2024 HIGHLIGHTS | Inspiring Collaborations
The World Premiere of Edmonia
One of Interlochen’s largest-scale productions ever came to fruition this May. Capacity houses in Corson Auditorium reveled in the world premiere of Edmonia —a new opera with music and libretto written by Dr. Bill Banfield—that tells the story of the trailblazing 19th-century Black and Indigenous American sculptor Edmonia Lewis. The opera offered a unique opportunity for collaboration. More than 150 Interlochen artists across all seven creative disciplines acted and sang on stage, played in the orchestra, assisted backstage, contributed to creative or technical production elements, wrote poetry inspired by the opera, or exhibited specially created visual artworks. The performance drew several guest artists to campus for instruction and collaboration. Joining the cast were Interlochen Trustee and Grammy Award-winning theatre actor Sydney James Harcourt (IAA 94-97, AS 94, 97) and nationally renowned operatic soprano Amber Cierra Merritt.
Dr. Banfield was a visiting guest instructor and worked alongside jazz pianist and R&B singer Patrice Rushen. Guest conductor Julius P. Williams was at the podium; Interlochen faculty Laura Osgood Brown and Justin Lee Miller co-directed. The impact of this collaborative production expanded beyond campus through a televised broadcast by Detroit PBS. Edmonia was supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and by the Foster Family Foundation for costumes and set production, which included Interlochen’s first use of a new, computerized motion-controlled system with a revolving turntable. Additional donors who supported Interlochen’s study of the music and art of the African Diaspora, which included Edmonia and campus visits by guest artists, included Dean Anderson (IAC/NMC 63, UNIV 65, IAC St 66, 68) and Elaine Gurian, Kristin Podack, and Jerra Spence (IAC 93, IAA 94-97).
“In premiering Edmonia , we reaffirmed our commitment to generating new art and the opera of tomorrow, while also amplifying the forgotten stories of our past. The collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of this piece, featuring one of the largest casts in Interlochen Arts Academy history and a team of artistic faculty, allowed for an inspiring and enriching daily cross-pollination of ideas, genres, and expression.” — Dr. Laura Osgood Brown, Co-Director of Edmonia and Interlochen Instructor of Voice and Opera Workshop
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2024 ANNUAL REPORT
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