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Alumni News and Features
Interlochen alumni are actively shaping the world—globally, locally, publicly, and behind the scenes.
They are artists and arts advocates with diverse careers in the arts & culture, business, education, healthcare, government, legal, science, service, and technology sectors. They work for themselves and for dynamic and innovative organizations, including Apple, Disney, Google, Harvard University, Hulu, Mayo Clinic, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, NASA, and The Juilliard School. Every day, Interlochen alumni make significant contributions to their fields and to the world in which we live.
Accomplished in the Arts and Beyond
- 700+ YoungArts honorees recognized as exceptional young artists
- 51 Presidential Scholars, the nation's highest award for outstanding achievement in the arts by high school students—more than any other high school in the country
- 152 Grammy Awards, not including the multitude of Interlochen alumni who have performed in ensembles associated with Grammy Award-winning projects
- 34 Tony Awards
- 27 Emmy Awards
- 14 MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipients
- 13 percent of the musicians in the nation's major orchestras are Interlochen alumni
- 4 Academy Awards (Oscars)
- 4 Pulitzer Prize honorees
Meet some of our extraordinary alumni and explore their stories below.
Alumni Spotlight
Some of today’s most recognized names and faces are Interlochen alumni. Here’s just a small sample of our alumni who are making an impact in the arts and beyond.
Where Are They Now?
No matter what career path they pursue, many of our alumni tell us that it all started at Interlochen. Read on to learn more about their Interlochen connections and their lives since.
Sunny Liu
Pianist and filmmaker
Mwila Keso
Human rights activist and teacher
Jeff Toyne
Emmy Award-winning composer
Emma Steinkraus
Visual Artist
Alfred L. Martin Jr.
Media and Cultural Studies Scholar
Keitaro Harada
Conductor
Shireen Hinckley
Filmmaker
Bill Ichord
Lawyer and Business Advisor
Cristian Măcelaru
Conductor and violinist
Dustin Tucker
Stage and screen actor
Carrie Ott-Holland
People research leader and HR strategist
Eric Zimmerman
Game designer and NYU Game Center professor
Ria Pavia
Director and acting coach
Gohar Vardanyan
Classical guitarist
Doug Stanton
#1 New York Times bestselling author, lecturer, and screenwriter
Beverly Gage
Pulitzer Prize-winning author and history professor
Stanford Thompson
Musician, educator, arts administrator
Heather Radtke
Reporter and author
Tove Danovich
Freelance journalist and author
Dane Joseph
Television executive
Kevin Cole
Concert pianist and Gershwin expert
Julia Lichtblau
Video game art director
Richard Winkler
Tony-Award winning producer
Joyce Wong
Professor of biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering
Ema Horvath
Actor
Jeremy Robb
Auto industry expert
Benjamin Walker
Stage and screen actor
Kuan Cheng Lu
Violinist, New York Philharmonic
Jessie Fisher
Stage and television actor
Tovah Feldshuh
Tony and Emmy-nominated actor
Michael Romy Greer
Arts advocate and administrator
Tad Smith
Geoscientist
Peter Sparling
Dancer/choreographer, filmmaker, painter, and interdisciplinary artist
Allan Heinberg
Executive producer and writer
Jane Morrison
State Court Judge and LGBTQ+ advocate
Kara Huber
Grammy-nominated pianist, conductor, and piano instructor
Delta David Gier
Award-winning conductor
Sydney Skybetter
Choreographer and technology thought leader
Brittany Cavallaro
Bestselling author and writing instructor
Carla Stickler
Software engineer and Broadway actor
César Alvarez
Composer, lyricist, and playwright
Kazem Abdullah
Conductor and clarinetist
Josh Lederman
Award-winning foreign correspondent for NBC News
Nora González
Recording artist and Latin Grammy-nominated mariachi singer
Dana Edell
Theatre artist, educator, and activist
Oaklee Thiele
Visual artist and disability activist
Kristin Caskey
Broadway producer
Jamie John
Multidisciplinary artist
Sydney James Harcourt
Broadway, film, and television actor
Ethan Bensdorf
Trumpet, New York Philharmonic
Leelanee Sterrett
Associate Principal Horn, New York Philharmonic
Anna Glass
Executive Director, Dance Theatre of Harlem
Derek Brockington
Dancer, Dance Theatre of Harlem
Jay Julio
Violist, teacher, and composer-arranger
Bryan Dunnewald
Conductor and organist
Claud
Singer-songwriter
Davóne Tines
Opera singer
Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht
Floral designer and judge on The Big Flower Fight (Netflix)
Shane Bagwell
Cinematographer
Timothy McAllister
Saxophone performer and educator
Aaron Dworkin
Founder, Sphinx Organization
Melanie Chitwood
Epidemiologist
Aaron Parness
Robotics engineer and research scientist
Matthew Duvall
Grammy Award-winning percussionist
Rachel Friedman
Nonfiction writer
Julieanna Richardson
Founder and Executive Director, The HistoryMakers
Steve Pieters
Minister and AIDS activist
Sarah Ruhl
Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright, poet, essayist, and author
Emmanuel Pratt
Artist and urban designer
Rob Rokicki
Composer and lyricist
Garry Kvistad
Percussionist and instrument-builder
Barrett Foa
Stage and television actor
Nick Myers
Principal Bass, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Ryan Spahn
Actor and playwright
Danielle Allen
Harvard professor and political scientist
Keith Contreras-McDonald
Stage and television actor
Hilary Purrington
Composer
Emiko Shinozaki
Jeweler
Melissa White
Violinist, Harlem Quartet
Julia Christensen
Multidisciplinary artist and associate professor
Jesse Green
Chief Theatre Critic, The New York Times
Holly Gilbert
Director, High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Our Lady J
Television writer and producer
Roger Thomas
Interior designer
Bryan Cogman
Television writer and producer
Janet Eilber
Artistic Director, Martha Graham Center
Caleb Hudson
Trumpet, Canadian Brass