ACADEMY HIGHLIGHTS
2024–25 ENROLLMENT
FINANCIAL AID
4.9%
$ 17.5 TOTAL AWARDED: MILLION
6.1%
83 %
OF ACADEMY STUDENTS AWARDED AID
6.1%
The President’s Award in Art, selected by President Trey Devey in consultation with our visual arts faculty, was given this year to two students: Willa Jaymes (IAA 23-25) and Haisong “Harry” Zhao (IAA 22-25). Willa’s work (pictured left) focuses on light and the influence of one’s environment, using muted colors to direct the viewer’s eye on the textures and beautiful imperfections of the materials being used. Harry’s art (right) uses installations and sculpture to explore the evolution of human civilization, the interplay between nature and humanity, and the connections between ancient and contemporary worlds. “This year, we encountered an array of remarkable senior thesis exhibitions. Each artist presented a journey, not just of artistic expression, but of deep, personal evolution and commitment to bringing people together through art.” — Trey Devey
6.6%
577 ACADEMY STUDENTS FROM 43 U.S. STATES, 1 U.S. TERRITORY, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AS WELL AS 24 COUNTRIES
47.1%
BY MAJOR
9.9%
HONORS & RECOGNITIONS
17 YOUNGARTS HONOREES , INCLUDING 1 PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR IN THE ARTS NOMINEE 20 NATIONAL SCHOLASTIC ART AND WRITING AWARDS INCLUDING 10 GOLD MEDALS 2 NATIONAL MERIT SEMI-FINALISTS AND 5 NATIONAL MERIT COMMENDED STUDENTS 7 U.N. COMMUNITY SERVICE IMPACT AWARDS
19.4%
DOMESTIC DIVERSITY 35.7 % 16.1 % INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
MUSIC THEATRE VISUAL ARTS FILM & NEW MEDIA
CREATIVE WRITING DANCE INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTS
ACADEMIC Visiting artists and collaborations sparked students’ intellectual curiosity and creative spirit. Nandi Comer (IAC 96), a Detroit-born author and Michigan’s first Poet Laureate in 65 years, inspired English classes to cherish poetry’s potential to build community. Competitively selected math students were accepted to InspiritAI, an online, pre-college program on using artificial intelligence for social good, developed and taught by graduate students and alumni from Stanford and MIT.
CREATIVE WRITING A series of prestigious visiting artists offered vital new perspectives for the Academy’s budding young writers. Among them was Patrice Gopo, author of Autumn Song: Essays on Absence and the winner of our inaugural Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award, funded by philanthropic support. Gopo held a multi-day residency at Interlochen and gave presentations both on campus (pictured with students) and in Traverse City, in partnership with the National Writers Series.
INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTS A collaboration with guest artist Michael Spencer Phillips (IAC 96, IAC Fac 13-15) yielded a dynamic, multimedia concert, Figure Drawing , in which dance students performed original choreography inspired by interdisciplinary arts students’ drawings of the human form, all set to a piano work composed and performed by student Bianca C. (IAA 22-26). AI-generated interpretations of the students’ art, music, and dance were rendered in real time and projected onto the stage.
MUSIC The Academy Orchestra premiered new compositions by Chen Yi and Jeff Scott, both co-commissioned from Interlochen and Juilliard via a program that solicits new works by a diverse cohort of composers from historically underrepresented backgrounds. The partnership is supported by Jerold S. Kayden (IAC/NMC 62-63, 68-69), an alumnus of Interlochen Arts Camp and Juilliard. In 2025–26, premieres of works by Patrice Rushen and Viet Cuong are expected.
FILM & NEW MEDIA For two days in early November, Interlochen hosted its annual Future of Cinema Film Festival, which offers Academy filmmakers the chance to learn from industry professionals face-to-face. Animator, storyboard artist, and director Troy Quane joined Academy alumnae Alina Bobrova (IAA 14-17), Sunny Liu (IAA 09-11), and Jasmine Guo (IAA 10-12) for a series of Q&A sessions and master classes. Screenings of the artists’ works drew eager public audiences each evening.
DANCE The indomitable, inimitable Twyla Tharp—legendary choreographer, dancer, Kennedy Center honoree, and author of the acclaimed book The Creative Habit —charmed the Interlochen community during an April visit in which she shared her wit and insight from a lifetime on the stage and behind the scenes. Dance students, especially, gleaned lessons on grit and tenacity from Tharp’s superlative career, which has included choreography for four Broadway shows and films including Hair and Amadeus .
THEATRE Among this year’s productions was a play never before seen on an Interlochen stage—or any stage. As the only high school to collaborate in the Theatre for Young Audiences’ BIPOC Superhero Project (which promotes and celebrates the work of playwrights of color while exploring issues with which youth of color struggle), the Academy staged the world premiere of The Great MC (pictured), which playwright Susan H. Pak wrote after meeting with our theatre students and faculty.
VISUAL ARTS Visual arts students found a seemingly unlikely partner— a local public utility—in an initiative that brought our young artists’ creativity to new spaces and new eyes. The community-owned and operated Traverse City Light & Power collaborated with students in our Public Art class in the “Art on Infrastructure” project; students painted murals on electrical boxes in town and had the opportunity to interact with residents while the artworks were coming to life.
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WWW.INTERLOCHEN.ORG
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2025 ANNUAL REPORT OF GIFTS
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