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

