Taking the Plunge to Build the Forever Akropolis
The past 12 months have been transformative. We conducted 80+ events that reached over 8,600 people in 16 states and 2 countries. We performed with Arabic poets in Abu Dhabi, delivered high rise lunch concerts in Detroit, and released our third CD! With a 122% increase in revenue over the prior year, we also took a scary but exhilarating step towards longevity. As of July 1, Matt and Kari have left full-time day jobs to manage Akropolis’ nonprofit, and we have committed to a salaried payroll for all 5 members. In other words — we’re all in.
After 9 years together, we are thrilled to announce our 17/18 season, comprised of 30+ concerts and a record number of educational events for more than 6,000 K-12 students. We aim to deepen our community relationships both locally and nationally, and in May of 2018, we’re hosting our first 5sounds Festival in Detroit. Featuring local and national guest artists, the festival brings our mission close to home, fostering musical collaboration, cultural exploration, and arts access for our diverse Detroit community. Stay tuned for more details about 5sounds!
Creating new works and establishing the legitimacy of the reed quintet continues to drive us. So, we’re thrilled to have been selected to adjudicate the prestigious Barlow Prize, one of the United States’ largest commissioning awards. Previous adjudicators of the $12,000 prized work include Yo-Yo Ma, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the King’s Singers, eighth blackbird, and now, Akropolis! All of this year’s submissions will be for reed quintet, a first for the Barlow Endowment. This is an invaluable contribution to our literature as we strive to cement the reed quintet in chamber music history.
With so many great things happening, we’ve seized the momentum to build the forever Akropolis. Our journey is made possible because of overwhelming support from people like you. In fact, we received twice as many individual gifts last year over the prior year, and we need the same audacious participation this season, beginning now! You are the key to Akropolis’ ability to fulfill its mission. We hope you’ll support us by making a completely tax-deductible gift today.
We could not be prouder of how far we’ve come — and how far we’re going! We hope to see you at a concert this year, and thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Matt, Kari, Ryan, Andrew, Tim