The Akropolis Reed Quintet will present a concert at The Pennington School on Wednesday, October 15, at 7:00 p.m. in the Meckler Library Reading Room. As the School’s 2025 Musicians-in-Residence, Tim Gocklin, oboe; Ryan Reynolds, bassoon; Matt Landry, saxophone; Kari Landry, clarinet; and Andrew Koeppe, bass clarinet will present a free concert which is open to the public. Both the concert and residency are thanks to funding provided by Brenda Martini O’loughlin P’19 and Thomas O’loughlin P’19.
Founded in 2009, the GRAMMY® award-winning Akropolis Reed Quintet is “a sonically daring ensemble who specializes in performing new works with charisma and integrity” (BBC Music Magazine). Comprised of five entrepreneurial reed players, Akropolis has graced the classical Billboard charts with each of their last three albums, reaching #2 in April of 2024. The group has also won seven national chamber music prizes, including the 2014 Fischoff Gold Medal. Having commissioned and premiered more than 200 works by living artists and composers, Akropolis are considered pioneers and champions of a new genre of classical music: the reed quintet.
Composed of the same five members that brought about the group’s founding over 15 years ago at the University of Michigan, Akropolis are the first ensemble to receive the University’s Paul M. Boylan Alumni Award. The group delivers 120 concerts and educational events worldwide each year at luminary series including Tanglewood, Bravo! Vail, University Musical Society, Chamber Music Northwest, and more. In collaboration with Pascal Le Boeuf and drummer Christian Euman, Akropolis became the first ever GRAMMY® winning reed quintet with their 2024 album, Are We Dreaming the Same Dream?; the group took home Best Instrumental Composition for the track “Strands” at the 67th Grammy Awards in February of 2025.
Utilizing their “sheer musical imagination” (Gramophone), the quintet is also known for powerful collaborations with youth and other members of its southeast Michigan community. Certified as a 510(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Akropolis runs a Detroit-based summer festival called Together We Sound; holds annual, year-long music composition residencies at Cass Tech, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Detroit School of Arts high schools; and produces a ten-day Chamber Music Institute focused on artist training and mentorship in Petoskey, MI. Back for a second residency at Pennington, the group will work with the School’s student musicians for a series of master classes, workshops, and demonstrations.
The Pennington School is an independent coeducational school for students in grades 6 through 12, in both day and boarding programs. The curriculum is college preparatory, with an emphasis on individual excellence, fostering the development of the whole student through academics, athletics, community service, and the creative and performing arts.
