Alumni

From the pines to the page: Interlochen inspires novels by alumni, faculty, and former staff (Stories 628136)

melissa.birdsey — Fri, 16 May 2025 14:22:19 +0000

From the pines to the page: Interlochen inspires novels by alumni, faculty, and former staff (Stories 628136) melissa.birdsey Fri, 05/16/2025 - 10:22 From the pines to the page: Interlochen inspires novels by alumni, faculty, and former staffEscape to the serenity of northern Michigan, relive the joy of creativity and connection, and explore powerful themes with books by Erika Randall, Howard Lovy, Dara Levan, and other Interlochen authors. May 21, 2025

Snippets of symphonies soaring through the pines, dancers framed by the sparkling waves of Green Lake, the palpable synergy of collaboration—there’s truly no place quite like Interlochen.

Generations of students, faculty, and staff have been transformed by the unique atmosphere that exists between the lakes. For many, the inspiration they found here animates their creative process for years to come—and in some cases, sparks works inspired by our one-of-a-kind community.

In the past few years, several alumni, faculty, and former staff members have published novels set at or based on Interlochen. We caught up with a few of these authors to learn more about their books and the memories that inspired them.

A road trip of reconciliation and reclamation: Music for Leaving by Erika Randall

Erika Randall’s (IAC/NMC 88-89, IAA 89-91, IAC Fac 99-01, 03-06) passion for dance and love of language have always intertwined: Her first author bio, written when she was just five years old, read, “When Erika grows up, she would like to be a dancer and a writer. Her favorite color is blue.”

“All these things are true,” Randall said in a recent interview with Crescendo.

Amidst her thriving career as a dancer, choreographer, educator, and filmmaker—she currently serves as Professor of Dance and Interim Dean and Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education at the University of Colorado Boulder—Randall recently added ‘novelist’ to her list of titles with the release of Music for Leaving. Set in the 1960s, the novel follows 61-year-old Eleanor on a road trip of reconciliation and reclamation on Interstate 70.

“I began the novel after losing my dad and while pregnant with my son,” Randall said. “I was so full up with grief and longing and wonder that I needed to write it down. I spent every summer with my dad in Michigan, so I knew that the lakes and Camp had to hold a piece of my heroine’s heart.”

While every mile of the road trip is meaningful, Interlochen serves as a key destination.

“The notion of a one-woman road trip felt thrilling to me and anchored the memories and flashbacks, literally driving the narrative forward,” Randall said. “Eleanor is on the journey of a lifetime, and Lake Wahbekanetta felt like the perfect place for her to release some of the weight she is carrying. I set the story in the very early years of the Academy, but I imagined that the artists then acted much like we did in the 90s—so it’s a bit of a historical fiction look at those early years as seen more through my personal, but still fictional, retelling.”

Along the way, the objects around Eleanor—a peach pit, her engagement ring, her dashboard hula dancer—are given voice to reveal truths such as longing, relief, and hope. The hula dancer is inspired by a real-life figurine that accompanied Randall and her colleagues during her summers on Interlochen’s Camp dance faculty.

“The ‘girls of summer’ on the dance faculty had a hula mascot named Jeremy who bobbled along with us on the back country roads to Otter Creek,” Randall said. “I made a dance in 2003 called ‘The Secret Lives of Dashboard Hula Dancers.’ I was intrigued by how the hula dancer sits on the dash and only sees the past. I wanted to play with road trip music and time and space; this dance became the seed for Music for Leaving years later.”

Those acquainted with Interlochen’s campus and the surrounding area can expect to see familiar landmarks featured in the novel.

“As Camp faculty, stories of polka night at the Karlin Inn fill my memories, so I had to get that historic spot in there,” Randall said. “Music sung in practice rooms in the basement of TJ rings through the pages of this book—thank you to Havilah and Marie for your voices and how they held me through my years at the Academy and lift me up today.”

With Music for Leaving in the rearview mirror, Randall is looking forward to the next chapter in her multifaceted life.

“My cup is very full,” Randall said. “Dancing remains at my center, and I will teach ballet in the fall. I still wake up and write each morning and am working on a new book that weaves memoir, historical fiction, and fiction called Ladyhorse—hopefully out next year.”

As Randall continues her creative journey, Interlochen remains as close to her heart as it does to her fictional heroine’s.

“My time at Interlochen defined much of my interior life and self-knowing and shaped my exterior world of making, career, and friendship,” Randall said. “No one place means more to me. I found my voice at Interlochen—not just as an artist in dance classes with Sharon Randolph, or as a scholar in Destiny in Classical Literature with Howard Hintze or Civil War History with Scott Dean. I heard it in the snow-lonely woods where I first learned to be quiet and listen; in the sunlight spilling across the water, reminding me that I was all that I needed; in the late summer horn solo soaring through the pines, teaching me that I am enough.”

“There is no single memory that time travels me back to the north woods or the dance building or TJ…but just to think of the autumn dapple, the hot summers in the old and perfect dance building, the snow-covered paths to the chapel, and I am there,” Randall continues. “It’s not the times of performances or accolades, but the light and the humans: So many friendships, so much laughter, so much genius in our feral bodies and wild imaginations. So many who are still beloved—Kate, Danny, Marie, Havi, Sammy, 2e, Guy, Lito, Tymn, Jen, Kristina, Kristen, Justin, Shira, Steph, Maggie… the list goes on and on like the memories, friends collected from my teen years and then again when I was lucky enough to return.”

“I feel like one of my greatest blessings is not only knowing Interlochen in nostalgia as a girl, but returning and working there as an adult, knowing all of the sides and all of the stories, and loving it still.”

You can keep up with Randall’s latest projects on her website. Music for Leaving is available for purchase at IngramSpark, via Amazon, and at major booksellers, including Barnes & Noble and BAM!

Music, memory, and maturity: Found and Lost: The Jake and Cait Story by Howard Lovy

Former Interlochen Arts Camp counselor Howard Lovy (IAC St 84-85) has built a successful career as a journalist, nonfiction author, and book editor since leaving the Land of the Stately Pines. But after years of coaching other writers and penning stories about serious topics such as science, technology, and Jewish issues for notable publications such as Publishers Weekly, Longreads, and The Jerusalem Post, Lovy was ready to explore a new style of writing.

“I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try something different,” Lovy said. “I wanted to write a novel.”

Lovy found the inspiration for that novel, Found and Lost: The Jake and Cait Story, while training for the Sleeping Bear Half Marathon.

“The idea was simple: What if a song recorded 40 years ago accidentally went viral today, forcing two reluctant, middle-aged musicians into the spotlight?” Lovy said. “I was so excited about the plot that I ran home, told my wife I was writing a novel, and spent the next four or five months working on it every day.”

The book centers on two musicians—guitarist Jake and violinist Cait—who meet while working as summer camp counselors at Interlochen and quickly develop a romantic and creative relationship. Lovy describes it as, “a fun book filled with lots of music, even cameos from famous musicians, that I think would delight the Interlochen community of any era.”

“While the book is fiction, I drew heavily on my experience as a counselor at Interlochen—the musical setting and the emotions tied to those memories,” Lovy said. “We were completely immersed in music, and that atmosphere inspired me to imagine two characters, Jake and Cait, who meet there, fall in love, and create music together. Interlochen felt like the right place for their story to begin.”

Jake and Cait’s heady partnership is accelerated by the isolated environment of northern Michigan. Lovy has long been fascinated by the sense of detachment from everyday existence that many vacationers and Interlochen students feel during their time in the region.

“Interlochen has always felt like its own world—a bubble set apart from the rest of life,” Lovy said. “I spent my childhood vacationing in northern Michigan, and then two college summers as a Camp counselor at Interlochen. It was a place where I could live almost a different life before returning to my ‘real’ one. That sense of separation helped me imagine Jake and Cait—two characters from very different backgrounds who meet inside that bubble and explode with creativity. Removed from their usual surroundings, they’re free to connect, make music, and fall in love.”

Following the viral success of one of their decades-old songs, Jake and Cait reunite at Interlochen and find that both the place and the person they remember have changed. The ideas of the passage of time and our evolution through life experience are central themes in the book—themes inspired, in part, by Lovy’s own return to Interlochen.

“I moved to northern Michigan about 14 years ago, and as a journalist, I had the chance to revisit Interlochen for the first time since the 1980s,” Lovy said. “I found myself back on campus, but in a completely different role. At first, it was a little strange. I was seeing Interlochen through the prism of memory—this is where something happened when I was 18, that’s where something else happened when I was 19. It really made me reflect on the passage of time. That contrast between memory and present-day reality ended up sparking the idea of weaving those themes into the book.”

Jake and Cait, too, experience the tension between the Interlochen of the past and present when they return to campus as adults.

“Interlochen has changed—there are so many new buildings—but more importantly, it has aged through their eyes,” Lovy said. “As teenagers, it was a place of endless possibility. When they come back in middle age, it’s layered with bittersweet memories, shaped by everything they’ve been through. In that way, Interlochen becomes a character in the story—changing as they change.”

Although Lovy has moved on to other projects—he’s currently working on a nonfiction book about fighting antisemitism—he’s excited to continue writing fiction in the future.

“I discovered that fiction gave me a new way to say things I hadn’t been able to express through journalism,” Lovy said. “It was freeing. In this made-up world, I could explore real themes—religion, music, connection, fame, aging. These are truths shaped by my 59 years of experience, but expressed through an invented story. It’s a way of thinking I hadn’t done before.”

And as for Jake and Cait? Lovy isn’t quite finished with them.

“I have ideas for two more books set in what I’m calling the ‘Jake and Cait Universe,’” Lovy said. “There are still a lot of unanswered questions—like what really happened during their 40 years apart. It’s not exactly a prequel or a sequel. It’s more of a ‘middle-quel.’ I’m not ready to let them go yet.”

