30 July 4 • 2019
jn
music
arts&life
SUZANNE CHESSLER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Interlochen Legacy
A
s the Interlochen Arts
Festival gets into full
swing — with concerts,
comedy and dramatizations —
memories about the Interlochen
Center for the Arts abound.
Personal recollections are held
by former campers and year-
round students, some going on
to pursue successful careers in
the arts and others deciding on
different fields but maintaining
their artistic interests. Personal
recollections also are important to
those who have been in the audi-
ence for one or more programs.
Training and entertaining at the
northern Michigan enclave began
in 1928.
Pianist Roman Rabinovich, who
recently appeared at this year’
s fes-
tival, is likely to have heard about
the center from his father-in-law,
clarinetist Franklin Cohen, who
was a camper encouraged by his
New York family and returning
much later to teach master classes.
Both are representative of
talented members of the Jewish
community who have enjoyed
participating as well as watching
those achieving stardom.
Still to take the northern
Michigan stage this summer are
singers Reba McIntire and Diana
Ross, writer Aja Gabel, the World
Youth Symphony Orchestra, the
Pacifica Quartet and comedians
making up The Capitol Steps,
among many others.
Pianist Miriam Guten of Dallas
attended summer camp during
the 1940s with her sister, the late
actress Charlotte Rae, and still
takes to the keyboard. Her mem-
ories have been communicated
over many years to daughter Keri
Guten Cohen, story development
editor for the Jewish News.
“I’
ve been involved with music
most of my life,” says the pianist,
who was raised in Wisconsin and
started playing piano at a very
young age. “I entertained the
military during the Korean War;
I compose music, and I’
ve been
a musical director for the profes-
sional stage.
“The classes at Interlochen were
really good, and many of our
Miriam Guten
teachers were
famous. I learned
so much from com-
poser Ferde Grofé,
who wrote the
Grand Canyon
Suite, and pianist
Percy Grainger.
“I got to perform
at Interlochen and take part in
outdoor sports during the after-
noon — and I gained 10 pounds
each summer there. My mother
was not too happy.”
Aaron Jonah Lewis, who grew
up and still lives in Michigan,
went to Interlochen in the 1990s
and has built a career playing fid-
dle and banjo, both solo and with
groups, such as The Lovestruck
Balladeers.
His summer performance
schedule this year ranges from an
appearance at The Ark in Ann
Arbor to a performance at The
Frontier Home in Seattle.
“The people at Interlochen
are so passionate about art,” says
Lewis, who was a violin perfor-
mance major later introduced to
folk styles by a friend met through
a Habonim Dror program in
Israel.
Lewis, who has been part of
dozens of recordings, from blue-
grass to contemporary, also teach-
es. His workshops have been held
at the Royal Scottish Academy
TOP: Interlochen World Youth Symphony
Orchestra in performance. BELOW: Ari
Axelrod studied acting with Anne Cooper
at Interlochen. RIGHT: Now he’
s performing
cabaret shows in New York.
Memories abound for the camp Up North that focuses on the arts.
COURTESY INTERLOCHEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS