Amanda Sewell

Music Director
  • Amanda Sewell
    Amanda Sewell
    Photo by Daniel Wanschura

Amanda Sewell is a musicologist who holds a Ph.D. in musicology from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Her research about music has appeared in textbooks, academic journals, and music encyclopedias.  Her first book, a biography of the American composer Wendy Carlos, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press. Amanda frequently contributes program notes for performances of classical music, including performances at Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Ways to Connect

Kazoo lessons with the Kids Commute team at Friday Night Live!

By • Aug 15, 2019

This Friday, August 16, join your Kids Commute team (Kate Botello and Tony Bero) at Friday Night Live in Traverse City! 

Kate and Tony will be handing out Kids Commute kazoos and giving lessons on how to play them! Think you already know? You might be surprised...

In Studio A with the Prevailing Winds of Leelanau County

By • Aug 15, 2019
Amanda Sewell

The Prevailing Winds of Leelanau County is a wind quintet whose members include Peg Kroll (flute), Margie Tropf (oboe), Steve Gilbreath (clarinet), Diane Kolak (horn) and Ted Kroll (bassoon).

The quintet recently visited IPR's Studio A to perform several pieces of music. They talked about their love of making music as an amateur ensemble, including the fact that sometimes their rehearsals are more fun than their performances. 

Listen to the entire performance and interview below.

Music performed

Bela Bartok, Hungarian Dance

Classical IPR in Concert: Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen

By • Aug 14, 2019
Interlochen Center for the Arts

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra recently visited Interlochen Center for the Arts for the first time since 2006. This week, Classical IPR in Concert presents this recent performance from the stage of Kresge Auditorium.

Listen Fridays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 12 p.m. or any time on demand below.

Interlochen performance on Performance Today: August 15, 2019

By • Aug 14, 2019

On Thursday, August 15, the nationally syndicated program Performance Today will feature music performed and recorded at Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Join Classical IPR at about 11:06 a.m. to hear a recent performance given in the Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall by pianist Sarah Cahill of Ingram Marshall's "Authentic Presence." 

Michael Culler and Stefan Wiebe engineered the audio recording.

Great Lakes Concerts: August 12, 2019

By • Aug 11, 2019
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory

This Monday at 6 p.m., join Classical IPR for Great Lakes Concerts, a weekly program featuring performances from all over the state.

In Studio A with Interlochen Arts Camp Advanced String Quartet students

By • Aug 9, 2019
Amanda Sewell

This summer, Interlochen Arts Camp welcomed 24 students to its Advanced String Quartet program. The students in these six quartets recently visited IPR's Studio A to perform some of the music they learned this summer.

Lenny Schranze, the faculty coordinator of the program, also discussed the Advanced String Quartet program with IPR.

Listen to each quartet's performance below.

Classical IPR in Concert: Laureates of the Sphinx Competition

By • Aug 7, 2019

The Sphinx Competition is an annual concerto competition for young American string players of color. The winners of the Sphinx Competition often go on to remarkable careers.

Recently, three Sphinx Laureates gave a recital at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts in Bay Harbor. Violinist Elena Urioste, cellist Gabriel Cabezas and double bassist Xavier Foley performed with pianist  Tom Poster.

2019 programming changes on Classical IPR

By • Aug 6, 2019

Starting Monday, August 12, Classical IPR is making some programming changes. We're adding more regional programs, encores of some of your favorite programs and new programs to our lineup.

Every Monday at 6 p.m., hear favorite programs from around the region. These include MSU in Concert, Great Lakes Concerts and the Interlochen Collection. We will also add an encore broadcast of From the Top and Michigan Matinee, a movie music program produced by WKAR.

Weekend Classical with Nancy Deneen will now air Saturdays starting at 7 a.m.

Interlochen performances on Performance Today: August 6, 2019

By • Aug 5, 2019

On Tuesday, August 6, the nationally syndicated classical music program Performance Today will feature two different recordings from Interlochen. 

At about 10:06 a.m., Performance Today will feature a performance the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra gave at Lincoln Center in David Geffen Hall. This performance from the 2016 NY Phil Biennial featured the piece "So Far So Good" by Nico Muhly. The conductor was Christopher Rountree.

Classical IPR in Concert: Interlochen Arts Camp Faculty chamber music III

By • Jul 31, 2019

Friday at 8 p.m., Classical IPR in Concert presents the third and final installment of chamber music performed by 2018 Interlochen Arts Camp faculty members. 

In Studio A with composer Amanda Harberg

By • Jul 31, 2019

Composer Amanda Harberg teaches music theory and composition at Rutgers University. In the summer, she's an Instructor of Composition at Interlochen Arts Camp.

This summer, Harberg visited IPR's Studio A with four of her faculty colleagues from Interlochen Arts Camp. With Harberg at the piano, they performed a variety of her chamber music.

Great Lakes Concerts: July 29, 2019

By • Jul 29, 2019
Creative Commons CC0

This Monday at 6 p.m., join Classical IPR for Great Lakes Concerts, a new program produced by WKAR Public Media at Michigan State in partnership with WRCJ Detroit and Interlochen Public Radio.