Want to learn more about Found and Lost: The Jake and Cait Story? Listen to Lovy’s interview with Interlochen Public Radio. The book is available for purchase through Vine Leaves Press and Amazon.

A journey of acceptance and awakening: It Could Be Worse by Dara Levan

Those who have spent a summer beneath the Stately Pines know that the true magic of Interlochen isn’t mastering an aria or staging a full-length operetta: It’s finding a supportive community where you are embraced and supported not just as an artist, but as a human.

Author, podcast host, and Interlochen Trustee Dara Levan (IAC/NMC 83-90) knows this well. An alumna of Interlochen Arts Camp, Levan fondly recalls the holistic experience she enjoyed during her many seasons as a dance and operetta student.

“The eight summers I spent at Interlochen imprinted on my heart and have influenced me as an author, podcast host, speaker, and mother,” Levan said. “Dude Stephenson taught me about Gilbert and Sullivan; he also shared profound life lessons both on and off the stage. The tears I shed at ‘Les Préludes’ I now understand weren’t just about feeling sad leaving a safe, nurturing space. My family jokes that Interlochen comes up in every conversation, and it's true! The majestic pines, the Melody Freeze, rehearsals at Kresge, lake water lapping the shoreline, and the experiences that are fostered by a kind, caring community. Most of all, the epic growth that happens when we leave where we're from and discover who we are.”

Levan tapped into her deep well of Interlochen memories to create Camp Intermezzo, the fictional Michigan music camp that serves as a key location in her debut novel It Could Be Worse. The book follows Allegra Gil, a woman who is forced to grapple with a shocking family secret after making a surprising discovery in a piano bench.

Allegra’s story of acceptance and awakening unfolds in both present-day scenes and flashbacks—including memories of Allegra’s summers at Camp Intermezzo.

“Allegra feels understood, seen, and accepted in all phases of her childhood as she discovers who she is while at camp,” Levan said. “Whether she’s insecure about her body image, nervous about performing onstage in front of her peers, or going to her first dance, some of Allegra’s experiences mirror my own journey. I hope the magic of Camp Intermezzo, inspired by my time at Interlochen, is a sensory, uplifting journey for readers.”

Levan has maintained a busy creative practice since publishing It Could Be Worse; she continues to host the podcast Every Soul Has a Story and contributed an essay to the USA Today best-selling collection On Being Jewish Now. Her second novel, Shaken to the Core, will be published with Regalo Press in June 2026.

“Like It Could Be Worse, my upcoming novel has a summer camp setting,” Levan said. “This time, it takes place in Vermont and explores how motherhood and mothering transcends biology.”

Levan also continues to be involved with the Interlochen community as the mother of a recent Interlochen Arts Academy graduate and current member of the Board of Trustees.

“A spectrum of hues from the past and present inspires and invigorates me,” Levan said. “It's the honor of a lifetime to now serve as a Trustee on our board. I'm deeply grateful to give back to this magical place that shaped who I am today.”

It Could Be Worse is available from Amazon, Walmart, Target, and at major booksellers including Barnes & Noble and BAM! See Levan’s website for more information and other places to purchase.

Additional reading: The Charlotte Holmes series and Sunrise Nights by Dr. Brittany Cavallaro

Alumna and current Interlochen Arts Academy Instructor of Creative Writing Dr. Brittany Cavallaro has drawn inspiration for several of her books from her time as both a student and an instructor at Interlochen. Her New York Times best-selling Charlotte Holmes series is set at a fictional boarding school—a nod to her own experience as a student at the Academy.

In 2024, Cavallaro and co-author Jeff Zentner released Sunrise Nights, a verse-and-prose novel about two students who meet on their final night at a summer arts camp. While the idea of sharing an impossible-feeling night with a stranger was inspired by the 1995 film Before Sunrise, the arts camp setting was based on Cavallaro’s summers as an instructor at Interlochen Arts Camp.

“It’s a book about making art despite adversity, and dealing with what it feels like to have a big change in your plans,” Cavallaro said in a 2024 interview about the book. “It’s also an ode to all my favorite indie movies where two characters spend two hours having the best conversation of their lives. I really wanted to write a book that felt like that.”

Have you read or written a book that mentions Interlochen? Let us know at content@interlochen.org.

OnAlumni

Interlochen alumni honored in 67th annual GRAMMY Awards (News Articles 627414)

melissa.birdsey — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:59:56 +0000

Interlochen alumni honored in 67th annual GRAMMY Awards (News Articles 627414) melissa.birdsey Mon, 02/03/2025 - 11:59 Interlochen alumni honored in 67th annual GRAMMY AwardsSinger-songwriters Chappell Roan and Norah Jones lead an exceptional cohort of alumni winners.

February 3, 2025

Interlochen alumni earned six accolades during the 67th annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony, which took place on Feb. 2, 2025 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.

Singer-songwriter Chappell Roan (IAC 14), who became a breakout star following the success of her album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, won the award for Best New Artist. Roan was also nominated for five other top prizes, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year.

Fellow singer-songwriter Norah Jones (IAC 94-95)—who won Best New Artist in 2003—earned the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album award for her latest album, Visions. Other alumni among the award winners include musical theatre composer and producer Tom Kitt (IAC 90), tenor Nicholas Phan (AS 93-94, IAC 95-96), saxophonist Patrick Cornelius (IAC 97), and several members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

See below for a full list of alumni winners:

Best New Artist
- Chappell Roan (IAC 14)
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
- Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence — Dan Pugach Big Band | Patrick Cornelius (IAC 97)
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
- Visions — Norah Jones (IAC 94-95)
Best Musical Theater Album
- Hell’s Kitchen | Tom Kitt (IAC 90), producer
Best Orchestral Performance
- Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina — Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
  - Rochelle Abramson (IAC/NMC 64-65, UNIV 69), first violin
  - Ethan Bearman (IAC 92), horn
  - Ted Botsford (IAC 96-98), double bass
  - Whitney Crockett (IAC/NMC 76-78, 80), bassoon
  - Jin-Shan Dai (IAA 96-98, IAC 98, ICA St 97-98, IAC St 99), second violin
  - Jory Herman (IAC 99), double bass
  - Jonathan Karoly (NMC 85), cello
  - Catherine Ransom Karoly (IAC/NMC 84-85), flute
  - Evan Kuhlmann (IAA 00-02), bassoon/contrabassoon
  - Jason Lippman (IAC/NMC 90), cello
  - Gregory Roosa (AS 78-81, UNIV 85, IAC St 86), horn
  - Brent Samuel (IAC/NMC 86-87), cello
Best Opera Recording
- Saariaho: Adriana Mater | Nicholas Phan (AS 93-94, IAC 95-96)

In addition to these accolades, Interlochen alumni performed on the recordings of two of the program's composition prize winners. Akropolis Reed Quintet members Ryan Reynolds (IAC 06-09, IAA 04-08), bassoon, and Tim Gocklin (IAC 07, IAC St 12), oboe, performed Pascal LeBoeuf's Best Instrumental Composition-winning work "Strands" on the album Are We Dreaming the Same Dream? The Los Angeles Philharmonic—which includes the 12 alumni listed above—performed Gabriela Ortiz's Revolución Diamantina, which won the award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.

Presented annually by the Recording Academy during “Music’s Biggest Night,” the GRAMMY Awards are the most coveted accolade in the music industry. Nominees and winners are selected from a pool of more than 20,000 entries by voting members of the Recording Academy through a competitive, two-step voting process. Since the awards were first bestowed in 1959, 79 Interlochen alumni, faculty, and guest artists have received a combined total of 158 GRAMMY Awards.

Did we miss an alumni winner? Let us know at content@interlochen.org.

OnAlumni

‘A love story like you’ve never seen’: Screenwriter Zach Dean shares the real-life inspiration behind his forthcoming film ‘The Gorge’ (Stories 627399)

melissa.birdsey — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 18:28:08 +0000

‘A love story like you’ve never seen’: Screenwriter Zach Dean shares the real-life inspiration behind his forthcoming film ‘The Gorge’ (Stories 627399) melissa.birdsey Fri, 01/24/2025 - 13:28 ‘A love story like you’ve never seen’: Screenwriter Zach Dean shares the real-life inspiration behind his forthcoming film ‘The Gorge’Dean reflects on his formative time at Interlochen, processing life through writing, and how the COVID-19 lockdowns sparked one of the most generative periods of his career. January 24, 2025

In early 2020, screenwriter and Interlochen Arts Academy alumnus Zach Dean (IAC/NMC 82-87, IAA 88-92) found himself grappling with the personal and professional uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Director and actor Sydney Pollack once said, ‘A love story is only as good as it keeps them apart,’ and I kept thinking about how all of us were at that point,” Dean says. “So many of us couldn’t be near the people we loved. You couldn’t go anywhere, you couldn’t see people, you couldn’t touch people. Everyone was afraid to go within six feet of each other.”

Faced with what he describes as a “sense of mortal fear,” Dean turned to writing to help him process this unprecedented moment. The result was the spec script for The Gorge: a soon-to-be-released, Scott Derrickson-directed action film starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy as snipers stationed on opposite sides of a mysterious chasm. The film will premiere on Apple TV+ on Feb. 14, 2025.

Watch the trailer for The Gorge

“I’m really pleased with how The Gorge turned out, and I’m really excited for people to see it,” Dean says. “I think it’s great that it’s coming out on Valentine’s Day. It’s a really twisted date movie—it’s a love story like you’ve never seen—but I’m really proud of it.”

Cultivating a creative practice

Dean’s career as a screenwriter is the latest chapter in a lifelong creative practice that was nurtured at Interlochen. The son of two former Interlochen Arts Academy faculty members—Instructor of History Scott Dean and Instructor of Visual Arts Lina Dean—Dean was immersed in the Interlochen community from an early age.

