Chanhassen student receives national honor

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Christopher Hintz

hintzCR@interlochen.org

231.276.7608

Chanhassen student receives national honor

Young musician will attend Interlochen Arts Camp as Emerson Scholar

INTERLOCHEN, Mich. – Grace Roepke of Chanhassen has been named one of only 43 Emerson Scholars and will receive a full scholarship to attend Interlochen Arts Camp, the world’s premier summer arts program for aspiring young musicians. Emerson scholars are selected from among the top applicants to the competitive summer arts program.

Roepke, 15, will attend Interlochen Arts Camp this summer to study the harp and perform with distinguished youth ensembles. She is the daughter of Tony and Gretchen Roepke and attends Minnetonka High School in Minnetonka, Minn. She has taken private harp lessons with Phala Tracy for nine years. Roepke is the principal harpist in the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra. In her free time, she sings in the Minnetonka Varsity Choir and volunteers in her community. Roepke was a three-time recipient of the MacPhail Suzuki Association Scholarship and was selected as the Minnesota All-State harpist for the 2012-2013 school year. She plans to major in harp performance and play in a professional orchestra in the future. Roepke looks forward to the artistic atmosphere at Interlochen this summer. “I am so excited to come to Interlochen! I am thrilled to be around the many people who love music as much as I do.”

Sponsored by Emerson of St. Louis, the Emerson Scholar Program provides the opportunity for outstanding high school musicians to attend Interlochen Arts Camp, located in northwest Michigan. The Emerson Scholars Award provides full tuition, private lessons, and room and board for the six-week summer program. This is the 23rd year Emerson has sponsored the scholarship program.

“Every year, Interlochen Arts Camp brings together some of the most talented and motivated students from around the world,” said Interlochen President Jeffrey S. Kimpton. “Thanks to the generosity of Emerson, we are able to extend even more opportunities to talented young artists by providing them with an experience unlike any other.”

To be eligible for the Emerson Scholarship, students must be in grades nine through twelve and demonstrate exceptional skill and proficiency on harp, string, wind or percussion instruments. Upon arrival to the Arts Camp, Emerson Scholars contribute their talent and energy to one of Interlochen’s highly-regarded youth ensembles, including the World Youth Symphony Orchestra. This year, the orchestra will perform with world-renowned musicians including pianist Awadagin Pratt and cellist Anthony Ross. The group is conducted by the dynamic Jung Ho Pak and will also welcome guest conductors Osmo Vanska, music director of the Minnesota Orchestra, and JoAnn Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. 

“To be recognized as an Emerson Scholar puts these students in a most elite and prestigious group of talented people,” said Kimpton. “It is quite an honor, not only for the students themselves, but also for the people and places that helped them to become the promising young musicians they are.”

Since 1990, Emerson has been active in supporting the development of young artists and students. Emerson is a global company that brings together technology and engineering to provide innovative solutions for customers in a wide range of industrial, commercial, and consumer markets. In business since 1890, Emerson has grown to become one of the world's leading manufacturing companies, with a global presence spanning 150 countries. With products ranging from climate control technologies, home appliances motors, storage systems, food disposers, ceiling fans, and computer power surge protection, Emerson is a presence in nearly every household.

“Interlochen and Emerson complement one another,” noted Robert M. Cox, Jr., senior vice president at Emerson, “because both organizations positively impact the quality of life for individuals and cultures all over the world.”

Interlochen Arts Camp attracts students, faculty and staff from all 50 U.S. states and 40 countries. These 3,000 kindred spirits fill Interlochen’s northwoods campus with an explosion of creativity and inspiration. The world’s best and brightest students train intensively with world-class instructors and produce more than 400 presentations each summer in dance, theatre, creative writing, visual arts, music and motion picture arts. Students also attend performances by scores of guest artists. Acts appearing this summer as part of the Summer Arts Festival include Gavin DeGraw, Buddy Guy, Pilobolus, the Pacifica Quartet, Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, The Capitol Steps, Blind Pilot, and many more.   

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Interlochen Arts Camp is part of the nonprofit Interlochen Center for the Arts, the only community in the world that brings together: a 2500-student summer camp program; a 500-student fine arts boarding high school; lifelong opportunities for arts education and enrichment; two 24-hour listener-supported public radio stations; one of the nation’s largest arts presenters with 600 events annually.

Interlochen’s largest summer program, Interlochen Arts Camp, features dozens of performance ensembles, 21 performance sites, 400+ student and faculty presentations, 25+ distinguished guest artist performances, and a 1200-acre wooded campus, including 120 cabins, 3 cafeterias and 2 glacial lakes with recreational frontage.

Interlochen’s campus is 16 miles southwest of Traverse City in northwest Lower Michigan. For admissions information, call 231-276-7472, or visit Interlochen online at www.interlochen.org.

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Emerson (NYSE:EMR), based in St. Louis, is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions to customers through its network power, process management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and appliance and tools businesses. Emerson’s sales in fiscal 2011 were $24.2 billion. The company is ranked 120th on the Fortune 500 list of America’s largest companies. For more information, visit www.emerson.com.

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