Interlochen Releases 97-Page Abuse Report Detailing 6 Decades of Misconduct

3 articles · Updated · The Violin Channel · Aug 4

A 97-page independent report found historical sexual abuse and misconduct at Interlochen Center for the Arts spanning the 1950s to the 2010s, after a 2024 alumna disclosure triggered the inquiry.
The review gathered 180 interviews and 70 firsthand accounts alleging inappropriate behavior, grooming, sexual assault and misconduct involving 47 adults, with most incidents occurring before 2000.
Interlochen publicly identified four accused men, including three deceased former affiliates and ex-faculty member Thomas Clower, who was convicted in 2005 after the school reported him to police and fired him.
Jeffrey Epstein was also cited in two alumni accounts; the report says parental warnings in the 1990s that he was preying on students went unheeded, though his name was removed from a campus lodge in 2008.
The school said it has shared findings with law enforcement and will add survivor support, tighter reporting and hiring safeguards, while lawyers for some alumni urged Michigan to expand civil recourse for survivors.