“When I was a little kid, I would go to see readings at Interlochen,” he says. “I remember seeing Jack Driscoll read a lot; when I heard the short stories that Jack was writing, I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do.’”

Dean spent several summers as a camper before enrolling at Interlochen Arts Academy.

“I grew up on Green Lake, so it was more than just a high school experience,” he says. “We had lovely, amazing faculty members at the time. A lot of the friends I made there I am still very close to today.”

During his time at the Academy, Dean studied with Nick Bozanic, Terry Caszatt, Mike Delp, and Jack Driscoll and writer-in-residence Debra Allbery. Although he primarily focused on poetry and short stories at the Academy, Dean got his first introduction to screenwriting in one of Caszatt’s classes.

“There really wasn’t a formalized film department then, but there were some film classes you could take through the creative writing division,” he says. “Terry taught a class, and I loved it: We not only wrote the shorts, but also shot them. It was terrific.”

Dean’s path after Interlochen included stints as a carpenter, casino dealer, and bartender—but through it all, he kept writing.

“My way of processing life is to write stories,” he says. “I wasn’t thinking about making a living: I was just trying to put all my baggage into my works. The process of writing has to help you process your life, your reality, your emotions, your struggle, your fear—that’s the art. That’s one of the great things I learned, or maybe helped hone, at Interlochen.”

Finding a silver lining

In his early 20s, Dean wrote his first full-length screenplay and immediately realized he’d found his niche.

“Most of my short stories were basically extended scenes; I found with screenplay that I could build up a whole bunch of scenes to tell a larger story,” he says. “I loved the form from the very beginning—it was just the right form for me.”

Dean’s debut as a professional screenwriter was the 2012 heist drama Deadfall. His other credits include Fast X, the 2017 thriller 24 Hours to Live, and the 2021 sci-fi action film The Tomorrow War.

When the film industry shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dean decided to use the pause as an opportunity to focus on original screenplays.

“The one thing I felt confident about was that people were going to need to be entertained, because they were going to have a lot of time on their hands to think about things that are difficult to think about,” he says. “After freaking out for a couple of days, I said, ‘Alright. I’m going to do the one thing that I know I can do and that I have control over: I can write specs.’”

“I had a lot of ideas that I hadn’t had a chance to get to because I was working on hired projects,” he continues. “So I said, ‘I’m just going to start writing these things, and I’m going to write one after the other.’ The period between April 2020 and September 2020 was one of the most prolific periods of my entire writing career. It was really a silver lining.”

The first screenplay Dean worked on during this period was Day Drinker—which will begin production in Spain this April. Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz will star in the film.

“When I was almost done with Day Drinker, I was so in the zone,” Dean says. “I didn’t want to stop: I was afraid if I stopped writing, I was going to lose the edge I had. I thought, ‘I have to figure out what I’m going write next.’”

Inspired by the pandemic era’s pervasive sense of distance and danger, Dean developed the concept for The Gorge.

“I remember the night I came up with The Gorge,” he says. “I literally drew a gorge on a dry erase board, and I put a tower on one side, and a tower on the other side. And I put a symbol for a man on one side, and a symbol for a woman on the other side.”

“The Gorge is about the relationship between two people who fall in love, but can’t be near each other,” he continues. “They have this vast, literal abyss between them—this gorge—and the bottom of it is covered in fog. They have no idea what’s down there, but it’s horrible.”

As The Gorge approaches its premiere, Dean is eager to see how audiences will react to the film’s unique combination of romance, action, and science fiction.

“I hope people dig it,” he says. “It’s supposed to be a lot of things, but first and foremost, it’s a love story. I hope people find that to be compelling.”

Telling more stories

With the film industry now back in full swing, Dean is in demand for both original specs and franchise projects.

In addition to doing some pre-production rewrites for Day Drinker, Dean is writing a new spec and working on the latest installment of the Fast & Furious series. He also recently completed the sequel to The Tomorrow War.

“It’s been a very busy period, and I’m very, very grateful,” he said.

But despite his many works-in-progress, Dean still has plenty of ideas to explore.

“I’m one of those people,” he says. “I feel like I’m always going to have more stories to tell.”

OnAlumni

Dancing to lift the soul: Interlochen alumnus brings hope and healing to the stage through his Harlem-based, ethnically diverse dance company (Stories 627398)

marycaroline.whims@interlochen.org — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 18:18:32 +0000

Dancing to lift the soul: Interlochen alumnus brings hope and healing to the stage through his Harlem-based, ethnically diverse dance company (Stories 627398) marycaroline.w… Fri, 01/24/2025 - 13:18 Dancing to lift the soul: Interlochen alumnus brings hope and healing to the stage through his Harlem-based, ethnically diverse dance companyRanardo-Domeico Grays found community and inspiration during his time at Interlochen. Now, the VISIONS Contemporary Ballet artistic director and choreographer is inspiring his own community through performances that illuminate the Black experience.

Founder and artistic director Ranardo-Domeico Grays (center, seated) poses with the dancers of VISIONS Contemporary Ballet.

January 24, 2025

Ranardo-Domeico Grays (AS 88, IAC/NMC 89, IAA 89-90) has always been creatively gifted: over the years, he’s explored oratorical speaking, poetry, essay writing, and the violin. But his most lasting and powerful passion is dance—a subject that’s taken him from Interlochen Arts Camp and Arts Academy to The Juilliard School and beyond. Today, he’s making waves as founder and artistic director of VISIONS Contemporary Ballet. His company performs annually in Harlem at the Riverside Theater, located inside the Riverside Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of his most famous speeches. With a heart for inclusion and a penchant for uniquely collaborative methods, Grays is bringing powerful stories about Black identity to Riverside and other stages all over New York.

It’s important for me to bring our work to the communities right here in Harlem so people here can experience artistically excellent performances.

Ranardo-Domeico Grays

Ranardo-Domeico Grays, Founder/Artistic Director/Choreographer VISIONS Contemporary Ballet. Photo credit: Kayla Slater-Cooke

Where art meets community: From Interlochen to Harlem

When Grays created VISIONS Contemporary Ballet in 2007, he wanted to fill a need for artistically outstanding performances that represented a wide range of dancers and reached a broad audience.

“I’m an African-American artistic director and choreographer, and also a brain cancer survivor, so it's important to me to bring to the community—including those who are underserved and those with disabilities—an ethnically diverse company that represents artists of color and presents original works about life,” he says.

The Detroit native accomplishes his goals by hiring dancers of all races and ethnic backgrounds, and spreading the news about their productions throughout Harlem and the surrounding area.

“ I talk to people all over the city and ask them to spread the word about VISIONS,” he says. “Bringing arts engagement to the community truly improves our social interactions. It’s also important for me to bring our work to the communities right here in Harlem so people here can experience artistically excellent performances.”

Grays stoked his deep passions for community and choreography during his years at Interlochen. Between 1988-90, he studied dance at All State, Arts Camp, and Arts Academy. There, he met up-and-coming creatives and future colleagues like Anna Glass, who’s now Executive Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem.

“My time at Interlochen shaped me tremendously,” says Grays. “ I made some tremendous, lifelong friends that I still talk with today. I made friends who prayed with me and held my hand through my battles with brain cancer.”

The loyalty and artistic support he found at Interlochen forever shaped the way Grays saw the world. Envisioning a future where art helped people build deeper connections with one another, he chased his dream to The Juilliard School, California Institute of the Arts, Marymount Manhattan College, Fordham University, and the Alvin Ailey School. He danced and choreographed internationally and even spent time acting for theatre, film, and television.

When the time was right, Grays found his way to Harlem, New York. It was there that he started VISIONS and began to realize his dreams of seeing compelling stories shared with as many people as possible.

VISIONS dancers perform a lift in Heart is Home, a segment of For Love's Sake. Photo credit: Andrew Williams

Stories that challenge and heal: Tainted Bla’k and Heart is Home

Through VISIONS Contemporary Ballet, Grays seeks to present stories that audiences find both challenging and healing. When he begins work on a project, he roots into his own identity as a Black man while staying mindful of the broader human experience.

“I start with myself and because I’m a human being, I know my stories will resonate with others,” he says. “My work is definitely rooted in the African-American experience, but it also has multicultural influences. Each ballet tells a story, and those stories are relaying universal messages.“

One of his most provocatively-titled works is Tainted Bla’k, performed by VISIONS Contemporary Ballet, which premiered as part of their project presentation of Redemption in 2022, and again in Humility and Faith in 2023. Before starting work on choreography, Grays conducted a collaborative experiment with the dancers in his company.

“I like to bring the dancers’ experiences and emotions into the movement,” he says. “So I asked them, ‘What does “Tainted Bla’k” mean to you?’ I misspelled it intentionally so that audiences wouldn’t look at it as a phrase they already recognized. And I got such a wide variety of responses.”

Grays deliberately chose to include the negative connotations of the word “tainted”, asking the dancers to honestly share the thoughts and emotions that arose when they heard that phrase.

“Through that exercise, I got to know the dancers more intimately. I started to understand how they saw themselves and related to this subject. Some of them expressed how the color black is not always looked upon as something good, but in the end they all came around to the idea of the title and piece actually embracing and celebrating the beauty of being Black."

Grays paired his collaboratively-inspired choreography with music composed by Black artists of the African diaspora, and the result was a compelling performance that celebrated Black culture and awareness. With more recent work like the premiere of Heart is Home (2024), presented in For Love’s Sake this past November, Grays chose a similarly uplifting message but turned inward for his inspiration, exploring subjects like his background in the Baptist church and deeply-held affection for his mother. Heart is Home is an inspirational piece that explores the idea of making way for joy and love despite heartbreak. The piece is dedicated to all mothers who have instilled a sense of home in their children despite any barriers of time or distance.

