A chilling external report launched in 2024 has revealed decades of alleged sexual assault at the prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, spurring a civil lawsuit and a trail of allegations that accuse teachers and benefactors of sexual misconduct going back to 1959. Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislane Maxwell are among them.
Interlochen has been famous around the world for 75 years, cultivating artistic prodigies on the road to fame. Current leadership claims the institution is far safer than in previous decades, but children who got the opportunity to go there are now grown up and still haunted by the trauma of surviving sexual abuse in their teens.
Was it part of the price of being the best? Plaintiffs in the new lawsuit say no.
What Happened?
Global stars like Chappell Roan, Josh Groban, and Norah Jones studied at Interlochen, long regarded as an idyllic environment for aspiring performers. But more pieces to the story have come to light.
Epstein, now dead, attended camp at Interlochen in the summer of 1967 and later became a benefactor; he and long-time accomplice Ghislane Maxwell were extravagant donors who showered money on the program. Epstein had his own cabin there and allegedly recruited two young teens on campus, CBS reported.
But this is the tip of the iceberg. Besides Epstein and Maxwell, at least 70 allegations involving 50 former authority figures – including faculty, residential life staff, visiting artists, and board members – are named in the 97-page document. You can see the original report at NPR. Only one of the three predators named is still alive: master ballet teacher Thomas Clower.
Paul Busch, now 37, was 16 when he accused Clower of assault in 2005 and now, because of new accusations in 2024, he is again openly voicing his opinion of Interlochen, in contrast to the current administration’s description of the campus now as being “fundamentally different from the institution described in this report.”
Busch says the administration’s current position falls short. “”They get to say, ‘Case closed,’” he said. “That is completely unacceptable because — guess what? — my life is still open.”
Why This Matters.
Busch’s claim against Clower’s resulted in his ballet instructor’s termination and a short prison sentence, but release of the new investigation in July 2026 has led to a flurry of headlines and renewed scrutiny. Clower, a registered sex offender, began teaching again around 2000 as a guest instructor at Burklyn Ballet Theatre in Vermont. The fact that he is again working with children troubles Paul Busch deeply.
A second female alumna, now 36, accused an administrative figure/ teacher in 2024, catalyzing the extensive independent probe. She and Busch both cite a culture where kids were too scared to report abuse, felt they were somehow at fault, and diminished details of misconduct complaints for fear of getting in trouble or sabotaging their opportunity.
Further, the campus culture between 1959 and around 2010 allowed teachers to have one-on-one visits with students, while communication with parents was limited, making children vulnerable “due to age, sexual identity and lack of experience<,” according to the report.
Where We Come In.
We think sexual assault is unspeakable, especially when it’s perpetrated or enabled by those who abuse power.
The recent reveal that the abuse at Interlochen was schoolwide and decades-long means others could be carrying heavy trauma from earlier events that transpired there, like Paul Busch and others.
It’s okay if you don’t remember specific names or all of the other details. We are following new developments in the investigation as Interlochen sexual assault lawsuits are emerging.
If you have questions or believe you are affected, please reach out to us. We are here for one reason: If you’re hurt, we want to help you navigate your legal options.
“A lot of my desire was to prove that I was enough… It’s really hard to differentiate what’s appropriate and what’s not until it’s too late. ”
– Paul Busch
You can read the original coverage that prompted this post from CBS News and NPR.
