Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Music Director Designate Cristian Mӑcelaru to lead 98th annual performance of ‘Les Préludes’
This summer’s iteration of the beloved Interlochen Arts Camp tradition also features Hindemith’s ‘Symphonic Metamorphosis’ and Sousa’s ‘The Northern Pines’ performed by the World Youth Wind Symphony under the direction of Steven D. Davis.
Cristian Mӑcelaru (IAA 97-99, IAC 98)—Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Music Director Designate and World Youth Symphony Orchestra Artistic Director and Principal Conductor—will lead Interlochen Arts Camp students in the 98th annual performance of “Les Préludes.”
A highly anticipated end-of-summer tradition, “Les Préludes” unites the Camp’s three high school instrumental ensembles—the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Interlochen Philharmonic, and the World Youth Wind Symphony—for a poignant performance of Franz Liszt’s tone poem of the same name. Dancers from the Interlochen Summer Dance Ensemble will perform alongside the combined ensemble, filling the aisles and even the roof of the Interlochen Bowl with a vibrant celebration of artistry and creative growth.
The tradition of performing “Les Préludes” at the end of Camp dates back to 1928, when Interlochen founder Dr. Joseph Maddy selected the piece as the final number of the last orchestra concert of the Camp’s inaugural season. Maddy hoped the piece’s title—which translates to “the beginnings”—would encourage students to view the end of Camp as the beginning of a new chapter in their creative journey. Moved by both the piece and the sentiment, the students requested to play it again in 1929—establishing a 98-year-old tradition.
This year’s program will open with a performance by the World Youth Wind Symphony directed by Rose Ann Carr Millsap Missouri Distinguished Professor of Music and Professor of Conducting at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory Steven D. Davis. Repertoire for the evening includes Reena Esmail’s “Tuttarana”; Nicole Piunno’s “With Love and Grace”; and selections from Paul Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis (arranged by Keith Wilson). The first half of the program will close with John Philip Sousa’s “The Northern Pines”—which the composer presented to the Camp during his 1931 visit.
“Les Préludes” will take place Sunday, Aug. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Interlochen Bowl and will be webcast live on Interlochen’s website. The event is free—tickets are not required.
