AKROPOLIS reed quintet

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D escribed as playing with “imagination, infallible musicality, and huge vitality” (Fanfare Magazine), the Akropolis Reed

Quintet performs an innovative, living repertoire with acclaimed precision. Gold Medalist at the 2014 Fischoff Competi-

tion and winner of five additional national chamber music prizes, Akropolis’ dynamic concerts feature modern composi-

tions framed by invigorating arrangements of classical music spanning four centuries. Deeply invested in the tenacity of the reed

quintet, Akropolis organized the first Reed Quintet Consortium of thirteen reed quintets from around the globe, commissioned more

than twenty reed quintet works to date, and released two CDs of original reed quintet music, High Speed Reed (2013) and Unraveled

(2014), to national praise. Winner of the 2015 Fischoff Educator Award, the ensemble matches its artistry with a whole-hearted

commitment to educational outreach. Originating in 2009 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Akropolis is Tim Gocklin

(oboe), Kari Dion (clarinet), Matt Landry (saxophone), Andrew Koeppe (bass clarinet), and Ryan Reynolds (bassoon).

short bio

press“All of the music...is remarkable for the sheer joy that it elicits from

the exceptional ARQ musicians... Blend, balance, unanimity of

pitch and phrasing: all are perfect. The quintet plays with imagina-

tion, infallible musicality, and huge vitality.”

–Ronald E. Grames, Fanfare Magazine, May 2014

“The [Unraveled] album is filled from stem to stern with tight

writing by young composers, and the spectacular playing engages

both intellect and emotion throughout.”

–Andrew Sigler, New Music Box, June 2014

“The Akropolis has become a serious contender in the music busi-

ness... Exemplifying their growing self-confidence is the unequivocal

authority with which they have gathered the music on Unraveled,

which is rich, diverse and without exception of high standard.”

–Raaf Hekkema, saxophonist and arranger, Calefax Reed Quintet,

Rotterdam, February 2014

“We loved having Akropolis as our ensemble-in-residence in

2012-2013. They are fine players and did an outstanding job of

connecting with our audiences in multiple venues. Our organiza-

tion would be thrilled to engage them again in the future.”

–Maury Okun, Executive Director, Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings

and Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival

PHOTO BY JOSEF SAMUEL

AKROPOLIS reed quintet

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AKROPOLIS UNRAVELED

The Akropolis Reed Quintet is dedicated to providing rising compos-

ers a platform to help them create dynamic chamber music. The

quintet’s 2013 “Unraveled Project” challenged several composers to

interpret the word “unraveled” while constructing a new reed quintet

work. The prompt was put into action musically, emotionally, and

sometimes literally, resulting in a musical collage of spiraling lines,

twisting rhythms, chaos, peace, and everything in between. The

“Akropolis Unraveled” program is therefore a truly cohesive set of

reed quintet commissions as collected on the quintet’s 2014 CD

release, Unraveled, about which Fanfare Magazine remarks, “The

quintet plays with imagination, infallible musicality, and huge vitality.”

Works to be performed on the “Akropolis Unraveled” program

include:

Paul Dooley, Warp and Weft

Jason Turbin, Morse Code

Roger Zare, Variations on Reverse Entropy

Florie Namir, Delevarnu

Robbie McCarthy, Four-Letter-Word

Elliott Bark, Autumn in New York

Ton ter Doest, Circusmuziek

PULSE

The “Pulse” concert program is a groovy compi-

lation of reed quintet works unified by their ability

to get your toes tapping. Rhythm is the common

thread, each piece expressing the most human

notion of pulse in its own way, from Gershwin and

Debussy to new works drawing inspiration from

ragtime, jazz, minimalism, and even techno.

Works to be performed on the “Pulse” pro-

gram include:

Paul Dooley, Warp & Weft

Jason Turbin, Morse Code

David Heetderks, Pitchblende

George Gershwin, Three Preludes

Ezra Donner, Street Beat

Vladimir Tošić, Medial S

Claude Debussy, Golliwog’s Cakewalk

NEWSPAPERS OF THE SOUL

Akropolis has carefully curated their “Newspapers of the Soul”

program to demonstrate the development of Impressionist artists

like Monet, Renoir, and their contemporaries through the music

of their time and ours. The audience can compare, contrast, and

indulge in each musical example while experiencing the changes

in art and culture spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

As the French painter Henri Matisse once said, “Impressionism is

the newspaper of the soul.”

program offerings

PHOTO BY JOSEF SAMUEL

AKROPOLIS reed quintet

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program offerings (cont.)Works to be performed on the “Newspapers of the Soul”

program include:

George Frideric Handel, Arrival of the Queen of Sheba

Robert Schumann, Kinderszenen

Claude Debussy, Children’s Corner Suite

Francis Poulenc, Sonata for Two Clarinets

Robbie McCarthy, Four-Letter-Word

Ton ter Doest, Circusmuziek

BACH’S OFFICE HITS

The music of J. S. Bach and his contemporaries has survived

centuries of musical developments, and you might be hard-pressed

today to find a composer that wouldn’t cite Bach and the Baroque

masters as essential influences in their work. Bach’s timeless melo-

dies, Handel’s thrilling orchestrations, and Rameau’s lush harpsi-

chord ornaments can still be heard echoing in classical and even

popular music today. Having demonstrated a love of early music

equal to their affinity for championing new works, Akropolis Reed

Quintet has decided to present some Baroque classics alongside

the early masterworks of the burgeoning reed quintet repertoire.