“ Words can't really express how powerful love can be, so with For Love’s Sake I wanted to bring together four heartfelt works to help create that impact in one performance,” he shares. “Heart is Home, for example, centers on the way I always thought of home as wherever my mom was. I can’t go and hug her anymore, but she’s with me in my heart now. I wanted to be able to give that to the audience.”

After each show, when Grays meets audience members and shakes their hands, he’s often touched to hear about what they’ve experienced.

“Even if just one individual shares with me that the performance has influenced them, that they've been moved or challenged by my work, I feel fulfilled,” he says. “I want to celebrate diversity through work that uplifts the audience. I want to motivate people, even if it's just so they can get through the next day having experienced our healing works.”

Even if just one individual shares with me that the performance has influenced them, that they've been moved or challenged by my work, I feel fulfilled.

Ranardo-Domeico Grays

The rewards of connection

Beyond the potential for impact on individuals, Grays knows that his work has the power to shape and enrich entire communities. Seeing the fruits of his labor is what keeps him driven to create.

“It inspires me to see younger and older audience members interacting with each other,” he says. “I'm encouraged to keep on creating work that celebrates all of us, that celebrates Black culture and brings awareness to our community.”

The work goes on, and so does its potential to shape culture over time.

“ I want to continue to positively influence underserved Black and Hispanic communities and encourage younger audiences to strive for excellence,” he says.

At every VISIONS Contemporary Ballet performance, the stage fills with dancers of all colors, offering a glimpse into a future where unity and justice prevail for all. With each directorial choice, Grays is doing his part to make this dream a reality.

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Interlochen alumni nominated for 67th annual GRAMMY Awards (News Articles 627264)

melissa.birdsey — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 19:11:03 +0000

Interlochen alumni nominated for 67th annual GRAMMY Awards (News Articles 627264) melissa.birdsey Wed, 11/13/2024 - 14:11 Interlochen alumni nominated for 67th annual GRAMMY AwardsChappell Roan, Norah Jones, Bill Frisell, and Laura Karpman lead an accomplished cohort of alumni nominees.

November 13, 2024

Singer-songwriter Chappell Roan headlines an exceptional cohort of Interlochen alumni nominated for the 2025 GRAMMY Awards.

Presented annually by the Recording Academy, the GRAMMY Awards are the most coveted accolade in the music industry. Nominees and winners are selected from a pool of more than 20,000 entries by voting members of the Recording Academy through a competitive, two-step voting process. Since the awards were first bestowed in 1959, 75 Interlochen alumni, faculty, and guest artists have received a combined total of 152 GRAMMY Awards.

This year’s alumni nominees span more than 20 awards, including Record of the Year, Best Large Ensemble Jazz Album, Best Folk Album, and Best Orchestral Performance. Roan received nominations for six of the awards’ most competitive prizes, including Best New Artist, Album of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance. Other alumni receiving individual nominations include Norah Jones (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album), Bill Frisell (Best Contemporary Instrumental Album), and Laura Karpman (Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media).

See below for a full list of nominees.

Record of the Year
- “Good Luck, Babe!” — Chappell Roan (IAC 14)
Album of the Year
- The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess — Chappell Roan (IAC 14)
Song of the Year
- “Good Luck, Babe!” — Chappell Roan (IAC 14)
Best New Artist
- Chappell Roan (IAC 14)
Best Pop Solo Performance
- “Good Luck, Babe!” — Chappell Roan (IAC 14)
Best Pop Vocal Album
- The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess — Chappell Roan (IAC 14)
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
- Owl Song — Ambrose Akinmusire feat. Bill Frisell (IAC/NMC 67) & Herlin Riley
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
- Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence — Dan Pugach Big Band | Patrick Cornelius (IAC 97)
Best Latin Jazz Album
- As I Travel — Donald Vega (IAC 91-93) feat. Lewis Nash, John Patitucci, and Luisito Quintero
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
- Visions — Norah Jones (IAC 94-95)
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
- Orchestras (Live) — Bill Frisell (IAC/NMC 67) feat. Alexander Hanson, Brussels Philharmonic, Rudy Royston, and Thomas Morgan
Best Musical Theater Album
- Hell’s Kitchen | Tom Kitt (IAC 90), producer
Best Folk Album
- American Patchwork Quilt — American Patchwork Quilt | Clarence Penn (AS 83-84; IAC/NMC 85; IAA 85-86)
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
- The Color Purple — Various Artists | Shawn Mann (IAA 87-89)
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
- American Fiction — Laura Karpman (IAC/NMC 70-74)
Best Orchestral Performance
- Kodály: Háry János Suite: Summer Evening & Symphony in C Major — Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and JoAnn Falletta, conductor
  - Amy Glidden (IAC/NMC 88), Dinesh Joseph (IAC 94-95), Joshua Lauretig (IAC 07-11), Jonathan Lombardo (IAC 95, IAA 96-00; IAC Fac 14-18, IAA Fac 16), Daniel Pendley (IAC 97), Loren Silvertrust (IAC 97-99), Daniel Sweeley (IAC/NMC 85-86, AS 83-84)
- Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina — Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
  - Rochelle Abramson (IAC/NMC 64-65, UNIV 69), Ethan Bearman (IAC 92), Edward Botsford (IAC 96-98), Whitney Crockett (IAC/NMC 76-78, 80), Jin-Shan Dai (IAA 96-98, IAC 98, ICA St 97-98, IAC St 99), Brett Herman (IAC 99), Jonathan Karoly (NMC 85), Catherine Karoly (IAC/NMC 84-85), Evan Kuhlmann (IAA 00-02), Jason Lippman (IAC/NMC 90), Gregory Roosa (AS 78-81, UNIV 85, IAC St 86), and Brent Samuel (IAC/NMC 86-87)
- Stravinsky: The Firebird — San Francisco Symphony and Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor
  - Jill Brindel (IAC/NMC 58, 61-63, 65, 67), Jeff Biancalana (IAC/NMC 82-83, 85), Steven Dibner (IAC/NMC 70, AS 67, 69), Bowen Ha (IAA 17-19), Kelly Leon-Pearce (AS 77), Guy Piddington (IAC 96), Stephen Wright (IAC 78-81, UNIV 83-84), James Wyatt (IAC/NMC 89)
Best Opera Recording
- Adams: Girls of the Golden West | Davóne Tines (IAC 04)
- Moravec: The Shining | Gerard Schwarz (IAC/NMC 60-62), conductor
- Saariaho: Adriana Mater | Nicholas Phan (AS 93-94, IAC 95-96)
Best Choral Performance
- Handel: Israel in Egypt | Molly Netter (IAC 03)
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
- Adams, J.L.: Waves & Particles — JACK Quartet | Austin Wulliman (IAC 00), violin; John Pickford Richards (IAA 97-98, IAC St 98), viola
- Cerrone: Beaufort Scales — Beth Willer, Christopher Cerrone, and Lorelie Ensemble | Emily Marvosh (AS 99)
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
- A Change is Gonna Come — Nicholas Phan (AS 93-94, IAC 95-96) and Palaver Strings Best Classical Compendium
- Akiho: BeLonging — Andy Akiho and Imani Winds | Toyin Spellman-Diaz (IAC/NMC 89), Mark Dover (IAA 04-05, IAC 02-04, IAC Fac 24)
Best Contemporary Classical Composition
- Lang: Composition as Explanation — David Lang, composer (Eighth Blackbird) | Matthew Duvall (IAA 85-89, IAC/NMC 84-85), Eighth Blackbird
- Saariaho: Adriana Mater — Kaija Saariaho, composer | Nicholas Phan (AS 93-94, IAC 95-96), soloist

In addition to the alumni nominees, several former Interlochen faculty and staff were nominated, including:

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
- Walk A Mile in My Shoes — Orrin Evans & the Captain Black Big Band | Josh Lawrence (IAA Fac 21-23), trumpet
Best Historical Album
- Paul Robeson - Voice of Freedom | Nancy Conforti (IAC St 18), mastering engineer
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or a capella
- Rhapsody in Blue(Grass) — Béla Fleck and Ferde Grofé (IAC Fac 42-43)
Best Choral Performance
- Clear Voices in the Dark | Fotina Naumenko (IAC Fac 24), as a member of Skylark
- Sheehan: Akathist | Fotina Naumenko (IAC Fac 24), soloist
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
- Newman: Bespoke Songs | Fotina Naumenko (IAC Fac 24), soloist; Karlyn Viña (IAC St 11-12, IAC Fac 19, 22-24), percussion
- Show Me The Way — Will Liverman, soloist; Jonathan King (ICCA Fac 17-21), pianist

The 67th GRAMMY Awards will be presented during “Music’s Biggest Night”—a live awards ceremony that will take place on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony will be broadcast live on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Did we miss an alumni nominee? Let us know at content@interlochen.org.

OnAlumni

Climbing the ladder: Dustin Tucker shares his journey from Interlochen to Academy Award-nominated films (Stories 625960)

melissa.birdsey — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 14:25:20 +0000

Climbing the ladder: Dustin Tucker shares his journey from Interlochen to Academy Award-nominated films (Stories 625960) melissa.birdsey Tue, 04/09/2024 - 10:25 Climbing the ladder: Dustin Tucker shares his journey from Interlochen to Academy Award-nominated filmsThe actor and Arts Academy theatre alumnus chats about filming ‘The Holdovers’ and ‘American Fiction,’ appearing in two Oscar-nominated movies, and building a vibrant career one role at a time. April 9, 2024

In 2021, Dustin Tucker (IAA 94-98, IAC St 09) received the phone call every actor dreams about.

