The Akropolis Reed Quintet will be in residence at Northern Michigan University March 8-12. Its members will deliver classroom presentations at NMU and local schools and participate in mini-performances and jam sessions on campus. The residency will culminate in a public performance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 12, in Reynolds Recital Hall. Admission is $15 for adults and $8 for those under 18. Tickets are available at all NMU EZ Ticket outlets. 

Founded in 2009 at the University of Michigan and the first reed quintet to win the Fischoff Gold Medal in 2014, Akropolis took Grand Prize at the MTNA and Plowman chamber music competitions consecutively in 2011. The quintet has released two studio albums to critical acclaim and commissioned more than 25 reed quintet works. The group’s concerts feature accessible contemporary works framed by arrangements of classical music spanning four centuries.

Akropolis also won the 2015 Fischoff Educator Award because of its impactful outreach at schools ranging from kindergarten to conservatory. Members of the quintet are Tim Gocklin on oboe, Kari Dion on clarinet, Matt Landry on saxophone, Andrew Koeppe on bass clarinet and Ryan Reynolds on bassoon.

Here are the performances and jam sessions beyond the public concert:

Tuesday, March 8: Mini-performance at noon, first floor of Jamrich Hall

Wednesday, March 9: Mini-performance at noon, Wildcat Den; and Classical/ Contemporary Mashup open jam session and conversation with student musicians in Reynolds Recital Hall at 7 p.m.

Thursday, March 10: Mini-performance at noon in the Marketplace

Friday, March 11: Mini-performance at noon in Olson Library or lower level of the Learning Resources Center; and free performance for NMU students in Reynolds Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m.

The NMU music department is hosting the quintet. For more information about Akropolis, visit http://www.akropolisquintet.com/.