Ghost Light Monday--Tribute to Mel Larimer

My "dark" night this week is indeed dark. I learned this past week that Mel Larimer passed away earlier this Spring. For anyone who spent summers at Interlochen National Music Camp in the 70s or 80s, Mel was a choral conductor and music director for the Camp's Gilbert & Sullivan productions.

I had never heard of Gilbert & Sullivan when I went to Interlochen for the first time in the summer of 1982, but happened to fall into the production of Iolanthe and had a great time being one of somewhere around 150 choristers in the show. Mel and his stage director partner, Dude Stephenson, were the reasons so many campers wanted to be part of the operetta each summer--it wasn't just theater students and singers, but also dancers, instrumentalists, anyone who wanted to be part. The next summer I made a point of being in The Mikado, again with Mel and Dude--somehow keeping all us kids on the same stage and the same page.

Mel always expected the best from everyone and treated each person with the respect to get the best out of everyone. He was positive, encouraging and helpful to kids like me who had a lot of enthusiasm but little experience or training. I remember him being a particularly patient and kind presence during auditions for the principal roles, never showing how tiresome it must have been to listen to all those auditions.

During my senior year of high school, I auditioned for Mel at Albion College in Michigan where he was the choir and vocal music director. I remember thinking it seemed I'd disappointed him when I chose another college.

According to the obituary in the Interlochen newsletter, Mel retired in 1996 after more than 30 years with the camp. I hope Interlochen continues to mount an operetta each summer. And I hope the kids lining up to be maidens, Pirates, peers, or fairies have someone as good as Mel Larimer to get them all on the same page.