Oral History Interview with Ren Casey

This oral history is provided free by the Archives of the Interlochen Center for the Arts (ARTICA). It has been accepted for inclusion in Interlochen’s audio archive by an authorized administrator of Interlochen Center for the Arts. For more information, please contact archives@interlochen.org.

00:00:00    IAN JONES
Today is Tuesday, February 11th. This is an oral history interview with Ren Casey conducted by Ian Jones on the campus of Interlochen Center for the Arts. Thank you for sharing your story with us today, Ren.

00:00:10    REN CASEY
Of course.

00:00:10    IAN JONES
So will you tell us your name, your connection to Interlochen and the years that you attended?

00:00:15    REN CASEY
Yes. My name is Ren Casey, and I was a summer Camper in ‘97 and ‘99, and an Academy student from ‘98 to 2000.

00:00:26    IAN JONES
So I'm really interested. How did you learn about Interlochen the first time? Like, what was the first place that it appeared to you? Did someone tell you about it? How did that come to be?

00:00:34    REN CASEY
Yeah, my private violin teacher said I should really consider a good summer camp, and it was the first place, she gave me a list, but Interlochen was at the top of her list, so that's what got me here in '97. And while I was here, I saw the advertisements for the Academy, and I had such an amazing time at Camp, and that just blew my mind. Like the idea that I could come to the Academy full time. And so that's what put the Academy on my radar. And funny enough, I was a really awkward, ill-fitting high school kid back in my hometown. So I was really interested in the Academy, and I pitched my parents really hard on it. And they actually, at first they, they didn't want to lose me too soon and were really reluctant. And I was like, no, no, I'll pay for it. I'll do what I have to do. So I got a paper route that year in between thinking that that would cover the costs of Interlochen, but did anything I could to prove that I really should go to the Academy and finally won them over. Took a year of campaigning, but made it happen so that my junior and senior year I came to the Academy.

00:01:38    IAN JONES
When you first came to Camp, were you a junior when you attended camp? The first time, or-

00:01:42    REN CASEY
It was right after my freshman year.

00:01:44    IAN JONES
So you came camp two years in high school and then finished two years of high school at the Academy.

00:01:48    REN CASEY
Yeah.

00:01:49    IAN JONES
Right. So did you know after that first summer that you were going to campaign for-

00:01:54    REN CASEY
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I knew the second I saw the sign on main Camp, I was like, oh, this is where I'll be graduating. That's good to know.

00:02:02    IAN JONES
It was that obvious?

00:02:03    REN CASEY
Yeah, it was really clear.

00:02:04    IAN JONES
You just had to make it obvious to your parents.

00:02:06    REN CASEY
That's right.

00:02:07    IAN JONES
Do you have a favorite memory from your time at Interlochen? It could be Camp or Academy. Is there something that stands out in your mind that. Well, it's just something that stands out?

00:02:17    REN CASEY
I don't know that there's like a specific event, but coffeehouses during the Academy were amazing. A lot of good memories. Just of that. I mean, I guess really the thing that stands out is just the people. Every memory that I have that is so warm or formative or important to me centers around a person or a group of people here, or fellow students, my friends. Particularly inspiring teachers. So I don't know that there's an event or a particular memory of something that happened other than just like all of these great people.

00:02:51    IAN JONES
Oh, brings together.

00:02:52    REN CASEY
Yeah.

00:02:53    IAN JONES
Is there a person who stands out? You mentioned teachers. Is there someone who stands out in your mind as particularly formative or, different from what you had experienced prior to coming to Interlochen.

