Interlochen Arts Academy Unveils 2025-26 Performance Season

Interlochen, Michigan, August 19, 2025

News Summary

The Interlochen Arts Academy has announced its upcoming performance season, highlighted by a collaboration with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The centerpiece event, ‘Imagine Us: Yo-Yo Ma & Interlochen Celebrate America at 250,’ is scheduled for March 2026 and will feature a world premiere cello concerto by Wynton Marsalis. Academy students will perform alongside members of major orchestras. The season will also include various theatrical performances, student showcases, and community events throughout the year.

Interlochen, Michigan — The Interlochen Arts Academy released its 2025-26 performance season schedule and announced a high-profile spring collaboration that will feature cellist Yo-Yo Ma performing with Academy students and members of three major orchestras. The centerpiece event, titled Imagine Us: Yo-Yo Ma & Interlochen Celebrate America at 250, is set for Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Corson Arena and will include the world premiere of a new cello concerto by Wynton Marsalis.

Key performance and tour details

The March 7 performance at Corson Arena will pair Interlochen Arts Academy students with Yo-Yo Ma and musicians from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra. The combined ensemble will also present Reena Esmail’s RE|member and a reimagined version of Charles Ives’ Symphony No. 4, and the program will integrate multidisciplinary contributions from students across all seven artistic disciplines at the Academy.

Following the Corson Arena concert, the ensemble will continue to four additional performances in Detroit, Philadelphia, and Boston. Yo-Yo Ma will serve as soloist for the Marsalis cello concerto in Interlochen, Philadelphia, and Boston. For the Detroit performance, cellist and Interlochen alumnus Joshua McClendon of the Isidore String Quartet will take the solo role in place of Yo-Yo Ma.

Supporting season highlights

The Arts Academy’s full 2025-26 calendar includes a mix of student showcases, theatre, dance, and family programming. Major season entries include:

• October 3 — Collage, a multidisciplinary student showcase.
• October 23 — An Evening with David Sedaris, author and humorist.
• November 14–16 — Theatre department production of 9 to 5.
• December 11–14 — The Nutcracker ballet.
• December 18–19 — Sounds of the Season holiday concert.
• February 13–15 — Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet ballet with live orchestra.
• February 21 — Winterlochen, a family-friendly winter festival.
• March 18 — Peppa Pig: My First Concert, an interactive music introduction for children.
• May 8–10 — Theatre department production of The Who’s Tommy.

Interlochen In Town series in Traverse City

The Academy will also present the Interlochen In Town series with performances in and around Traverse City, including:

• October 16 — Musical Theatre at the City Opera House.
• December 6 — Jazz Orchestra performing Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite at The Bay Theatre.
• February 5 — Singer-Songwriter & Popular Music Ensemble at the City Opera House.
• February 28 — Ty Chiko & Ya-Ju Chuang performing Schubert’s Winterreise at The Alluvion.
• April 10 — Lauren Hunt Trio at The Alluvion.
• April 16 — Interlochen jazz showcase at the City Opera House.

Tickets, preparation, and program elements

Tickets for season events and the Yo-Yo Ma performances are available through the Interlochen Arts Academy’s official ticketing channels and website. Yo-Yo Ma will work with Arts Academy students in advance of the tour and will perform as soloist for the Marsalis concerto in three of the four tour cities. The Detroit performance will feature Joshua McClendon in the solo role.

Background and context

The concert tour serves as an early public celebration leading up to Interlochen’s centennial anniversary, which will officially begin in 2028. The inclusion of a new cello concerto by Wynton Marsalis, a nine-time Grammy Award winner, highlights a collaboration between leading artists and student musicians. The program’s inclusion of multidisciplinary student work reflects the Academy’s emphasis on cross-disciplinary training across music, theatre, dance, creative writing, visual arts, motion, and film.

The Interlochen Arts Festival, the Academy’s annual summer series of performances and events, is concluding this week, while the Academy shifts focus to the upcoming academic-year season and the announced touring collaboration.

Practical information

• Primary venue for the highlighted performance: Corson Arena, Interlochen.
• Main tour stops following Interlochen: Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston.
• Composer of the new cello concerto: Wynton Marsalis.
• Additional featured works: Reena Esmail’s RE|member and Charles Ives’ Symphony No. 4 (reimagined).
• Academy participation: students from all seven artistic disciplines will contribute multidisciplinary elements.

FAQ

Quick reference table

Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic

HERE Resources

Additional Resources

• Traverse Ticker: Interlochen’s 2025-26 Performance Season
• Wikipedia: Yo-Yo Ma
• Lansing State Journal: Traveling for the Arts
• Google Search: Interlochen Arts Academy concerts
• MyNorth: Summer Concerts and Venues
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Classical Music
• Up North Live: Winterlochen Festival
• Google News: Interlochen Arts Academy events
• Traverse Ticker: Interlochen Cherry Fest

Author: STAFF HERE BOSTON WRITER

BOSTON STAFF WRITER The BOSTON STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HEREBoston.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in Boston, Suffolk County, and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as Boston Marathon, Head of the Charles Regatta, and Boston Harborfest. Our coverage extends to key organizations like the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Massachusetts, plus leading businesses in finance, biotech, and insurance that power the local economy such as Fidelity Investments, Biogen, and Liberty Mutual Insurance. As part of the broader HERE network, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into Massachusetts's dynamic landscape.