Notes from Interlochen

I'm typing from a bucolic setting by the lake next to my cabin at Interlochen where I'm Director of Orchestras during the summer. After two weeks of young audiences screaming and cheering for Ives, Mozart and Respighi, it gives me pause to think, "if it can happen here, can it work in the commercial/professional world?" Of course, my belief is that it can.

The great thing about youth is that they don't have expectations. If you can present an experience that reflects the energy and imagination that they expect, they'll embrace just about anything...including classical music.

I think Nova is heading boldly in the right direction. It's a course that dares to accomplish the impossible. We actually believe that the general public can become excited over beautiful art if it's presented in a way that is as fresh and imaginative as anything they can find in the world of leisure and entertainment. Usually these two worlds seem at odds, but Mozart (and Verdi and others) understood how to blend these seemingly disparate tastes. We're just doing this for our own own generation!

Jung-Ho Pak

Artistic director and conductor