Great Lakes Concerts is a weekly program featuring concert performances from all over the state. Click here to read the complete press release.

This week's program

Meet IPR's music director Amanda Sewell at Baroque on Beaver

By • Jul 29, 2019

This week, meet Interlochen Public Radio's music director Amanda Sewell at Baroque on Beaver, an annual classical music festival held on Beaver Island.

Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen 2019: Live on Classical IPR

By • Jul 26, 2019

This Saturday, July 27, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra returns to Interlochen for the first time since 2006.

Ensemble Intercontemporain Music Director Matthias Pintscher will lead the DSO in Maurice Ravel's "Mother Goose" Suite, Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances and Camille Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 5, featuring guest soloist Joseph Moog.

Classical IPR in Concert: Sphinx Virtuosi

By • Jul 25, 2019
Kevin Kennedy

The Sphinx Virtuosi is a professional chamber orchestra made up of the nation's top Black and Latinx classical soloists. The orchestra recently visited Interlochen Center for the Arts. 

In Studio A with Valade Instructor of Cello Natalie Helm

By • Jul 23, 2019

Natalie Helm is principal cellist at the Sarasota Orchestra and founder of Upward Notes, an organization that takes music outside the concert hall and to the community. She is also a Valade Instructor of Cello at Interlochen Arts Camp.

Interlochen performances on Performance Today: July 23, 2019

By • Jul 22, 2019

On Tuesday, July 23, the nationally syndicated classical music program Performance Today will feature music performed and recorded at Interlochen.

Join Classical IPR at about 11:06 a.m. Tuesday to hear music of Manuel de Falla performed by violinist Martin Chalifour and guitarist Mak Grgic during a recent recital in the Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall.

The recordings were engineered by Duncan LeMay with Michael Culler.

Great Lakes Concerts: July 22, 2019

By • Jul 21, 2019
Creative Commons CC0

This Monday at 6 p.m., join Classical IPR for Great Lakes Concerts, a new program produced by WKAR Public Media at Michigan State in partnership with WRCJ Detroit and Interlochen Public Radio.

Great Lakes Concerts is a weekly program featuring concert performances from all over the state. Click here to read the complete press release.

This week's program

In Studio A with Valade Concertmaster Dennis Kim

By • Jul 19, 2019

Dennis Kim is the concertmaster of the Pacific Symphony and is a Valade Concertmaster at Interlochen Arts Camp.

Dennis Kim visited IPR’s Studio A to perform and chat about his career. Kim told us that Interlochen can be a "magical" place. He also said his kids knew he had "made it" as a professional violinist when he played on the soundtrack for the film "Toy Story 4."

In Studio A with Get Dect

By • Jul 18, 2019
Amanda Sewell

Did you know that a group of ten musicians is called a dectet? It can also be called a tentet or a decet.

Classical IPR recently welcomed Get Dect, a wind dectet of student musicians from the high school division at Interlochen Arts Camp. They performed the fourth movement from the Sinfonietta by Joachim Raff in IPR’s Studio A.

Listen to their performance below.

The ensemble is coached by Doug Spaniol and Hank Skolnick. 

2019 World Youth Symphony Orchestra Week 4: Live on Classical IPR

By • Jul 18, 2019

This Sunday, conductor JoAnn Falletta leads the World Youth Symphony Orchestra. The program includes Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony no. 5 and a new work by Ryan Lindveit called "Close Up at a Distance."

Tune in to Classical IPR Sunday at 7 p.m. for comments from JoAnn Falletta and Ryan Lindveit, plus music from Interlochen's archives. The concert downbeat is at 7:30 p.m.

Classical IPR in Concert: Interlochen Arts Camp faculty chamber music II

By • Jul 17, 2019

Join Classical IPR Friday at 8 p.m. for recent performances of chamber music given by Interlochen Arts Camp faculty members. You can also listen on demand below.

Interlochen performances on Performance Today: July 17, 2019

By • Jul 16, 2019

On Wednesday July 17, the nationally syndicated classical music program Performance Today will feature music performed and recorded at Interlochen.

Join Classical IPR at about 10:50 a.m. Wednesday to hear "Heartstorm" by Bob James.  A recent recital in the Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall featured James at the piano with flutist Nancy Stagnitta.

Michael Culler engineered the recording.

Great Lakes Concerts: July 15, 2019

By • Jul 14, 2019
Wikimedia Images

This Monday at 6 p.m., join Classical IPR for Great Lakes Concerts, a new program produced by WKAR Public Media at Michigan State in partnership with WRCJ Detroit and Interlochen Public Radio.

Great Lakes Concerts is a weekly program featuring concert performances from all over the state. Click here to read the complete press release.

Interlochen performance on Performance Today: July 12, 2019

By • Jul 11, 2019

On Friday, July 12, the nationally syndicated classical music program Performance Today will feature music performed and recorded at Interlochen.

Join Classical IPR at about 10:06 a.m. Friday to hear guitarist Marcin Dylla perform the Sonata no. 3 by Carlos Gustavino.  This performance took place in the Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall.

Michael Culler engineered the recording.

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