animated widespread interest in jazz through performances, education, and relentless advocacy. His extensive list of accolades includes the National Medal of the Arts (2005) and a Pulitzer Prize. He was appointed a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2001 and has served as the Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center since 1987. Established in 1988, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is widely regarded as the world’s premier big band. The ensemble is composed of 15 permanent members, who perform regularly at the House of Swing in New York City; tour across the nation and around the world; and appear on television and with symphony orchestras. The Orchestra has also recorded numerous albums, which since 2015 have been issued on its own label, Blue Engine Records.
JLCO and Marsalis will be in residence at Interlochen Arts Camp July 6-10, 2027. While in residence, Marsalis and the Orchestra will present a series of public concerts and rehearse with the World Youth Symphony Orchestra in preparation for a performance featuring one of Marsalis’ compositions on Saturday, July 10, 2027. Cristian Măcelaru will conduct the performance. The musicians will also work with students in the Camp’s Jazz program; additional details about their involvement with jazz students will be announced later.
The Shirley Young Distinguished Artist Series continues and reinforces Interlochen’s commitment to collaborating with leading artists such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who was previously announced as the guest soloist for Interlochen Arts Academy’s spring 2026 America at 250 tour.
Applications for Interlochen Arts Camp’s summer 2025 season remain open; limited spaces are available.
For more information about the Shirley Young Distinguished Artist Series guests, please visit the artists’ websites:
Tickets for Lang Lang’s Aug. 2, 2025 concert are on sale now, and can be purchased at interlochen.org/tickets. Patrons who purchase tickets to the inaugural concert of the Shirley Young Distinguished Artist Series will be given priority access to purchase tickets to subsequent concerts in the series, including all performances by Renee Fleming and Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
