How Epstein and Maxwell used an elite Midwest arts school to prey on girls

[Nevilledog]

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/19/nx-s1-5707290/epstein-files-victims-interlochen-ghislaine-maxwell

Years before they were convicted sex offenders, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell used his wealth to gain access to a prestigious boarding school for young artists in Michigan, using a rental lodge Epstein donated to the school as a base from which to recruit some of their earliest victims, according to Department of Justice records and former campus administrators.

The idyllic, nearly century-old Interlochen Center for the Arts, tucked between two lakes south of Traverse City, features grade-school- and high-school-level programs in music, theater, dance, and visual arts, among others. It's famous as an incubator for young artistic talent and boasts alumni such as Josh Groban, Norah Jones, Chappell Roan, Felicity Huffman and Da'Vine Joy Randolph.

NPR reviewed hundreds of pages of Department of Justice documents on Epstein, interviewed current and former Interlochen officials, and spoke with a woman who says that as a teenager at the school she was targeted by Epstein and Maxwell. What emerges is a portrait of Interlochen as an institution that celebrated openness, but that in accepting Epstein's financial support became unwittingly associated with his crimes.

Epstein's association with Interlochen dates back to 1967, when as a 14-year-old bassoon player, he attended the school's summer camp. When he renewed his ties to the school in the 1990s, Interlochen viewed him as a loyal alumnus and major benefactor, administrators said. He lavished the school with donations and used his power and influence to gain access to spaces where the administrators felt young kids and artists were safe.

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[mopinko]

1. this 1 bugs the shit out of me.

i have an artist friend who went there. she’s an amazing and driven artist. thinking about how many talents like hers were destroyed there seems extra criminal to me.
i’m starting to think that NO institution for young ppl is a safe place.