OTHER GIFTS CREATING IMPACT
Thanks to generous donor support, the percussion modernization initiative has completely re-tooled our percussion instruments. Many decades of use year-round meant the program needed an infusion of cash to provide the quality and breadth of instrumentation necessary to prepare students for conservatory and professional settings. Keith Aleo, Interlochen’s Director of Percussion, says the new and newly restored instruments on which to practice and perform have “made a huge difference in my teaching, the student experience, and making our ensembles sound better than ever... These new instruments help bring Interlochen to the forefront of percussion education.” The Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award at Interlochen , an annual competition that began in 2024, identifies and celebrates books that offer illumination, inspiration, and fresh insights into the creative process. The award targets both fiction and nonfiction works that exemplify achievement in areas such as music, visual arts, film and new media, dance, and theatre. The author of each year’s winning book receives a $25,000 prize and holds a multiday, visiting artist residency at Interlochen, in addition to a public event in nearby Traverse City co-hosted by the National Writers Series. Autumn Song: Essays on Absence by Patrice Gopo was announced as the inaugural awardee in the fall of 2024. Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson and The Slip: The New York City Street that Changed American Art Forever by Prudence Peiffer were selected as runners-up.
The Lochlan MacLean “Theatre Stuff” Endowment provides discretionary funds to elevate Interlochen theatre to new heights of expression and excellence. It’s named after recent Academy graduate Lochlan MacLean (IAA 18-20), who found at Interlochen a welcoming home to deepen his love for the theatre and impressed students and teachers alike with his kindness, intellect, and talent. Lochlan died in 2023 at the age of 22 after a two-year battle with metastatic osteosarcoma. His memory and spirit will endure through this theatre endowment, established by parents Brooke and Duncan and supported generously by 130 other family members and friends.
Along with the opportunity to review over 130
books focused on the transformative power of
the arts, we also have the chance to welcome our
winning author, Patrice Gopo, to campus this
spring to work closely with our students and
faculty as well as with members of the greater
community outside Interlochen. This gift and
partnership will allow us each year to bring in a
working artist to add even more to the richness
of the Interlochen experience.
— Eric Blackburn, Dean of Academics and Academic Support
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