Amanda Sewell

Music Director
  • Amanda Sewell
    Amanda Sewell

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

Interlochen performance on Performance Today: April 10, 2020

By • Apr 9, 2020

On Friday, April 10, the nationally syndicated program Performance Today will feature music performed and recorded at Interlochen.

Listen during the 10 a.m. hour to hear the Danish String Quartet in a recent performance they gave in Interlochen's Corson Auditorium.

Michael Culler engineered the recording.

Notes from Home: Doug and Emma Spaniol

By • Apr 8, 2020

Reconstructing bassoon teaching pieces and arranging Ozzy Osbourne songs for his group Rock E. Bassoon are all in a day's work for Doug Spaniol.

Classical IPR in Concert: Sandra Shapiro

By • Apr 7, 2020

Pianist Sandra Shapiro serves on the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music. She has also taught at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy. 

Shapiro recently gave a recital at Interlochen Center for the Arts entitled "In My Father's Footsteps - A Daughter's Search for Answers." This recital is the first of the four-part series "Musical Roots: An Exploration of Cultural Heritage."

Notes from Home: Peter Deneen

By • Apr 7, 2020

Bagpipes are the original tool for social distancing, according to Peter Deneen. He's band director at Traverse City East Middle School and Central High School as well as the Pipe Major of the Grand Traverse Pipes and Drums.

Great Lakes Concerts: April 6, 2020

By • Apr 6, 2020

Great Lakes Concerts is a co-production of Interlochen Public Radio, WKAR in East Lansing and WRCJ in Detroit.

Listen every Monday at 6 p.m. on Classical IPR for recent great performances from the Great Lakes region.

This week's program

Sir Arthur Sullivan: Overture to "The Pirates of Penzance"
Jackson Symphony Orch
Matthew Aubin, conductor
(Recorded November 23, 2019 at Potter Center Music Hall)

Notes from Home: David and Joan Holland

By • Apr 3, 2020

David and Joan Holland met at Interlochen in the 1970s, and they got together when they played a sonata for viola and harp by Arnold Bax.

Over 40 years later, they're still making music together. They joined Classical IPR via Zoom and played their own arrangement of a traditional gypsy air.

Interlochen performances on Performance Today: April 3, 2020

By • Apr 2, 2020

On Friday, April 3, the nationally syndicated classical music program Performance Today will feature music performed and recorded at Interlochen.

Notes from Home: Chas Helge

By • Apr 2, 2020

What does a cellist do when they're self-quarantined at home with just their cat for company? In Chas Helge's case, he's making recordings featuring five versions of himself.

Notes from Home: Alexandra Snyder Dunbar

By • Apr 1, 2020

Alexandra Snyder Dunbar has three harpsichords in her Georgia home, so she had to choose just one to play when she joined Classical IPR via Zoom this week. 

Snyder Dunbar was the first guest in a new series called Notes from Home, featuring interviews with classical musicians from their homes.

Classical IPR in Concert: Conrad Tao and Stefan Jackiw

By • Mar 24, 2020

Interlochen Center for the Arts recently welcomed violinist Stefan Jackiw and pianist Conrad Tao to the Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall. They performed music of Stravinsky, Lutoslawski, Saariaho and Brahms.

Classical IPR in Concert: Goldstein-Peled-Fiterstein Trio

By • Feb 25, 2020
Alex Fiterstein, Alon Goldstein and Amit Peled

Pianist Alon Goldstein, cellist Amit Peled and clarinetist Alex Fiterstein are all respected soloists, teachers and ensemble musicians. They formed the Goldstein-Peled-Fiterstein Trio in 2005, and in recitals, they perform as soloists, in duets, and as a trio.

The Interlochen Collection: Cynthia Raim

By • Jan 17, 2020

This week's episode of the Interlochen Collection features pianist Cynthia Raim. We'll hear archival recordings from her time as an Interlochen camper in the early 1960s as well as her later professional commercial recordings.

Listen to the entire episode below.

The Interlochen Collection: The White House

By • Jan 10, 2020
Interlochen Center for the Arts

On this edition of The Interlochen Collection, we revisit the National High School Symphony Orchestra’s trip to the White House in 1962, where they performed for President John F. Kennedy.

Listen to the entire episode below.

Classical IPR in Concert: Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen

By • Dec 31, 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.

Metropolitan Opera: The Magic Flute

By • Dec 26, 2019
Karen Almond / Met Opera

The 2019-20 Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcast season continues with Mozart’s classic fairy tale The Magic Flute, an abridged English-language adaptation that carries on the Met’s tradition of presenting opera for audiences of all ages at the holidays.

