The crowds gather at the outdoor Interlochen Bowl for the final summer season performance of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra. Interlochen is an International Center for the Arts. This is the final performance for the summer student program.
Our friends, Mary Ann and Del, are seated to my left. The student performers come from all over the U.S. and the world. The 1,200-acre wooded campus sits between two lovely lakes. We could see one of the two lakes behind the performance stage. 2,500 students from ages 8 - 18 participated in two summer sessions. They perform for the public several times a week.
All the students are here for the final performance and getting ready to say good-by. Good friendships develop over this time and many were in tears when it was time to leave.
Crowds were in line two hours before this free final performance. When you hear these students perform, you have to really remind yourself that they are not professionals even though they act and sound like seasoned professionals.
The orchestra is tuning up and getting ready for the evening's performance. The Interlochen School for the Performing Arts was founded in 1928 and is the first and foremost camp of its kind, offering visual and performing arts programs for student artists in grades 3-12.
Final minutes before the beginning of the evening's entertainment.
Interlochen is primarily a 500 student Fine Arts boarding school. Students are drawn to Interlochen from all over the country and all over the world to celebrate and create excellence in creative writing, dance, motion picture arts, music, theatre, visual arts and college-bound academics. Their school day is an eight hour day divided between academics and the arts. Their school week is from Monday morning through Saturday morning.
As the evening draws to a close, ballerinas enchant the audience.
They gave us an amazing performance and just so elegant.
They had us mesmerized at stage front and then . . .
a performance begins on the roof of the performance center.
Interlochen also has a 24-hour listener supported public radio station for classical music and the news. The most beautiful classical music we have ever heard is to be heard every day on this great public radio station. I am not sure a finer classical music station can be found.
The final moments of this wonderful evening of music and dance.
Year-round, Interlochen also has Professional concerts in classical and modern day renowned musicians from all fields. Among Interlochen's 90,000 alumni are actor Anthony Rapp, actor Felicity Huffman, dancer Peter Sparling, musician Jessye Norman, MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipient Aaron Dworkin , singer Josh Groban, and broadcaster Mike Wallace.
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