If it's early April, it must be time to herald the Interlochen Center For The Arts' summer concert lineup, and we have the lineup right here. But first, a few words with the man responsible for booking all those rock, country, pop, dance, classicial, and theater acts, Christopher Gruits, executive director of Interlochen Presents, who tells The Ticker he's proud of this year's lineup -- and shares why some performers just can't get enough of that Interlochen magic.

Ticker: So...here it is! Your thoughts about this summer's lineup?
Gruits: I'm excited. It's really solid. We have some interesting debut artists like Mavis Staples, some old favorites like Garrison Keillor and the Doobie Brothers, and then someone like Harry Connick, Jr., who asked to come back to Interlochen. He had such a great time two years ago and spent a lot of time with the campers. Interlochen had a big impact on him. So it's a pretty diverse lineup.

Ticker: And then the Copland theme?
Gruits: Yes. The different thing we're doing this year is programming thematically around Aaron Copland 25 years after his death. He spent time at Interlochen in 1967 and 1970, and he's one of the most significant composers of the 20th century and certainly one of the most significant American composers. So what we've tried to do is look at Copland and what was the world he was operating in then. Those American sounds like "Appalachian Spring" and "Rodeo"...those sounds didn't exist before him. So we think that's very interesting, and we're carrying that theme across several disciplines, looking at what other artists were working on in the middle of the 20th century, whether it be dance, film, writing, or music. Interlochen is in a really unique position to do things like that.

Ticker: Talk about the demographics you're appealing to, particularly with this year's lineup.
Gruits: There are a lot of artists here who resonate with baby boomers, but overall you're trying to strike a balance. Pink Martini, for instance, appeals to people in their 20s all the way through 50s or 60s. Last year we had Ray Lamontagne and Nickel Creek. Our mix is also reflective of who we are here; we see a lot of families and we have a big retirement community here.

Ticker: How far in advance are you working on booking the summer acts?
Gruits: With classical or theater or dance, those work 1-2 years in advance. With rock/pop/country, it's more like 6-9 months. We start talking and working with agents far in advance...we're already talking to some about next summer that we really want to work with.

Ticker: But you have some limitations here in terms of location and size of venue...
Gruits: It works both ways. Our advantage is we have an amazing and special venue, but the disadvantage is that we're way out of the way, which creates a challenge in terms of where the [performers' tours] routing will work. So it's a bit dependent on that and also relationships with agents. But 99 percent of the time, if an artist has been here, they want to come back; the audiences are so unique and they always have a good time.

Ticker: And you're also limited by a budget?
Gruits: Sure, everybody has a budget, but what's more interesting is our seating capacity. At 4,000 seats, we don't have a giant lawn like DTE Energy Music Theatre or Ravinia outside of Chicago. We're considered a small venue, and that also limits the types of artists you can access. Fleetwood Mac, for instance, only goes to venues with 15,000 seats and up.

Ticker: Are visiting artists required to spend time on campus with students?
Gruits: Certainly that's a critical part for classical or dance, but certain artists on the popular side have very, very busy schedules. So they play and then they're onto the next stop. But then you have Harry Connick, who spent two and a half hours with students after his show.

Ticker: What feedback do you get from visiting artists?
Gruits: I would say 8 out of 10 times I'm on the beach backstage with artists before they go on stage and they are awestruck. They'll say, "I cannot believe this place," or "I've always heard about it." Nickel Creek was jumping in kayaks on the lake before their performance. It's fun.

Ticker: Any last words to Ticker readers about this summer?
Gruits: We're just really excited, and we invite people who haven't experienced Interlochen before to come out and try it. We hope there's something for everybody. 

Tickets for the Interlochen Arts Festival go on sale on April 24 at 9am. The lineup includes:

Michael McDonald
June 18 at 8 p.m.

Garry Krinsky: Toying with Science
June 29 at 7 p.m.

“As You Like It”
Interlochen Shakespeare Festival
July 2, 3 and July 9, 10 & 11 at 8 p.m.

Shakespeare's Sonnets
July 5 at 2 p.m.

The Capitol Steps
July 5 at 8 p.m.

World Youth Symphony Orchestra
July 5 at 8 p.m., Kresge Auditorium

Copland In Context: Aaron Copland, an Introduction
July 6 at 8 p.m.

Pink Martini
July 6 at 8 p.m.

BOOKER T. Jones
July 6 at 8 p.m.

An Evening with the Doobie Brothers
July 7 at 8 p.m.

Sweet Harmony Soul: Patty Griffin & Mavis Staples
Special Guest Amy Helm & The Handsome Strangers
July 8 at 8 p.m.

World Youth Symphony Orchestra
July 12 at 8 p.m.

Interlochen “Collage”
July 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Film Screening: “Our Town”
July 16 at 8 p.m.

James Ehnes, Violin
World Youth Symphony Orchestra
July 19 at 8 p.m.

Film Screening: “The Red Pony”
July 20 at 8 p.m.

Copland In Context: Dancing for Copland
July 21 at 8 p.m.

Boz Scaggs and Tower of Power
July 22 at 8 p.m.

Martha Graham Dance Company
July 22 at 8 p.m.

Emerson String Quartet
July 23 at 8 p.m.

World Youth Symphony Orchestra
July 26 at 8 p.m.

Copland In Context: Writing Towards a New America
July 27 at 8 p.m.

A Prairie Home Companion
Tuesday, July 28 at 8 p.m.

Film Screening: “The Heiress”
July 28 at 8 p.m.

Beach Boys
July 30 at 8 p.m.

Harry Connick, Jr.
July 31 at 8 p.m.

“The Tender Land”
July 31 and August 1 at 8 p.m.

Diana Krall
August 1 at 8 p.m.

Christine Brewer
World Youth Symphony Orchestra
August 2 at 8 p.m.

“Crazy for You”
High School Musical Theatre Co.
August 6-9
Thursday, Friday & Saturday 7 p.m.
Sunday 1:30 p.m.

Dancing With The Stars - Live!
August 10 at 8 p.m.

Ensō String Quartet
August 17, 19 & 22 at 8 p.m.

Vince Gill
August 19 at 8 p.m.

O.A.R.
Special Guest Allen Stone
September 1 at 8 p.m.