Tucker had auditioned for a small role in The Holdovers, a holiday comedy-drama directed by Academy Award-winning director and screenwriter Alexander Payne. The callback itself was a surreal experience for Tucker, who had admired Payne’s work before auditioning for the film. But the real excitement came a few weeks later.

“The casting director called and said, ‘Has Alexander called you?’ and I said, ‘Called me what?’” Tucker recalls. “The very next morning, Alexander Payne called me at home to offer me the job.”

Tucker’s role in The Holdovers is a particularly meaningful rung in the ladder he’s been climbing since graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy. After a thriving two-decade career in regional theatre, Tucker pivoted his focus to film and television roles. During the 2023/24 awards season, two movies he appeared in—The Holdovers and American Fiction—were among the nominees for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

“It’s a really cool, fluke thing that I got to be a part of two Oscar-nominated films, and I’m very grateful,” Tucker says. “My goal right now is to move into larger roles in TV and film, so it’s been a real boost for my career and my morale.”

Finding a foothold

Born and raised in Texas, Tucker’s passion for acting led him to Interlochen Arts Academy at age 15. He spent four formative years exploring acting, stage design, directing, and stage management in the Academy’s Theatre Division.

“Interlochen was very important for me in growing up and becoming an artist,” Tucker says. “I was there for four years, and I loved every moment of it. I miss it to this day. It just has a very special place in my heart.”

During his time at Interlochen, Tucker studied with several of the Theatre Division’s iconic instructors—several of whom he’s kept in touch with to this day.

“David Montee and his wife, Robin Ellis, were my mentors throughout my time there,” Tucker says. “Ev Corum was also an amazing instructor, who gave me so many opportunities to explore, to fail, and to learn from failure. I think that’s what I enjoyed most about my time at Interlochen: That I was able to fail safely. It was the most wonderful way to learn and to get better.”

After graduating from Interlochen, Tucker moved to New York City and immediately began pursuing a career as an actor. His choice to forgo college paid off when he landed an internship with the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

“I happened to be in a show there called The Rainmaker,” Tucker says. “It transferred to Broadway, and I got to go with it. That luck—because that’s really all I can call it—is what started my career and gave me a foothold in the industry.”

From the stage to the screen

Tucker spent the next decade performing in regional theatre productions across the nation—including the 2009 Interlochen Shakespeare Festival production of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. His travels brought him to Maine, which felt like a better fit as his ‘home base.’ As Tucker moved to Maine, fell in love, and started a family, his on-the-road lifestyle became less realistic.

Around 2016, Tucker started looking for on-camera work in nearby Boston, Massachusetts. He subsequently booked a series of roles on both the big and small screens; his credits include Patriots Day, Chappaquiddick, Spenser Confidential, The Unholy, and several episodes of Dexter: New Blood. In 2021, he auditioned for The Holdovers.

“During my callback, I got to meet director Alexander Payne, who was just so human and wonderful to work with,” Tucker says. “He was very upfront; I would start to do my audition and he would say, ‘yep, that’s too much, do it again.’ It was sort of like having an acting lesson and an audition at the same time.”

A few weeks later, Payne personally reached out to offer Tucker the role of Mr. Rosenswieg.

“Usually, when you get a job, you’re contacted by the casting directors or even an intern,” Tucker says. “It’s not usually the director of the film who makes the phone call, but he did.”

Although Tucker appears in only a few scenes in The Holdovers, Payne invited him to be a part of the film from the beginning of the production process. Tucker even participated in the table read, during which he worked with star Paul Giamatti and fellow Interlochen alumna Da’Vine Joy Randolph (IAC 03, IAC St 05)—who received the 2024 Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Mary Lamb.

“Even though I had a small role, [Payne] involved everyone in a very theatrical way—we were all part of the team, which was unusual and very special to me,” Tucker says. “I got to sit and chat with Paul Giamatti, and he couldn’t have been a more down-to-earth, humble human being—which I really respected. The whole experience was just a joy.”

Tucker also met current Arts Academy violin student Jim Kaplan (IAC 16-17, 19; IO 20, IAA 21-24), who portrays Ye-Joon Park in the film.

“I saw [Jim] during the Zoom table read, and I thought, ‘Who is this? He’s fantastic!’” Tucker says. “When we were filming, we made the connection that we both went to Interlochen. I came back for a reunion last year, and I ran into him in Mr. Nadji’s class. When I saw him in the movie, I thought, ‘he’s a true talent.’”

A few months after being cast in The Holdovers, Tucker booked a small role in American Fiction.

“Unlike The Holdovers, where I knew the whole script and the whole arc, I knew almost nothing about American Fiction prior to filming,” Tucker says. “I didn’t even really know who was in it. I was overwhelmed to be in the same room as Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K. Brown, and Leslie Uggams, but they were just the kindest group.”

Tucker’s single scene in American Fiction is a memorable one: an altercation between Sterling K. Brown’s Clifford Ellison and a neighbor named Phillip—portrayed by Tucker—that opens the film’s second trailer.

The second trailer for 'American Fiction.' Note: This video contains strong language.

“I was originally supposed to be just a passerby, but throughout our time working together, I became a neighbor who had this history of not-so-great interactions with Sterling K. Brown’s character,” Tucker says. “It was all created in the moment, and it was just fun.”

”Sterling K. Brown was a delight to work with. He was like, ‘Do you mind if I mess around with you or improv a little bit?’ and I said, ‘You can do anything you want. It’s totally fine. It’s your day.’”

American Fiction and The Holdovers premiered in late 2023 and quickly became contenders for Golden Globe, Academy, and other noted film awards. Tucker had suspected The Holdovers would be well received by critics and audiences, but the success of American Fiction came as a surprise. He’s still processing the emotions of being featured in two Oscar-nominated films.

“I don’t know what it means, except that it’s really cool,” he says. “It was sort of unreal. At first I thought, ‘Yes, they’re nominated, but I’m not nominated. Then I was like, ‘Wait, no, I’m actually a part of these films. They weren’t just nice enough to include me.’”

Continuing the climb

As American Fiction and The Holdovers made the awards circuit, Tucker stepped back onto the regional stage: He recently starred as Francis Henshall in a production of One Man, Two Guvnors at the Good Theater in Portland, Maine. For Tucker, it was a chance to inhabit a role he’s been eyeing for more than a decade—and to prove he still has what it takes to command the spotlight in a comedic role.

“I’d known about [One Man, Two Guvnors] and wanted to do it for a long time,” Tucker says. “It’s a dream role because it suits me and my talent well: I’m a bit of an improvisational actor, and I can marry improvisation into a scripted comedy—which is exactly what the role of Francis requires.”

“It was just pure fun,” Tucker continues. “What was so great for me was that I was not quite sure that I could still do it. It was exhausting, but it gave me hope that I’m not too old, that I can still hang with the kids, and make them laugh.”

Although Tucker does not have any new projects currently lined up—like many actors, he’s feeling the lingering effects of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike—he’s optimistic that adding The Holdovers and American Fiction to his résumé will yield new opportunities. When asked what advice he’d offer young artists, he stresses that there’s no one-size-fits-all path—and that success as an actor is often the result of dedicated, persistent work.

“I used to come back to Interlochen to be part of alumni panels for the Theatre Division,” Tucker says. “I was always joined by colleagues or former classmates who went off to colleges or universities. I came in proudly as a human who did not follow that exact path, and I would say, ‘I don’t think you necessarily have to follow that formula to be successful.’”

“I caution young actors not to expect everything to happen right off the bat,” Tucker adds. “Some people become overnight successes. But for most of us, it’s a climb.”

“You need to humble yourself a little bit, start small, and work your way up the ladder. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

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The art of play (Stories 625703)

melissa.birdsey — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 17:00:32 +0000

The art of play (Stories 625703) melissa.birdsey Fri, 01/05/2024 - 12:00 The art of playGame designer and NYU Game Center professor Eric Zimmerman shares how games can help us understand our rapidly evolving world—and how the core principles of game design benefit people in a variety of creative and technical fields.

Photo credit: Cris Moor.

January 31, 2024

In June 2020, Dear Reader became the first—and to date, only—video game ever reviewed by The New York Times Book Review. For many readers, the game’s inclusion in the highly esteemed literary section may have come as a surprise. But for Interlochen Arts Camp alumnus, game designer, and Dear Reader co-creator Eric Zimmerman (IAC/NMC 86-87), it was an affirmation of his belief in the beauty of games.

“My point of view is that games are an art form,” Zimmerman said in a recent interview with Crescendo. “For me, games stand shoulder-to-shoulder with dance, theatre, film, fine arts, and other forms of expression.”

Zimmerman is uniquely qualified to offer an argument—and a challenge—to the perennial 'are games art?’ debate: He studied visual arts at Interlochen Arts Camp and earned a B.F.A. in painting before entering the field of game design. Zimmerman has dedicated his 30-year career to studying the craft and relevance of games, training the next generation of game designers, and inventing new ways to play—including video games, tabletop games, and interactive art installations.

“One of the things that I think is interesting about games is that they combine all forms of expression,” Zimmerman said. “Games can have music; they can be performative; they include visual art; and they involve writing and storytelling, as well as social interaction and structural design.”

“They’re a little bit like opera: an artform in which visual, musical, and narrative forms of culture converge. Interlochen was great training for this kind of thinking.”

A playful past

Zimmerman’s passion for play is rooted in his youth, when he explored his creativity through both games and art.

“I had a childhood of enjoying different types of play: physical play, social play, playing on computers, and playing off computers,” Zimmerman said. “It was a very rich and varied cultural diet, which included neighborhood games such as Kick the Can and Ghosts in the Graveyard; tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons; early computer games; and arcade games like Space Invaders and ‘Ms. Pac-Man.”

Zimmerman also studied fine arts, with a particular interest in painting. His artistic talents led him to Interlochen Arts Camp, where he spent his final two summers of high school as a visual arts major.

