|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
08/13/2007
Photo Story'Interlochen is part of me'
Gabriel Smith, 17, performs on bass drums and other percussion instruments at the 15th annual Suttons Bay Jazzfest. Consumed by a book of jazz legends, 17-year-old Gabriel Smith seemed undistracted by the leaf blower a dozen yards from his feet, the idle chit-chat of other pupils and a chorus of string instruments playing in the distance. Smith, a native of Cadillac, muffled out the noises of his environs as he studied in the outdoor mall at the Interlochen Center for the Arts by cocooning himself with headphones and what he calls the "soundtrack to his life,” or jazz. Smith attended his fourth Interlochen Arts Camp this summer. He was one of 2,504 students representing 49 states and 41 countries to participate in the six-week summer camp at Interlochen, a 2006 recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Arts(*). "I feel like I'm part of Interlochen and Interlochen is part of me,” he said. Smith participated in orchestra, jazz band and percussion ensemble at this summer's camp, which started June 23 and ended Aug. 6. He and fellow campers had several performances throughout the summer, including one at the Suttons Bay Jazz Festival where they received a standing ovation and requests for an encore. Rising at dawn and falling asleep after dusk, Smith and his peers spend hours in rehearsals and in rigorous academic courses focused on the arts. Smith hopes his attendance at four summer camps and graduation from the Interlochen Arts Academy will secure his place at the Manhattan School of Music in the fall of 2008. Like many Interlochen students, he hopes to reach the status of past alumni like Nora Jones, Jewel, Josh Grobin and Grammy Award-winning percussionist Peter Erskine. "What I've gained mostly besides musical skills are friendships and open-mindedness,” he said. "I come from small-town Michigan and I don't get much diversity. People come from different places and you have to respect where they come from and their ideas.” Clearing the Record
Because of an editor's error, this story originally incorrectly reported that student Gabriel Smith was a 2006 recipient of the National Medal of Arts. Interlochen Center for the Arts was the recipient.
|
|