00:03:03    REN CASEY
Yeah, I had a lot of great teachers here. Mr. Nadji, who was my teacher for a couple of classes, but I remember it was just so cool. The way he taught physics was like the way he taught all of his classes was really with arts in mind. So accessing science through the lens of our natural interest in access point of the arts was really interesting. Learning about sound waves. Remember, he had this giant string in class that he pulled so he could literally see the vibration causing the sound and those sorts of things. So that was a way, he definitely got me engaged with science and topics that I didn't care about then. And in truth, I kind of don't care about now, but, you know, engage with topics. And he was so passionate. So I definitely enjoyed his classes. But without a doubt, Hal Grossman, my violin teacher, was incredible and probably the most important teacher I've ever had in my life of just.. An amazing job of bringing out the best in me as an artist, but also understanding me as a whole person and teaching to that. And later, when I went on to do some music teaching of my own, like every everything that I did that has to do with teaching or educating others, I think really came from him, to be honest.

00:04:18    IAN JONES
Wow, that's a powerful tribute to-

00:04:20    REN CASEY
He was amazing.

00:04:22    IAN JONES
You just talked about the fact that you went on to do some music teaching. Were there things at Interlochen that you feel, either things that you learned or things about the experience here that really affected, impacted, how you lived your life, where you went from here, what you decided to do next? The things that you carry with you, I guess, is what I'm really asking.

00:04:44    REN CASEY
Yeah, definitely. On a practical level, I taught music lessons. I ran a theater company for a few years. I've done a lot of things. Obviously, everything in the arts is a direct result of the cultivation of that interest and talent here. But I would say, truly, when I came here, I was really struggling to figure out who I was in the world, what my place was, what my identity was. And it was the first time, I think, probably in my entire life, that I felt supported by everybody as a person, as an artist, as a kid. You know, it's just a really great, really supportive environment. So I would say, yeah, coming here the first time I felt that support. I mean, that instilled in me the importance of giving that kind of support to other people and helping people feel at peace with who they are so that they can then just focus on the rest of things going on in life. Does that make any sense?

00:05:46    IAN JONES
It does. I'm curious as how, how is that playing out in the work that you're doing, in how you're spending your time now? I mean, you have a nonprofit. Does that play out in terms of the kinds of things that you're pursuing and who you're working with?

00:05:58    REN CASEY
Yeah, I would say so. I mean, now I run a nonprofit that supports young trans and non-binary people, the Renegade Fund. And that is definitely in huge part inspired by the kind of support that I got here. And when I say support, that's just as simple as letting somebody be who they really are. That is support. And that's what I had here. It was the first time that I didn't have to worry about how I was presenting myself. I really was able to just be at peace as a person here. And I think experiencing the power that that peace gives and the space that that can create in somebody's life to grow and just exist and be successful, that was extremely powerful, and that was a huge motivator for my interest in giving back to others. Investing in people and you know, those who are going through similar types of struggles. So my work with the Renegade Fund is definitely a direct result of that. And in fact, the very first thing that I wanted to do as an organization was get in touch with Interlochen and set up a scholarship for high school aged kids to go to camp, because it was that important to have a space of peace and love and support. And so it was the first thing that we did as an organization was set up that scholarship. So yeah, it was pretty, pretty important experience.

00:07:21    IAN JONES
Right off the bat. Yeah. I'm going to backtrack a little bit. You mentioned a little bit before. there wasn't necessarily one necessary event. We talked a little bit about some particular teachers. Were there lasting friendships that you developed from your time here at Interlochen, either at Camp or the Academy?

00:07:35    REN CASEY
Yeah, definitely. And I would say probably the closest people that I have in my life are still those friendships that were born here at Interlochen. I- still very good friends with my pal Syd Skybetter from the Academy. We were in each other's weddings and we stay in touch regularly and support each other artistically. We still collaborate on things and stuff, and definitely I still even to this day, I'm very close friends with Camp friends. Those are relationships, I think, that are deeper than friendships. It's its own category. It's not family. It's not friendship. It's something weirdly deeper, weirdly more specific and wonderful, you know?

00:08:13    IAN JONES
No, that makes sense. So if you have the opportunity to and you are doing this now, you're here working with current students. But if you had any advice to give to current or future students, you have the opportunity to say what you want to them. What would you tell them?