“I got so much out of the program,” Zimmerman said. “I was being taught by university professors and professional fine artists. I had the freedom to wander into one of the classrooms and just do work on my own whenever I wanted. On so many levels, it was a really incredible experience.”

Beyond their in-class lessons, Zimmerman’s Arts Camp instructors also curated extracurricular opportunities for their students to experience other forms of artistic expression.

“I was exposed to a lot of culture at Interlochen,” he said. “Some of the instructors would show films or play music for students—such as arthouse films, experimental black-and-white films, and Phillip Glass soundtracks. I was seeing and hearing these things while I was still in high school, and they had a really indelible impact on me.”

Creation and education

After Interlochen, Zimmerman earned a bachelor’s degree in painting before pursuing a career in game design. In 2000, he co-founded the independent game studio GameLab, which developed award-winning games including BLiX, Diner Dash, and Gamestar Mechanic.

Although Zimmerman’s early career centered on creating games, education has always been an important part of his work. He has taught game design at MIT, Parsons School of Design, and at workshops across the globe. In 2010, he became a founding faculty member of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Game Center—a role that has since become his primary focus. His classes explore the theory behind games through hands-on exercises.

“My students think they’re in my class to learn technical skills, but what they actually do has a lot more to do with playground-style games and learning how to play physically,” Zimmerman said. “One of the things I love to do on the first day of class is to say, ‘Okay, we’re going to go outside and play some playground games.’ This gets students reconnecting with their bodies, laughing, and being goofy with each other.”

If you're not comfortable letting loose, how are you going to be creative? You learn about creativity through play. Loosening yourself up to explore systems playfully is a really important, basic human skill.

“That’s really important, because if you’re on a creative team in an office setting at some point in the future, and you’re not comfortable letting loose, how are you going to be creative?” Zimmerman continued. “All of these skills are wrapped up in each other. You learn about creativity through play. Loosening yourself up to explore systems playfully is a really important, basic human skill.”

Outside the classroom, Zimmerman maintains an active career as a game designer. He has created and collaborated on more than a dozen acclaimed games and installations over the course of his career, including browser-based game SiSSYFiGHT 2000 and tabletop game The Metagame.

“I’m still making games on the side, because my ‘research’ is my own creative practice,” he said. “I think that’s something I learned, in part, from Interlochen: The instructors there were people who not only taught art, but were artists themselves.”

Writing—and breaking—the rules

When Zimmerman began teaching game design, the field was just beginning to be studied and defined by scholars and educators. It was a stark contrast to Zimmerman’s experience as a visual arts student.

“Fine art is a field with all these ‘isms’—modernism, minimalism, expressionism—which are different styles and ways to approach who you are as an artist and how you fit into the historical context,” Zimmerman said. “There wasn’t that same kind of theoretical culture that breached the theory and practice of what people do when they create games.”

In 2003, Zimmerman and game designer, animator, and educator Katie Salen Tekinbaş published Rules of Play, which is widely regarded as one of the first and most influential textbooks on game design.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that Katie and I were developing and exploring the critical language that would help us know what games are and how to talk about them,” Zimmerman said. “Writing Rules of Play was really about figuring out what games are, how to design them, and how to bridge the theory and practice of making games in the same way that I had as an artist.”

As Zimmerman continued to study, practice, and teach game design, he realized that the capacities he instills in his students are valuable for anyone living in the 21st century. In 2022, he published his second book, The Rules We Break, to bring these core skills to a larger audience.

“The Rules We Break is my way, as someone who has been teaching for decades, of trying to reach out beyond the field of game design,” Zimmerman said. “The exercises in the book are really relevant for people today—not just for people who want to be game creators, but for individuals working across a broad range of creative, technological, and other career fields.”

The design process is a problem-solving process. It’s really similar to art-making.

Zimmerman describes The Rules We Break as “a handbook for doing”—a unique volume that weaves thought-provoking essays with many of the same hands-on exercises Zimmerman uses in his game design classes and workshops. All of the exercises can be completed without a computer and can be played not only in a classroom setting, but also with friends and colleagues.

One of the book's exercises challenges participants to create a modified version of Tic Tac Toe.

“Tic Tac Toe is a game that we’ve all played, but most of us haven’t really analyzed it as a system,” Zimmerman said. “The exercise prompts you to think about things such as whether or not the game is fair, if it’s fun, what you like about it, and what you find boring about it, then experiment with ways to change the game and try to make it better. By looking at a simple game, you can start to practice things like systems analysis, the iterative design process, and communication.”

“The design process is a problem-solving process. It’s really similar to art-making.”

A window to the modern world

In today’s increasingly virtual world, Zimmerman believes it’s more important than ever to play games—and to understand the systems that govern them.

“My sense is that there’s a special relevance that games have to the times we’re living in today,” Zimmerman said. “So much of our art, media, and entertainment are mediated by networks of digital information. To be literate in today’s world means you have to know how to socialize, communicate, and engage with governments and organizations through those networks of information.”

Games and play create a situation that is intrinsically valuable–a situation that helps us understand who we are as people, how we relate to the world, and how we relate to each other. Games are fundamentally part of what it means to be human.

Zimmerman hopes his work will help games gain acceptance as meaningful facets of our artistic, educational, and cultural ecosystems.

“Part of what motivates me as a designer is that I feel that games and play should be a part of that landscape,” Zimmerman said. “No one questions that listening to, playing, or composing music is valuable. We don’t expect that everyone who learns music is going to become a musician, but we do know that music education teaches an aesthetic sensibility, connects you to previous cultures, teaches disciplines, helps you appreciate math and structure, and socializes you as you play with others.”

“Similarly, games and play create a situation that is intrinsically valuable: a situation that helps us understand who we are as people, how we relate to the world, and how we relate to each other,” Zimmerman continued. “Games are fundamentally part of what it means to be human.”

OnAlumni

Tracking down the FBI’s most famous director: Arts Camp Alumna Beverly Gage wins Pulitzer for her new biography of J. Edgar Hoover (News Articles 625383)

marycaroline.whims@interlochen.org — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 13:58:56 +0000

Tracking down the FBI’s most famous director: Arts Camp Alumna Beverly Gage wins Pulitzer for her new biography of J. Edgar Hoover (News Articles 625383) marycaroline.w… Mon, 08/21/2023 - 09:58 Tracking down the FBI’s most famous director: Arts Camp Alumna Beverly Gage wins Pulitzer for her new biography of J. Edgar HooverGage’s book sheds light on the controversial figure who helped found the FBI and then ran it for nearly 50 years. August 21, 2023

When Beverly Gage woke up on a spring morning earlier this year, she wasn’t expecting to receive an announcement that would change her life.

“The Pulitzer doesn’t give you any advance notice,” Gage says. “They just announce it publicly. That's how you find out, and that's how the world finds out.”

Finding out she’d won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography was a deeply rewarding moment for Gage, who had poured over a decade of work into her acclaimed book on J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI from 1924 to 1972. Her book, titled G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century, incorporates newly-unearthed research as she discusses how Hoover used intimidation techniques against Martin Luther King Jr., oversaw the capture of Nazi saboteurs from Atlantic submarines, and hid his life as a gay man from the world.

Gage says she owes much of her success to Interlochen Arts Camp, where her story began. At Camp, she developed the creative discipline that allowed her to finish an 837-page book on one of the United States’ most famous and controversial political figures.

Interlochen was really the first place that taught me what real commitment to true excellence looked like.

Beverly Gage

Excellence and chocolate ice cream

Though gifted as a writer, Gage didn’t attend Interlochen with writing in mind. She studied violin and piano in her three summers at Camp.

“Interlochen was really the first place that taught me what real commitment to true excellence looked like,” says Gage. “I saw what it took in terms of practicing to be at the top of your game. I took from those experiences a certain kind of discipline, the stick-to-itiveness to sit there day after day doing something until it's done.”

She also tried her hand at conducting, a skill that she says helped her synthesize the material for her book.

“I feel that the size and complexity of a score is a little bit like doing research,” she says. “You have to figure out all of the different moving parts, and then you have to figure out how they fit together.”

But it wasn’t just a commitment to excellence that Gage found at Interlochen. She also made friends—and took advantage of the on-campus ice cream shop.

“I really loved the soft-serve chocolate ice cream with sprinkles,” she recalls.

I was drawn to Hoover in part because, up until now, his public image has been so one-dimensional. He's so well known in our popular culture as a great villain of the 20th century. I just thought he had a much more complicated and interesting career.

Beverly Gage

Tracking down the FBI’s most famous director

In the years after Interlochen, Gage set her sights on becoming a historian. She earned a degree in American studies at Yale, then earned her PhD in history from Columbia University in 2004. By 2009, Gage had begun to narrow her focus to a historical figure she found especially intriguing: J. Edgar Hoover.

“I was drawn to Hoover in part because, up until now, his public image has been so one-dimensional. He's so well known in our popular culture as a great villain of the 20th century. I just thought he had a much more complicated and interesting career,” she says.

Asked to summarize that career, Gage avoids characterizing Hoover as either a villain or a saint.

“Hoover built the FBI. He was famous as a ‘shining knight of the federal government,’ but also showed a pretty deep and serious conservatism toward his own favorite political projects. He consistently went after the American left, from Communists to civil rights activists.”

Gage’s book gives attention to the FBI’s campaign against Martin Luther King Jr., an episode she calls “dramatic” and “depressing.” She covers the 1942 incident in which the Nazis sent eight saboteurs over on German submarines, dropping off four of them on Long Island and four in Florida. After two of them confessed to the FBI, all eight were eventually captured.

Gage also discusses Hoover’s homosexuality, something the famed director—who never married—did his best to conceal: “A lot of the book is in fact about his relationship with the no. 2 man at the FBI, Clyde Tolson. Clyde was effectively his life partner, his spouse.”