Works to be performed on the “Bach’s Office Hits” program

include:

J. S. Bach, Toccata and Fugue in d minor, BMV 538

David Heetderks, Pitchblende

George Frideric Handel, Arrival of the Queen of Sheba

Ton ter Doest, Circusmuziek

Jean-Philippe Rameau, Nouvelle Suite “La Triomphante” for Harp-

sichord in A Minor

AKROPOLIS reed quintet

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FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Instrument assembly: Akropolis performs a Gershwin Prelude WHILE

assembling their instruments. An attention-grabbing opening sketch.

Melody game: Each section of the audience is assigned an Akropolis

member and must stand when their member has the melody. We use

Gershwin for this game!

Paint with sound: Using the short vignettes of Circusmuziek, Akropolis

guides the audience to choose colors, images, moods, seasons, and

animals that fit the sound of each musical snippet, and a volunteer

draws the picture we describe!

Teamwork sketch: Akropolis illustrates what happens when the quin-

tet works together, AND when they don’t. A lighthearted skit where

bickering gets nothing done and the group must come together.

Students respond by sharing the things in their lives (sports and other

activities) which require similar teamwork.

How does it work? Akropolis uses volunteers and balloons to demon-

strate how wind passes through a reed instrument to make a sound.

FOR MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

“Akropolis performed for our middle school and did a wonderful job

of entertaining as well as educating. Concepts of musical structure

and imagery were brought to the students’ attention with wit, depth,

and accessibility. They elegantly transitioned from the highest spheres

of serious musical performance to fun, silly, but enlightening musical

demonstrations of what was happening in various pieces. My only com-

plaint is that they couldn’t stay for a month!”

–Michael Bucy, Band and Choir, Floyd Dryden MS, Alaska

Chamber music coaching: Privately, or in a group master class

setting. Beginning instrumentalists to refined high school stars.

Full ensemble workshop: Akropolis performs briefly for the

entire band/orchestra, then applies chamber music essentials

(eye contact, breathing, internal pulse, listening) to the en-

semble’s literature (prepared or sight-read). First we brainstorm

and make a list of the new elements students see in the brief

Akropolis performance, then we go to work applying those

concepts to the ensemble.

Full assembly presentation: For groups larger than one class or

when an auditorium setting is preferred, Akropolis delivers an

hour-long performance/presentation/Q&A consisting of interac-

tive games and our most fun, accesible, and dynamic music.

Ensemble sit-in: Let Akropolis be part of your ensemble! At

teachable moments, the five Akropolis members can dem-

onstrate professional-level intonation, blend, balance, and

technique as a mini-band or orchestra, and with sound advice

and wisdom, provide spontaneity and add energy to any en-

semble’s rehearsal.

FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

For composers: Akropolis will workshop your reed quintet work or

sketches. In a studio setting, Akropolis will provide expertise on the

collaborative process. What are ensembles looking for? What really

works for players? What is the current climate looking for in new

compositions? And more.

For ensembles: Music Business Workshop (bring your laptop!) fea-

turing professional advice including marketing, website construction,

fundraising campaigns, booking engagements, finding a manager,

creating an image, engaging the social media community, and more!

Chamber Music Coaching: We help the ensemble locate its group

chemistry and provide strategies for rehearsing effectively, manag-

ing time, playing as a cohesive unit, and interpreting music as a

singular entity.

Performance and Panel: Half performance/half panel and Q&A.

This is a good mix of performance and workshop in an intimate

setting. Akropolis delivers an energetic performance, then answers

questions from music students and puts forth the concepts which

foster success in music performance and music business.

additional offerings

A K R O P O L I S I S T H E R E C I P I E N T O F T H E 2 0 1 5 F I S C H O F F E D U C AT O R AWA R D .

T H I S N AT I O N A L AWA R D R E C O G N I Z E S T H E E D U C AT I O N A L O U T R E A C H W O R K

O F F I S C H O F F C O M P E T I T I O N A L U M N I W H O H AV E D E M O N S T R AT E D O U T-

S TA N D I N G A N D I M A G I N AT I V E P R O G R A M M I N G F O R C H I L D R E N A N D Y O U T H I N

T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S .