INTERLOCHEN — Interlochen Public Radio’s Sound Garden Project has entered a new partnership with the New York-based Concert Artists Guild to support the professional development of emerging classical musicians.
The partnership will integrate the Sound Garden Project into the guild’s prize package offerings for selected artists beginning in 2026.
The Sound Garden Project, currently in its sixth season, focuses on performing classical music in unconventional community settings to reach new audiences. The Concert Artists Guild is a nonprofit management organization that has worked to launch the careers of rising artists for 75 years.
The partnership coincides with the guild’s 75th anniversary season in 2026. Based in New York, the nonprofit management organization focuses on identifying and launching the careers of promising classical musicians through mentorship and performance opportunities.
Tim Mar serves as the chief operating officer and director of artist strategy at Concert Artists Guild. He said the partnership allows musicians to find authentic ways to reach new listeners.“The Sound Garden Project’s unique programming gives our artists an unparalleled experience in exploring innovative and authentic ways to connect new audiences to classical music,” Mar said.
The Sound Garden Project fellows spend their first year in a week of intense experimentation before performing for audiences in daily environments. These locations include hardware stores, skate shops and gas stations.
Matthew Schlomer is the founder and artistic director of the Sound Garden Project. He established the program to update how classical music interacts with modern entertainment landscapes.“The power of classical music is no less now than it has been throughout history. Audiences, however, have a very different landscape for entertainment options and lifestyle than when much of classical music was written,” Schlomer said.
Schlomer said the project aims to introduce music to people wherever they have free time. He noted that listeners often have emotional reactions to the short performances.“We will go anywhere people have free time or are having an aesthetic experience to introduce people to how much music can impact their lives, even if they don’t previously know anything about it,” Schlomer said. “We have regularly witnessed listeners in tears after a 60-second sound sample.”
Second-year fellows act as artists-in-residence within communities for up to three weeks. Past residencies at the Glen Arbor Arts Center and Cheboygan Opera House have featured concerts on pontoon boats, in fire stations and at neighborhood barbecues.
Peter Payette, executive director of Interlochen Public Radio, said the project is meant to supplement traditional performance spaces rather than replace them.
“We have no intention of taking away the concert hall, there is nothing like hearing music in a pristine acoustic space,” Payette said. “We just want to give people opportunities along the way to see if classical music is something they enjoy.”
The Sound Garden Project residency will be officially integrated into the Concert Artists Guild’s prize package offerings during its 75th anniversary season in 2026.