At the end of the day, Gage says her mission isn’t to either condemn or excuse Hoover’s political legacy. Rather, she wants to honor the complexity of his story.

“Hoover has come down to us as an almost universal villain—someone best known for the worst things that he did,” says Gage. “This book tries to complicate that story without really attempting to redeem Hoover.”

Learn more about Interlochen Arts Camp.

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Breathing new wind into an Interlochen treasure (Stories 625171)

melissa.birdsey — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 12:43:28 +0000

Breathing new wind into an Interlochen treasure (Stories 625171) melissa.birdsey Wed, 08/02/2023 - 08:43 Breathing new wind into an Interlochen treasureInterlochen Arts Camp alumnus Jake Goldwasser shares his passion for vintage saxophones as the institution’s inaugural Greenleaf Curating Fellow.

Greenleaf Curating Fellow Jake Goldwasser (right) and Curator Emeritus John Beery (left) pose with two vintage saxophones. Photo by E. Ganter for ARTICA - The Archives of Interlochen Center for the Arts.

August 2, 2023

On a July afternoon, the Interlochen Arts Camp saxophone studio explored one of Interlochen’s most unique treasures: the Leland B. Greenleaf Musical Instrument Collection. As the initial chorus of “what is this?” subsided, the collection’s curator, Jake Goldwasser (IAC 12), pulled an instrument from its shelf for the students to examine.

“I like to have students pass one of these saxophones around so they can feel how it sits in your hands, feel where the weight is,” Goldwasser says. “It’s one of my personal goals to get a vintage American saxophone into the hands of every young, upcoming artist.”

The Greenleaf Collection is an ideal place for saxophonists to enjoy hands-on encounters with historic instruments: The collection includes 33 saxophones, including two instruments from Adolphe Sax’s workshop, several early Conn instruments, and a rare straight alto saxophone. The nearly 300-piece collection was originally assembled by former C.G. Conn owner Carl D. Greenleaf and his son, Leland, as a physical history of Conn’s musical innovations. The collection was displayed at the C.G. Conn headquarters in Elkhart, Indiana until December 1969, when the Greenleaf family donated it to Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Learn more about the Greenleaf Collection’s history and contents

Today, the Greenleaf Collection is part of Interlochen’s archives: a vast trove of photos, audio recordings, and memorabilia dispersed in basements, closets, and storage rooms across campus. As Interlochen approaches its centennial in 2028, Director of Libraries Elizabeth Nelson (IAC/NMC 75, UNIV 82) and her team are working to unite, curate, and share the archives’ remarkable resources.

As a part of those efforts, Goldwasser has returned to Interlochen as the inaugural Greenleaf Curating Fellow. Over the course of his six-week fellowship, Goldwasser is cataloging, organizing, and updating the Greenleaf Collection with the goal of restoring the collection to its rightful place as one of the nation’s finest holdings of musical instruments.

“Interlochen is, for the first time in a long time, breathing new wind into a collection of instruments that is one-of-a-kind in this country,” Goldwasser says. “We’re trying to rebuild the collection and improve it so it’s more in line with the Greenleaf mission, which is to be an academic tool for students.”

“I’ve met some incredible people: wonderful students, faculty, and administrators. Everyone's really excited about this project.”

Rediscovering a historic saxophone

Goldwasser’s passion for vintage saxophones began when he discovered a new-in-box 1945 Buescher tenor saxophone—a moment he likens to the scene in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone when Harry picks up his wand for the first time.

“It still had the original pads, the original springs, the original paperwork….It was perfect,” he says.

Goldwasser spent the remainder of his master’s studies at Belmont University researching the history and pedagogy of vintage saxophones. In December 2022, he was given several instruments from the estate of the late Atlanta Symphony Orchestra principal clarinetist Karl Bevins, including a mystery saxophone Goldwasser had tried to identify a decade earlier while helping with Bevins’ estate sale.

“We couldn't figure out what it was for the life of us,” Goldwasser says.

Now able to examine the instrument more closely, Goldwasser noticed a faint engraving on the bell: No. 1, CGC. Suspecting the “CGC” referred to the C.G. Conn company, Goldwasser traveled to Interlochen Center for the Arts to compare his instrument to the Greenleaf Collection’s earliest Conn saxophone, N. 168. As a result of the comparison, Goldwasser’s saxophone is currently being authenticated as the first saxophone made in the United States.

Goldwasser’s visit also included a master class for Arts Academy saxophone students and a day spent in the collection with Curator Emeritus John Beery. As the trip concluded, Nelson and Photo Archivist Eileen Ganter asked Goldwasser if he would be interested in working with the collection over the summer. Goldwasser’s response was an emphatic “yes.”

Telling the saxophones’ stories

Thanks to generous support from the Greenleaf family, Goldwasser returned to campus at the start of Camp in June. Goldwasser has spent the past five weeks working closely with Beery to complete an updated inventory; organize and transcribe documents related to the collection; share the collection with Arts Camp students; and create a vision for the future of the collection.

Goldwasser reserves his mornings for closed-door research. His efforts focus on uncovering the story of each saxophone—including its history, lineage, and unique features—often by comparing it to others in the collection.

In addition to researching the instruments, Goldwasser is also working with Ganter to photograph the instruments on a museum-quality cyclorama and testing the playable saxophones. Goldwasser has recorded more than eight hours of audio and video footage to date.

“There’s some really cool specimens in this collection,” Goldwasser says. “The fact that we can capture their sound—as they currently are, with the stories they have—is a beautiful thing.”

The resulting photos, videos, and audio recordings will be used to establish an online presence for the collection.

“One of the reasons why this collection has been underutilized for so many years is because it wasn’t able to be publicized and published,” Goldwasser says. “I want people to be able to go online and see what is in the collection. Once every single instrument is documented—with write-ups that are accurate and meaningful and audio and video, where applicable—a public, online database of these instruments can exist.”

The collection’s website will be developed by two Arts Academy creative writing students. The duo first learned about the collection while completing their community service placements in the archives.

“They are really excited to develop this website and start writing about Interlochen’s story,” Nelson says. “These instruments all have fabulous stories; the students will be fleshing out those stories beyond the scholarly and technical research that Jake has conducted. It will be outstanding to get all the content about these instruments in one place.”

Goldwasser has already begun the process of sharing the collection with audiences beyond Interlochen’s campus. He recently recorded segments for Interlochen Public Radio’s popular Kids Commute program and Classical Sprouts podcast, and has featured several instruments from the collection on his YouTube channel, Hexachord.

Finding inspiration in history

Goldwasser saves the latter half of his day for sharing the Greenleaf Collection with on-campus visitors, including the students, faculty, and staff of Interlochen Arts Camp—a component of his fellowship that is particularly close to his heart.

“I’m at a point in my life where the best thing I can do is to teach vintage American saxophones,” Goldwasser says. “I want as many students as possible to put one of these instruments in their hands.”

“Seeing a collection like this inspires students—not only because it looks old, or because it’s shiny, or because it’s sitting up on a wall—but because they’re able to create these very tactile moments. It’s like when you open up that old case and you smell the mustiness and you see the shine and patina: it weaves all these senses together into a memory.”

In special cases, visitors to the collection can not only handle, but also play instruments from the collection. Goldwasser says that playing one of these historic instruments can be a transformational experience for a student.

A Buescher straight alto saxophone made in 1926. Photo by E. Ganter for ARTICA - The Archives of Interlochen Center for the Arts.

“Imagine that you’re struggling to get your sound just right on your instrument,” Goldwasser explains. “You’re trying everything: a new mouthpiece or a new reed. But the last thing you would think to do is to pick up a completely different horn. This collection allows you to not only try new instruments, but to be inspired by the history and lineage of the music you’re making today.”

“For example, the straight alto saxophone has been played by many guest artists and teachers over the years,” Goldwasser continues. “When I drop the names for students, they say, ‘Whoa, they played this horn?’ And I can say, ‘Yes, and now you have, too.’”

Goldwasser and Nelson are also making the collection available to Arts Academy students interested in conducting research and artistic projects. In addition to the two creative writing students who are creating the collection’s website, Nelson, Goldwasser, and Ganter are overseeing independent projects by students in the Music, Film & New Media, and Visual Arts divisions.

A prototype of the Conn-O-Sax, an updated version of the heckelphone made by C.G. Conn. Photo by E. Ganter for ARTICA - The Archives of Interlochen Center for the Arts.

“When [Goldwasser] did a master class for Arts Academy students last spring, saxophonist Gabe Proctor (IAA 21-) was inspired to do a specialized independent study,” Nelson says. “He’ll be working with [Goldwasser] remotely to conduct a yearlong project on the Conn-O-Sax.”

“We also have visual arts students who are interested in sketching instruments from the collection as part of their senior project, as well as some film & new media students who are working on video and even animation projects,” Nelson says.

Nelson also hopes the collection’s selection of world music instruments can be utilized as an educational tool.

“It’s an untapped resource that could be used to create curriculum in history, global studies, and diversity, equity, and inclusion,” she says.

Creating a vision for the future

One of Goldwasser’s most important goals, however, is providing recommendations for the future of the Greenleaf Collection.

“I envision this collection being an open database of information,” Goldwasser says. “I see it as an open call for students, teachers, and guest artists to get a moment of their passion’s history. My hope is that within the next two years, the Greenleaf Collection will be a very quick, one-stop shop for your questions about Conn, Elkhart, and more.”

One of the collection’s most pressing needs is for a new space on Interlochen’s campus, a place where the collection will be safe, secure, and most importantly, seen—by not just a handful of students by appointment, but by hundreds of visitors on a daily, walk-in basis.

