Welcome Campers!

Blue Lake Public Radio | By Foley Schuler

Published June 25, 2025 at 1:16 PM EDT

Wednesday afternoon, in honor of the opening day of the 2025 Blue Lake camp season, Foley will feature music written by several composers when they were the age of our Blue Lake campers—including a masterpiece by the 16 year old Felix Mendelssohn.

In addition to the remarkable Octet for Strings by the 16-year-old Mendelssohn, Wednesday's program will also feature a great work of his maturity, which premiered 185 years ago on this date: his epic Symphony No. 2 "Lobgesang" ("Song of Praise"), written for a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Gutenberg's printing press.

You can hear Foley Schuler's musical selections—and stories behind the music—weekday afternoons from 1 until 5.

Foley Schuler

Encouraged by creative parents, Foley began his music career at age 7, studying violin with Jean Manning at North Muskegon Public Schools. As a Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp camper, he became Blue Lake Public Radio’s first high school intern. Foley earned an English Literature degree from Hope College, and Masters in Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from the Warren Wilson College. He has performed with the West Michigan (formerly West Shore) Symphony; served on the English Department faculty at Muskegon Community College, and been the Music, Art & Theatre reviewer for the Muskegon Chronicle. He follows his love of the arts around the globe, but says, “There is no place like the Blue Lake setting, sharing extraordinary music with our listeners.” Foley hosts Blue Lake Public Radio’s weekday classical music from 1 to 5 p.m. and “Sunday on Blue Lake”.

See stories by Foley Schuler