Gladys Knight to perform at Interlochen this August in Grand Traverse County

Grand Traverse County is getting one of its summer marquee arts events when Gladys Knight comes to Interlochen’s Corson Auditorium on Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m. The show adds another major draw to a season that already pulls music fans, visitors and local residents toward the Interlochen campus, and tickets are expected to move quickly once sales open at 10 a.m. on May 15.

Interlochen says the concert is appropriate for all audiences and tickets start at $58. The venue also says tickets for its performances are sold exclusively through its official ticketing website, warning that tickets bought elsewhere may be overpriced or invalid. For fans planning ahead, that makes the on-sale date a critical one, especially for a name with Knight’s reach and a hall as small as Corson.

Knight brings more than nostalgia to Northern Michigan. The seven-time Grammy Award winner has recorded more than 38 albums and built a career that spans pop, gospel, R&B and adult contemporary music. Her work has carried into film and television as well, including appearances on Dancing With the Stars, The Masked Singer and the film Almost Christmas. Her honors include the 45th Kennedy Center Honors in December 2022 and the National Medal of Arts in 2023.

The National Endowment for the Arts describes the National Medal of Arts as the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the U.S. government. Its profile of Knight says her voice influenced rhythm and blues, gospel and pop, a level of recognition that helps explain why a single night at Interlochen is a notable cultural booking for the region.

Corson Auditorium gives the performance a more intimate setting than many summer concert stops. Interlochen says the hall seats 1,049 people and is used for Interlochen Arts Academy and Interlochen Arts Camp music, dance and theatre performances, while also hosting guest artists and entertainers. That smaller capacity, paired with a national figure like Knight, gives the Aug. 21 show the feel of a major arts moment rather than just another tour date.

The booking also fits Interlochen’s broader summer identity. Its Arts Festival and Center Stage programming bring orchestra, wind symphony, theatre, film screenings and popular music to the campus, reinforcing Interlochen’s role as one of Northern Michigan’s strongest cultural magnets. For Grand Traverse County, Knight’s appearance is both a high-profile concert and another sign that Interlochen remains a place where legacy performers still land close to home.