Lothar Koenigs conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus in this beloved opera about the triumph of love and virtue.

Great Lakes Concerts: December 23, 2019

By • Dec 22, 2019

Great Lakes Concerts is a co-production of Interlochen Public Radio, WRCJ and WKAR. Listen every Monday at 6 p.m. on Classical IPR for great performances from the Great Lakes Region.

This week's program

George Gershwin: "Summertime and A Woman is a Sometime Thing" from "Porgy and Bess" (arr. Jascha Heifetz)
Ilya Kaler, violin
Genadi Zagor, piano
(Recorded Nov. 16, 2017- Urban beat, Old Town as part of the Absolute Music Chamber Series)

Christmas Day from Northern Michigan 2019 on Classical IPR

By • Dec 17, 2019

Join Classical IPR for our third annual Christmas Day from Northern Michigan. Recent holiday performances by regional music ensembles will be featured all day.

Everyone at Classical IPR wishes you and yours a very merry holiday season.

The complete Christmas Day schedule is below. 

Great Lakes Concerts: December 16, 2019

By • Dec 15, 2019

Every week, Great Lakes Concerts presents recent great performances from the Great Lakes region. Listen every Monday at 6 p.m. on Classical IPR.

This week's program

Giacomo Puccini: Aria, "O mio babbino caro" ("O dearest daddy") from "Gianni Schicchi"
Emily Douglass, soprano
Jackson Symphony Orchestra
Matthew Aubin, conductor
(Recorded at Potter Center, November 11, 2017)                                                                                                   

In Studio A with violinist Yu-Jen Weng

By • Dec 13, 2019

Violinist Yu-Jen Weng is a senior at Interlochen Arts Academy, where she studies with Ara Sarkissian.

She recently visited IPR's Studio A to perform the second movement from the violin concerto by Jean Sibelius. She was joined by collaborative pianist Ya-Ju Chuang.

Yu-Jen told us why Aladdin is her favorite movie and why it's a lot easier to practice at Interlochen than in her hometown of Taipei, Taiwan.

Listen to the entire performance and interview below.

  

Brock Morman engineered this edition of Studio A.

Classical IPR in Concert: NMC Concert Band, musicals that changed our lives!

By • Dec 11, 2019

The Northwestern Michigan College Concert band recently gave a performance called "Musicals that Changed Our Lives." Conducted by Pat Brumbaugh, the ensemble presented medleys from six different popular musicals.

Listen to this recent NMC Concert Band performance Friday at 8 p.m., Sunday at noon or on demand below.

Curious about the band members' day jobs? Scroll down to see the complete demographics.

Kevin Gills engineered the audio recording.

The complete program is listed below. Click the image to enlarge it.

Great Lakes Concerts: December 9, 2019

By • Dec 9, 2019

Great Lakes Concerts is a co-production of Classical IPR, WKAR and WRCJ. Listen every Monday at 6 p.m. on Classical IPR.

This week's program

Aaron Copland: Concerto for Clarinet & Strings, with Harp & Piano (1948)
Jeanmarie Riccobono, clarinet
Traverse Symphony Orchestra
Kevin Rhodes, conductor
(Recorded Oct. 14, 2018, Corson Auditorium, Interlochen)

Meet IPR's Music Director at the Manitou Winds concert: December 7, 2019

By • Dec 3, 2019

On Saturday, December 7, IPR's music director Amanda Sewell will be meeting listeners at Manitou Winds' annual Winter Songs and Carols concert.

The concert takes place at Grace Episcopal Church in Traverse City, and it starts at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, but a freewill offering will be taken to support Grace’s Friday Community Lunch ministry.

Click here for more information about the concert. Sewell will be available in the lobby before and after the concert to meet with listeners.

2019 Classical IPR holiday programming

By • Dec 2, 2019

Celebrate the season with special programming on Classical IPR. 

Click the image below for a printable version of the 2019 holiday programming schedule. 

A text version of the schedule is available below the image.

Great Lakes Concerts: December 2, 2019

By • Dec 1, 2019

Interlochen Public Radio presents Great Lakes Concerts in partnership with WKAR and WRCJ. Listen every Monday at 6 p.m. on Classical IPR for great performances from the Great Lakes region.

This week's program

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G

Classical IPR in Concert: 2019 Baroque on Beaver highlights

By • Nov 27, 2019
Taffy Raphael Photography

Every summer, classical musicians from around the country gather on northern Michigan’s Beaver Island for the Baroque on Beaver Festival.

This week on Classical IPR in Concert, we feature highlights from the 2019 Baroque on Beaver Festival. Click here for the complete roster of musicians in the Festival Orchestra and Chorus. 

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