“The space that we currently have is not a display space—it’s really just a storage space,” Nelson says. “Because we don’t have a dedicated display space, many of the ‘crown jewels’ of the Greenleaf Collection have been loaned to other museums in the United States. We are trying to unite the Greenleaf Collection in a place where people can enjoy it.”

Goldwasser and Nelson are also making plans to provide a continuity of curation of the Greenleaf Collection.

“Now that I’ve been given the opportunity to stand in temporarily as curator, I feel it’s even more important to keep this momentum going past this summer,” Goldwasser says. “I want to build the foundations so that if another specialist comes in next year, the process is already in place.”

“We are interested in all available options for the collection’s curation,” Nelson says. “We can dream big—which we have—but can also continue the model we used this summer, bringing in specialists for different instruments to provide the level of curation that Jake has provided for the saxophones.”

Living the dream

As the summer draws to a close, Goldwasser reflects on the transformational experience of curating, researching, and sharing the Greenleaf Collection.

“It’s a dream come true,” Goldwasser says. “This project is the first of its kind for me. It’s an honor to be a part of traditions and lineage, especially the traditions and lineage of a place like Interlochen.”

“This place has been the home and the haven for musicians to teach their craft at the highest level offered. When I think about the footsteps I’m following, it’s more than inspiring—as an educator and as a performer.”

And despite spending six weeks immersed in the collection, Goldwasser still feels a sense of awe when he walks in the door.

“I’m a kid in a candy store,” he says. “It’s a very special opportunity. I’ve loved every minute of it.”

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Creating opportunities through collaboration (Stories 625020)

melissa.birdsey — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 13:23:08 +0000

Creating opportunities through collaboration (Stories 625020) melissa.birdsey Mon, 07/03/2023 - 09:23 Creating opportunities through collaborationInterlochen Arts Camp alumnus Stanford Thompson unites musical organizations across the country to level the playing field for BIPOC musicians.

Stanford Thompson. Photo credit: Todd Rosenberg.

July 12, 2023

Stanford Thompson (IAC 00-03; IAC St 05-06, 08) has always been a man with vision.

As a high school student in Atlanta, Georgia, Thompson co-founded the Atlanta Trumpet Festival at Emory University. In 2011, Thompson co-founded Play On Philly, an El Sistema-inspired program that provides high quality music education to K-12 students in west Philadelphia—at no cost. Thompson also proposed the Sphinx LEAD program—for which he served as dean—shared his ideas with audiences around the world as a 2017 TED Fellow; and helped chart the future of Interlochen Center for the Arts as a member of the Board of Trustees (2013-17).

In 2018, Thompson conceived one of his most revolutionary ideas to date: A national coalition of music organizations working together to level the playing field for BIPOC musicians. Thompson’s vision came to fruition in January 2021 with the establishment of Equity Arc (formerly known as the National Instrumentalist Mentoring and Advancement Network), an association that unites organizations working in all stages of musical development to develop new pathways for classical musicians of color and increase access to resources and opportunities.

On May 1, 2023, Thompson stepped into a full-time position as the inaugural Executive Director of Equity Arc. In this role, Thompson will leverage a wealth of personal and professional experience to transform the classical music industry from the inside out.

“I’ve met a lot of kids from all over the country who really want to be professional classical musicians,” Thompson said. “It means a lot to me to help many more of them get the opportunities they deserve and that they need to take their next steps.”

From southern roots to northern pines

Music is in Thompson’s blood: His parents, both retired music educators, instilled a love of music—and a commitment to dedicated practice—upon their eight children.

“We always had a rule in our house that you only ate on the days that you practiced,” Thompson shared in a 2018 interview with PBS News Hour.

Thompson picked up the trumpet at age eight, going on to perform with the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony and participate in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program. Thompson learned about Interlochen Arts Camp from his brother, bassist and Charlotte Symphony Youth Ensemble conductor Eric (IAC 99-02), who attended Camp for the first time in the summer of 1999.

“I remember him coming back and speaking about how magical this place was,” Thompson said.

Thompson joined Eric at Camp in the summer of 2000, beginning a decades-long affiliation with the organization.

“The coolest part for me was being in a cabin with 14 other students who were studying different art forms,” Thompson said. “It opened up my world to everything the arts have to provide. It also opened me up to new experiences. I remember being in a community that was very open, where folks were talking about things like their sexuality and their beliefs. It was a really safe place to be who you were. Growing up in a conservative community, Interlochen was a breath of fresh air.”

Thompson also thrived musically during his time at Camp. “The music program has always been strong at Interlochen,” he said. “There were really, really great musical opportunities: from hearing the Detroit Symphony Orchestra each year to the countless conductors that visited. I had the chance to hear Van Cliburn perform twice, and I worked with conductors like Jan Roller and Gerard Schwarz. It was a really big growing opportunity for me.”

Making an impact beyond the back row

After high school, Thompson continued his musical studies at the Curtis Institute of Music with the intention of pursuing a career as a professional trumpeter. During his final semester at the institute, his plans were altered by an event that stunned the classical music community: The appointment of Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel as the next Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

“Dudamel was one of the first conductors of color in a major American orchestra, and that made some really big waves,” Thompson said.

Dudamel’s rise drew international attention to the musical organization that had nurtured his talents, El Sistema, earning founder Dr. José Antonio Abreu the 2009 TED Prize.

“All eyes were on this social development and music education program in Venezuela, because this conductor didn’t go through Curtis or Julliard or the Vienna Conservatory—he came out of this program,” Thompson said. “I immediately saw an opportunity, and I wanted to be a part of creating large-scale impact on communities. I felt I could do that better as an administrator than from the back row of an orchestra.”

Thompson enrolled in the New England Conservatory’s Sistema Fellows Program, a professional training program designed to prepare fellows to launch, manage, and lead El Sistema-inspired programs in the United States. Following his completion of the program, Thompson collaborated with philanthropist Carole Haas Gravagno to establish Play On Philly.

In the 12 years since its inception, Play On Philly has grown to encompass five locations, providing musical instruction to approximately 400 K-12 students annually.

“Jumping into the work of Play On Philly—working with those communities, families, and young people—was a really big treat,” Thompson said. “To take what I saw modeled at places like Interlochen and to create that type of environment for other young people was really cool.”

Connecting students to opportunities

Despite Play On Philly’s successes, Thompson soon began grappling with the challenges of supporting the program’s most gifted students.

“What working with Play On Philly showed me is that there are very, very talented young musicians who want to be part of professional stages later on,” Thompson said. “One of the limitations of Play On Philly is that since it is a socially focused program, we don’t necessarily have all of the resources to help these students pursue music as a professional career. We had to be very resourceful and work with places like Interlochen, local youth orchestras, and other national training programs to help our students matriculate to conservatories like the Royal College of Music in London, Eastman School of Music, and the Peabody Institute.”

As Thompson forged connections at other institutions, he considered the challenges he and his colleagues at Play On Philly had faced in helping their students achieve their musical goals.

“I said to myself, ‘Should it be so difficult for an executive director like me to connect our students to these advanced-level opportunities?’” he said. “‘Or can we create a much more streamlined and collaborative process to help musicians of color get support?’”

Those questions sparked the idea for Equity Arc. In 2018, Thompson introduced the idea to his connections at organizations across the country, refining the concept over a two-year period. In January 2021, Thompson convened musical leaders in Cincinnati, Ohio to formally discuss the creation of a national coalition of musical organizations committed to developing equitable opportunities for aspiring classical musicians of color. The two-day convening resulted in the establishment of Equity Arc and the installation of Thompson as the association’s board chairman.

Through participation in Equity Arc, partner organizations—including Interlochen Center for the Arts—are able to access information and resources to aid in increasing the diversity and equity of their programs.

“Most music organizations have articulated that they would like to increase diversity and inclusion within their organizations,” Thompson said. “Organizations that are doing so through the training of underrepresented musicians have agreed to share information with other Equity Arc members—both about the musicians they’re working with, as well as what they have learned from running their own initiatives. By sharing that information, we’re able to identify areas of collective action.”

One example of this sharing of information is the Common Application, which the Interlochen Center for the Arts admission team helped develop. Through the Common Application, musicians of color are able to submit a single application for consideration for multiple opportunities.

“We wanted to make it easier for musicians of color to apply to places like Interlochen,” Thompson said. “We agreed to create one set of repertoire and one application—which is free—so that we can connect potential students with admission representatives from many applicable programs across the United States.”

Beyond the Common Application, Thompson is challenging Equity Arc partners to reevaluate their own internal admission, enrollment, and operational processes.

“One of our biggest goals is to support organizations as they rethink and adjust their policies and practices,” Thompson said. “Many of these policies and practices favor students who already have access to resources, information, and opportunities that work really well. We are trying to encourage these organizations to think about how these systems and policies exclude underrepresented cultural groups.”

Thompson is also collaborating with Equity Arc’s staff and partners to develop new strategies for supporting underrepresented students.

“We’re working with a lot of our organizations to provide advancement opportunities for musicians of color within these institutions,” he said.

Ultimately, Thompson hopes to establish a foundation upon which future diversity, equity, and inclusion advocates can build.

“I look at this as generational work,” he said. “I think about the legacy that Interlochen has had, over many generations, on not only artists, but also the people who have worked there and have called Interlochen home. I want Equity Arc to have a similar impact on a group of musicians that have been underrepresented for a really long time.”

Thompson also acknowledges that there is still much work to be done, important progress is already being made.

“Interlochen has been doing the work that Equity Arc is doing for quite some time,” he said. “Through initiatives like the partnership with the Miami Music Project, Interlochen has been a champion for including those who have been left out. Interlochen is a great partner to Equity Arc. Interlochen’s administrators—as well as the organization’s alumni on both the professional stage and the college level—are really leading the way for their colleagues.”

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