From the Desk of Trey Devey: A season of returns
This historic summer marks the joyous return of Interlochen Arts Camp, Interlochen Arts Festival, and in-person programs from our College of Creative Arts.
Dear Friends,
A current of excitement and anticipation runs through the Interlochen campus right now. In just three short days, students begin to arrive at Interlochen Arts Camp, and soon, their creative energy will fill our stages, studios, exhibition spaces, and cabins with joy, creativity, and purpose.
Last year’s cancellation of Camp amid the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic left Interlochen’s campus eerily quiet for the first summer in 93 years. The contrast between then and now feels palpable and powerful. Behind the scenes, our faculty and staff have been working joyfully to prepare and celebrate our campers’ momentous return.
Despite the extraordinary challenges, this past year has demonstrated Interlochen’s resilience. We launched Interlochen Online with over 1,400 students from 22 countries, and continued to grow this highly-rated program to encompass after-school offerings, popular college audition bootcamps, and new three-week summer programs that will launch June 28.
Both Camp and Interlochen Online will offer bountiful opportunities for students to get to know and learn from distinguished artists, such as members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, who will mentor Interlochen students for the third consecutive summer in a row. With exceptional instructors of music, theatre, visual art, film & new media, dance, creative writing, and interdisciplinary arts deeply experienced in working with young artists, our students will develop their skills and confidence by leaps and bounds.
All the while, at a time when personal connection is vital, Interlochen students both online and in-person will find kindred spirits in their peers as they create art together, grow in their craft, and have fun. Those learning with us on campus will enjoy the added benefit of our beautiful 1,200 acres during northern Michigan’s most glorious season. Surrounded by art and beauty in myriad forms, students will develop and savor an interdisciplinary perspective that is uniquely cultivated at Interlochen.
This summer marks additional historic returns as well. After a series of successful virtual offerings, our College of Creative Arts will welcome adult artists back to campus for such perennial favorites as Band Camp, Choir Camp, and Chamber Music Camp.
Adults in the area can also find an array of newly launched “Education in the Garden” classes led by our sustainability team at the R.B. Annis Botanical Lab and Community Garden, a complex on the Interlochen campus where students study botany, agriculture, and ecology.
And at long last, the much-anticipated Interlochen Arts Festival will return in August with an exciting lineup of star entertainers including Harry Connick, Jr., Chicago, and Jake Owen. Attending a live concert amidst the creative energy and natural beauty of Interlochen is always memorable, but this summer, I expect the experience will be even more heightened. Best of all, even as patrons discover joy and inspiration in enjoying great music together, the proceeds from their tickets will support student scholarships at Interlochen, ensuring the next generation of creative changemakers can find their way here.
While this summer’s student performances will be closed to the public as part of Arts Camp’s health-and-safety protocols, many presentations will be livestreamed on our website at interlochen.org/live. As always, concerts by the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Camp’s flagship musical ensemble, will be broadcast live on Interlochen Public Radio.
I hope you’ll join us virtually, in person, or on the air for this unforgettable summer at Interlochen. Together, let’s celebrate this season of returns and the power of the arts.
With best wishes,
Trey Devey, President
