Having premiered more than 50 new works and now celebrating our 10th anniversary, we are proud to announce two new reed quintet concerti for Akropolis and wind band by composers Roshanne Etezady and Peter Terry. Co-commissioned by Akropolis and the University of Michigan’s H. Robert Reynolds Commissioning Fund, we will premiere Etezady’s concerto on February 7, 2020 with the University of Michigan Symphony Band—the ensemble in which the five of us met ten years ago—under the direction of our long-time mentor and teacher, Professor Michael Haithcock. Commissioned by Akropolis, we will premiere Terry’s concerto with the Detroit School of Arts high school wind ensemble at a side-by-side concert with Detroit Public Schools students on April 16, 2019.
Etezady’s concerto celebrates the University of Michigan band program that helped launch our career. In Professor Haithcock’s band we learned how preparation, teamwork, and unity make a significant impact on the music we make together. As a young ensemble, we channeled these skills, and we are thrilled to return to our alma mater to collaborate with students in a way that helps them understand where these skills can take them. We are also proud to be part of the rich heritage of eminent chamber music ensembles with UM members. Etezady’s compositions for some of these very ensembles, like eighth blackbird and the PRISM Quartet, are some of our favorite contemporary works. It is a privilege to now be on the receiving end of a new Etezady composition!
Since September 2018 and because of generous support from the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, we have been in residence at Detroit School of Arts, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cass Tech high schools in Detroit, mirroring our professional activity through creative projects with youth. We commissioned composer Peter Terry to write a new concerto for Akropolis and high school band, which we will premiere with students at Detroit School of Arts on April 16, 2019. Students received hands-on experience with Terry generating the themes and musical ideas for the piece. Terry’s concerto celebrates these dedicated students, the city of Detroit, and our decade-long commitment to K-12 education.
The side-by-side concert on April 16th will feature the premiere of Terry’s concerto, as well as the premiere of several student compositions, and performances by student chamber music ensembles.