Two-day residency highlighting classical chamber music to feature public concert
from left: Akropolis Reed Quintet members Matt Landry, saxophone; Tim Gocklin, oboe; Ryan Reynolds, bassoon; Kari Landry, clarinet; Andrew Koeppe, bass clarinet. Photo/Jason Walker
The University of Central Arkansas will host the Grammy Award-winning Akropolis Reed Quintet for a two-day residency Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 22 and 23, featuring performances and educational events highlighting classical chamber music and the unique possibilities of the reed quintet.
“We are so excited that the Grammy-winning Akropolis Reed Quintet will perform at UCA,” Dr. Kelly Johnson, associate professor in the Department of Music, said. “Just last year, students were studying Akropolis’s recordings while preparing for performances, and this year they will get to work with them and hear them in person!”
The Akropolis Reed Quintet’s residency will feature a student presentation on entrepreneurship and building a brand in the music world, a Woodwind Studios master class and a public concert Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 2150 Bruce St.
All events are located on the UCA campus in Conway and are open to the public and free of charge, with no tickets required for entry.
The full schedule for the Akropolis Reed Quintet’s residency is as follows:
- Tuesday, Sept. 22, 1:40 p.m. – Student Event: Presentation by the Akropolis Reed Quintet, “Entrepreneurship and Building a Brand in the Music World,” Concert Hall, Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts.
- Wednesday, Sept. 23, 11 a.m. – Student Event: Woodwind Studios Master Class with the Akropolis Reed Quintet, Concert Hall, Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts.
- Wednesday, Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. – Public Event: Akropolis Reed Quintet in Concert, Concert Hall, Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts.
Founded in 2009, the Grammy Award-winning Akropolis Reed Quintet is a sonically daring ensemble that specializes in performing new works with charisma and integrity. The ensemble has been described by BBC Music Magazine as a “sonically daring ensemble” and by the San Francisco Chronicle as “pure gold.” Akropolis has graced the Classical Billboard charts with each of its last three albums and has won seven national chamber music prizes, including the 2014 Fischoff Gold Medal.
Having premiered and commissioned more than 200 works by living artists and composers, Akropolis has helped establish and champion the reed quintet as a new voice in classical music. The ensemble has remained together with its original five-member lineup since its founding and is known for its collaborations with young musicians. Akropolis performs more than 120 concerts and educational events worldwide annually at venues and institutions including Tanglewood, Bravo! Vail and Chamber Music Northwest.
More information about the residency is available by contacting Johnson at kjohnson@uca.edu.
The UCA Artists in Residence program is funded by the Fine and Performing Arts Fee paid by all students, with additional support from Engage Management and Pyramid Art, Books, and Custom Framing. More information about the Artists in Residence program is available at uca.edu/go/artistsinresidence or by contacting Dr. Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, at gayles@uca.edu.