Celebrate 'Just an Idea' day with Classical IPR on April 16

Interlochen Public Radio

Published April 6, 2026 at 10:22 AM EDT

Joe and Marie Maddy prepare the site for what would become Interlochen Center for the Arts (1927)

On April 16, 1926, Joe Maddy heard the student performance that gave him "just an idea" to start a summer music camp at Interlochen.

Classical IPR invites listeners to join a special day of programming titled “Just an Idea,” commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first performance by the National High School Orchestra (NHSO). This historic 1926 event served as the spark for founder Joe Maddy’s vision to create a permanent summer home for young artists at Interlochen.

In April 1926, Joe Maddy assembled 230 high school musicians from 25 states in Detroit. Despite skepticism from established music directors and educators, these students—who had rehearsed together for only four days—delivered a performance that stunned the National Music Supervisors Conference. Inspired by what those students achieved in such a short window, Maddy began to wonder: if they could reach those heights in four days, what could they accomplish with weeks of dedicated study?

An excerpt from Joe Maddy's "Just an Idea" essay, which contains his thoughts for what would become the National High School Orchestra and Band Camp at Interlochen. Music Supervisors' Journal, Vol. 13, No. 4 (Mar., 1927), pp. 71-72 (link to full text)

“Joe Maddy believed in the limitless potential of young musicians, and this National High School Orchestra performance in 1926 helped him show others what students could accomplish when given the opportunity,” says Amanda Sewell, IPR’s music director. “He, T.P. Giddings and others took the momentum and excitement from that first concert and created the camp at Interlochen, whose legacy endures a century later.”

All day on Classical IPR on April 16, 2026, celebrate “Just an Idea” Day with:

Historical Retrospectives: Stories of the 1926 rehearsals at the J.L. Hudson Department Store and the journey from the first camp in 1928 to today.
Archival Music: Selections reflecting the repertoire performed by the original 1926 orchestra, including recordings of student performances from Interlochen’s archives
The Interlochen Legacy: Features on how Maddy’s belief in the potential of young artists continues to define the Interlochen Arts Group today.

Listeners are encouraged to tune in to celebrate a century of musical ambition, belief in the passion and potential of young artists and Joe Maddy’s “just an idea” that changed the landscape of arts education forever.