‘A surreal experience’: Senior Leo Makino reflects on four years of friendship, opportunity, and artistic growth
The violin major shares his favorite memories of Interlochen—from connecting with other members of his studio and working with supportive faculty to playing side-by-side with professional musicians.
If you ask senior Leo Makino what he has enjoyed the most about his time at Interlochen Arts Academy, a theme emerges: connection.
Over the past four years, the violin major has interacted with artists at all stages of the creative journey—from fellow students and acclaimed faculty to world-renowned musicians such as violinist Midori and members of the New York Philharmonic. From the MUKTI tour at David Geffen Hall to his studio group at Interlochen, Leo has found friendship, mentorship, and inspiration in moments both big and small.
Below, Leo shares his favorite memories of his time at Interlochen, his plans for the future, and advice for prospective students.
How did you end up at Interlochen?
My previous teacher was talking about which summer camps I should apply to, and Interlochen was one of them. After telling this to my accompanist, she said, “Oh yeah, I’ve been there before.” She told me about all of these great experiences she had at the Academy, and that really intrigued me.
I applied to both Academy and Camp, and got into both of them. I spent time at Camp looking around the campus that summer, and afterwards, I packed up to go to the Academy.
What are some of your favorite memories of your time Interlochen?
Some of the biggest memories I’ve made here are from the MUKTI tour to New York City, which was during my sophomore year. It was a week of being in New York, experiencing the big city, hanging out with friends, and listening to and playing with the New York Philharmonic. That was a huge experience. I’ve bragged about it to every underclassman here—but I know there’s another tour coming up next year which they’ll get to brag about!
During my freshman year, we went to Michigan State University to watch world-class violinist Midori give a master class. We had two violinists from Interlochen perform for Midori. Afterwards, we got to have a little small talk with her, which was a surreal experience—especially as a freshman.
What do you like most about your major?
I love my teacher, Tina Qu. She’s such a supportive teacher. She’s helped me through my ups and downs, and she’s very, very straightforward with critiques. She’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever worked under.
I also love my studio. It’s very comforting and welcoming. We tend to give out a lot of comments for each other whenever we perform because we know each other pretty well. We know how we play, we know our strengths and weaknesses. It’s great to hear from both underclassmen and people that are the same grade as me, and to be able to give comments to others.
What do you like most about the overall experience of attending Interlochen?
I love meeting people and making new friends every year. I’ve made so many good friends. Some are former upperclassmen who are currently in college, and I still keep in touch with them. I recently met up with one of my mentors from my freshman year, who I haven’t seen in three years. We talked about his four years at Interlochen and how Interlochen has changed since he graduated. It was a blast.
Our music programs are phenomenal. We’ve played so many major orchestral pieces, we’ve worked with great conductors, and we’ve played with a lot of soloists. We have a great conductor as well, Dr. Leslie Dunner, who is very inspirational to the entire orchestra.
What do you like to do when you’re not in class?
Recently I’ve been playing a lot of sports. I’m on the volleyball team, and I’m also in the soccer club.
Obviously practicing is a must here, but besides that, I’ve been hanging out with friends, being active a lot more, and supporting the underclassmen now that I’m a senior and I don’t have as much work to keep track of.
What’s next for you?
I’ll be going to the Royal College of Music in London. I visited during spring break and took a tour of my new school, had a trial lesson, and got pretty much set for my first year at college.
Hopefully I’ll get to relax and spend some time with people here at Interlochen and back home before I leave to live internationally.
What advice would you give to other students who might be considering Interlochen?
If you really love what you do and want to go much deeper into what you’re working on—whether you’re a musician, a visual artist, or a filmmaker—this is the right place for you. If you know what you want to do in the future, want to grow your knowledge, and want to have the best experience to get you to that goal, this is the school you should go to.
Want to begin your own Interlochen journey? Learn more about the Interlochen Arts Academy music program and start your application today.