00:08:28    REN CASEY
Oh man, there's a lot. But the first is, I would say, don't be afraid of failure at all. Don't be afraid of criticism. Don't be afraid to look stupid or screw up. These are all of the things I think sometimes in our quest, especially as artists and highly trained, skilled artists, we put that kind of pressure on ourselves to be flawless, and we are always in the pursuit of perfection, and I'm a fan of that pursuit. I think it's important. Like, that's what we're striving for. If we know that, we'll never actually hit that. I think that's something, especially when you're younger, it's really easy to lose sight of that, and you can burn up a lot of time in your life after Interlochen still pursuing the impossible. So I think just be resilient and don't be afraid to fail. And don't be afraid to take criticism and use that to turn those failures into more successes and build on that, if that makes sense.

00:09:17    IAN JONES
Yes, that makes a lot of sense. That makes a lot of sense. I think that resilience is so important. We were just talking about that as an organization really this week, talking about grit and resilience and what it takes to to move ahead. And I think that applies regardless of whether you go into the arts or technology or legal or finance or-

00:09:37    REN CASEY
Yeah.

00:09:38    IAN JONES
No matter where you go.

00:09:39    REN CASEY
I think in some ways I think that's where artists are better equipped than most people. Like even in the business world, even for the students here who are going to leave and move on to something other than their art. That skill that you develop as a highly trained artist of, you know, we constantly face rejection and criticism and the laundry list of ways we should be doing it better. And I think if you don't let that crush you when you learn how to as a muscle, as a skill, learn how to take that criticism. That's, I think, a skill that a lot of people who, they don't get that if they're not artists. And I think we're especially equipped to be successful in that in ways that other folks aren't with other disciplines.

00:10:19    IAN JONES
Yeah, I agree with you totally on that. And if you're a musician and you're practicing and you're working on a particular passage, or you're working on a particular dynamic that you're trying to achieve, there's a a focus and a determination that you have as part of what you're doing that will serve you no matter where you go. If you're an actor, you're learning to work as part of an ensemble. You're listening and responding, and you're in the moment. Those will serve you really well no matter what field you go into.

00:10:47    REN CASEY
Yeah, I think there's a good practice in hearing "no", over and over again. You know, I think about like, summer Camp and like the challenges for the chairs and like, you're not always going to advance up. Sometimes it's a no. You know, you're going to go into your theater audition. You want the lead, this time it's a no. We hear no I think a lot more than students in, in other, just other areas here. And I think that's such an important.. that's what builds resilience is like, oh, I didn't get it this time I'm going to work and I'm going to try to get it next time. Oh I didn't get it again. Okay. Well now I know how to work better, more efficiently. Now I'm going to try again. We're so practiced at trying again. I think that's a huge skill that we get to take into life that a lot of other people don't.

00:11:27    IAN JONES
I love that quote. That's great. Yeah, I think that's amazing I love it. Well, let me ask you another big question then. So we were asking about advice. Why do you think art matters in the world today?

00:11:39    REN CASEY
Why art matters in the world? Art is the thing that teaches us empathy, which we need now more than ever. Art is the thing that tells me I don't have to be other to respect it or appreciate it. Art is the thing that teaches me the skills to, as best as I can, understand what somebody else is going through and care about it. And I think that is not practiced nearly enough anymore. And I think when we're talking about, when you're talking about anything, being able to see something from the other person's side, we don't have- you don't have to agree with it, but you just have to understand the character. You have to understand how that character got to that conclusion to be able to talk to them. And so art matters because it just teaches us to be people. I think we're losing touch with that so much. I started to laugh my way out of that like it's a bleak world.

00:12:35    IAN JONES
It is. And these are asking these questions today versus six months ago. It feels quite different.

