All News and Feature Stories

Interlochen Center for the Arts has received the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence. The award was presented by President Bush to ten individuals and organizations in a White House ceremony on November 9, 2006. Jeffrey Kimpton, President of the nonprofit Interlochen Center for the Arts, traveled to Washington DC to receive the award.

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 Future of Cinema Film Festival, which attracted film and screenplay submissions around the world.

Steven Johnson, a theatre student at Interlochen Arts Academy, has been named a 2009 Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

Bruce Loomis, a 76-year-old retired school guidance counselor shares his thoughts and experiences as he establishes an endowed scholarship fund at Interlochen, memorializing his mother and sister.

Jim and Mary Tolley have so many Interlochen stories to tell that it’s hard to know where to begin. Wherever you start, what soon becomes obvious is that the Tolleys’ long-standing relationship with Interlochen is based on both give and take: they’ve received much from Interlochen over the years, and they’ve spent the past three decades giving back.

Interlochen alumna Carol Ebert Oseroff gives back to help the next generation of young artists.  

Longtime Interlochen faculty member Howard Hintze shares thoughts about his Interlochen career and the importance of supporting the parents and students who hope to continue the Interlochen artistic legacy.

Composer Garth Neustadter (JB 99, IB 00-01, HSB 03) received an Emmy Award on September 10, 2011 for his work on the PBS 'American Masters' documentary, "John Muir in the New World."

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. 

David Hume Kennerly, a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer, visited Camp in August 2011 and shared his work with Crescendo. 

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. 

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.

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.

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

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.

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