00:12:41    REN CASEY
Yeah. It does. The thing that I love about that question, even though people always ask that. But I feel like arts always do get the shaft, right, of like- they're the least funded. It seems the least important. Let's focus on STEM, let's focus on, you know, sports profit generation. Let's, you know, whatever it is, whatever the conversation is that says, like, arts are the least important. That's the fun frilly thing to do. That's the bonus. It's like because arts do shape you as a person, because they teach you how to feel and how to how to express like, there is no more important human practice than the arts. And if that was the foundation that we were building all these other things. What a world.

00:13:19    IAN JONES
Yeah, I mean, that's where Joe Maddy started.

00:13:22    REN CASEY
Yeah.

00:13:22    IAN JONES
You know where he started pushing, he and Thaddeus Giddings were at the forefront of pushing for, A. There's value in music, in music education. You can see the value, if you see the value. it deserves to be treated like any other course, to be taken in school and to be taken for credit. But prior to that, prior to the 20s, that wasn't happening. Yeah, he was a big part of kind of the democratization of music education and how it's taught today, and not individual lessons, but one conductor, one band director teaching all of the instruments and teaching them together in ensemble. He really was quite the visionary at the time.

00:14:03    REN CASEY
I mean, that's the other thing about art too, is like, I mean, I remember when I was teaching music lessons and I kept trying to help the parents of my students understand, like, there are so many skills that are going to come from the study of music that will apply to your kid's life the rest of their life. You know, whether it's teaching them discipline, the practice of something every day and the benefits of that, whether that's just learning how to take a long view of things. You know, music, art, this is not instant gratification. This is not something that if you pick it up for five minutes, you feel really good and you have something you can take home and put on the fridge, like, this is a long game, right? So like there are very few places, especially for young people, where you can really learn that skill of like over the slow burn of years and years. I look back and I see the progress that I've made and how gratifying that is and how satisfying that is. Arts are really, you know, rare in that ability. So there's there are so many things that apply to life in addition to making us better people. But there are so many just little skills on the individual level that you will take with you your entire life. And that's why the arts are important too.

00:15:10    IAN JONES
So you're back here on campus. You know, the centennial is coming up. We're coming to kind of closing out the first hundred years. What's your hope for Interlochen for the next 100 years?

00:15:21    REN CASEY
I would love to see, first and foremost, Interlochen continue to be the beacon for diversity and harmony and a top tier arts experience in education. I'm so grateful for what Interlochen has given me in terms of the human being that I am. So for the next hundred years, being able to continue to affect so many people individually in their development and their course of their own humanity, being able to continue to be a leader in openness and support for a diverse mix of exceptional people.

00:16:04    IAN JONES
That's great. That's great. Oh, I did have one thing I was going to ask you. Okay. Tell me about your favorite spot on campus. If you can go anywhere, spend time there. Where are you going? You can have more than one, too.

00:16:15    REN CASEY
I mean, the first one that's going to come to mind, and this is that ugly clock on main campus that is just such a symbol of Interlochen. The summer evenings spent with friends, the way that it's still there, untouched, unchanged, still filmy and weird and just right there in the center of things. But it's at the center of things, you know. It's where everything happened. So probably that and then I would say like a second one. I love walking the rotunda like the long hallway with the weird, like alien spaceship classroom circles. Just, just remember that as a student. And it was so different from my public high school, which was just like a brick building. So, like, as weird as it is, like the weird shape of that was like, oh, I'm in a different place. I'm doing something really important and cool. That was, that was weirdly imprinted on me. I guess probably those two. I mean, the lakes are gorgeous. Like, who's gonna complain now as an old person, I want to sit by the lake. I'm like, oh, this is the highlight of campus. I don't think I ever I never went in the lake when I was here. So that's probably a newer memory or newer appreciation, I guess, than my younger ones.

00:17:26    IAN JONES
Anything else you want to share?

00:17:29    REN CASEY
I can't think of anything. I love this place. That's all. That's all. I can't think of anything else.

00:17:37    IAN JONES
Okay. Thank you so much.

00:17:39    REN CASEY
My pleasure.