Akropolis Press & Acclaim
The Akropolis reed quintet has rightly won plaudits as a sonically daring ensemble who specialize in performing new works with charisma and integrity.
–Kate Wakeling, BBC Music Magazine
“Faultless detail and refreshing artistry. A true joy to sit and listen to, [Akropolis] will leave you transfixed long after the final note”
–Stephanie Ann Boyd, I Care if You Listen
“Pure gold, shot through with tenderness and grace.”
–Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
“A collective voice driven by real excitement and a sense of adventure. There’s nothing tentative in their approach, and that extends to their programming of multifariously challenging and imaginative new works”
–Julian Cowley, The Wire
“The ensemble has taken the chamber music world by storm. The performance standards of Akropolis are award winning for a reason.
–Natalie Szabo, Fanfare Magazine
“The esteemed players balance powerful, adventurous and haunting moments that cultivate chamber sounds like few others would dare to attempt.”
–Tom Haugen, Take Effect
“Nearly a decade since their first performance, the Akropolis Reed Quintet continues to dazzle and engage audiences with virtuoso off-the-wall performances.”
–Anne Arenstein, Cincinnati City Beat
“All of the music is remarkable for the sheer joy that it elicits from the exceptional ARQ musicians Blend, balance, unanimity of pitch and phrasing: all are perfect. The quintet plays with imagination, infallible musicality, and huge vitality.”
–Ronald E. Grames, Fanfare Magazine
“Dark, very reedy and quite powerful. They played with great skill and a wide-open kind of beauty. It would mark a signal achievement if the Akropolis Reed Quintet were able to witness the establishment of a number of groups with the same instrumentation. They made a most persuasive case for it.”
–Greg Stepanich, Palm Beach ArtsPaper
“The sheer sound of this group is instantly captivating…a sublime smoothness of tone and texture.
–Jeremy Shatan, AnEarfull
“Their ensemble was tight and their sound alluring…”
–James McQuillen, The Oregonian
“Consisting of five young and energetic performers, the ensemble displayed remarkable cohesiveness and a variegated sound palette.”
–Márcio Bezerra, Palm Beach Daily News
“Akropolis was terrific! They have a unique sound and captivating way of presenting themselves and engaging their audience.”
–Ken Fischer, President, University Musical Society
“This group of super talented musicians takes listeners on an amazing, interactive musical adventure. The Reed Quintet is innovative, youthful, and full of enthusiasm. Given the young, energetic musicians, the interactive quality of the concert, and the quintet’s amazing musical ability, this was one of the best concerts I’ve ever attended.”
–Pamela Steinik, Maryland Theatre Guide
“I am in awe of your genius in this educational arena and excited for all the young lives that you will impact and change because you are first and foremost extraordinary artists who are bringing that excellence and meticulous preparation and execution to the educational arena.”
–Kathy Soroka, Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts
–Matthew Andrews, Oregon ArtsWatch
Additional Acclaim & Presenter Praise
“Everything went really well. The performance was well-received and students made connections with Akropolis that may make having them come back be requested.”
-Dr. Don Dolan, The Pennington School, New Jersey, 2019
“It was such a pleasure to work with the Akropolis musicians and guest artist Jeff Stern throughout their visit: every one of them was an absolute delight. After the concert, they all went out to the lobby to casually mingle with the concertgoers, who seemed very excited to be able to meet the performers.”
-Krista Johnson, Oneppo Chamber Music Series at Yale University, 2019
“Everything went great! It was a pleasure to host Akropolis in our building this week. I know our students and faculty really enjoyed their visit and we had a great turn-out for all activities/events.”
-Kristin Pagels, Central Michigan University, 2019
“Akropolis was great, a pleasure to work with, and they gave two very fun performances. The size of the Sunday crowd took me by surprise, as did the enthusiasm with which they reacted to some of the less traditional rep.”
-Carl Kane, Gretna Music, Pennsylvania, 2019
“We loved having Akropolis in Saugatuck. They were a huge hit with our audience and with the students they worked with and played for.”
-Jenny Walvoord, Director, Chamber Music Saugatuck, 2019
“A stunner! They were fantastic to work with.”
-Allison Goff, Flagler Museum, Palm Beach, Florida, 2019
“We had the largest audience of the season so far and I have heard many very positive remarks about the group’s musicianship and program selections. The master classes and professional development seminar were well received by our students. Thanks so much!”
-Brad Foley, Chamber Music@Beall, November 2018
“Akropolis was awesome last night! What a performance and what great musicians.”
– Nathan Hess, Roche Guest Artist Series, Mercyhurst University, 2018
Thank you for your wonderful performance this morning. Your ability to keep students engaged was impressive – the fact that I could walk around to take photos while my students sat silently, enthralled with your music is amazing (it’s not always an easy task to keep their attention!) “The Best Story” was as educational as it was entertaining and a great tie-in for our current writing unit! Thank you so much for bringing the joy of music into our Monday morning! Our kiddos (and I!) enjoyed it immensely.
– Emily Hill, 1st Grade Teacher, Bettendorf, IA, 2018
– Katie Carroll, Strings Music Festival Education Coordinator, Steamboat Springs, CO, 2018
“Akropolis was terrific! Polished, professional, engaging — and fun! Everyone who attended was delighted with the quintet’s performance! (They definitely made it worthwhile to drive in those treacherous winter conditions!)”
– Rita Hassert, Morton Arboretum Chamber Concert Series, Lisle, IL, 2018
“Everything went really well! Everyone including myself actually learned something and are all the better for it. This was a solid experience for everyone. I’m incredibly elated that it all worked out and would be honored for it to happen again. A pleasure. And I hope we get to work with each other soon! Thank you for being great!”
– José Oliver Riojas, Assistant Professor of Music, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2018
“It was an excellent performance and the repertoire was a crowd pleaser.”
– John Lee – Dame Myra Hess Series, Chicago, IL, 2018
“The exposure the students and adults received went far beyond what anyone expected. The Theatre outreach was especially effective and after surveying schools, they all agree it was an outstanding academic and cultural outreach program. Thanks again for all your help!”
– Xavier Verna, Executive Director – Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts, Manistee, MI, November, 2017
“For how small our school is we really had great attendance at all of the sessions. I think one of the strongest aspects of the residency was that the ensemble met our students right at their level. The performance went really well, and I hope we can have Akropolis here again soon.”
– Dr. Natalie Szabo, Sweet Briar College, VA, October, 2017
They were fantastic–add me to their list of fans. They knocked it out of the park. Thank you!
– Deborah Sunya Moore, Chautauqua Institution, July, 2017
“How very much we enjoyed the master class and concert experience with the Akropolis Reed Quintet. They were so full of energy and good humor and they are such fine musicians, it was a pleasure to have them here with us in Temple.”
– Michelle Mears at Central Texas Orchestral Society, January 2017
“Your ensemble was excellent when we first met five years ago, so the growth that you have achieved since that time is especially impressive. The concert was cleverly conceived and expertly performed. I enjoyed every piece. Judging from the ticket sales and audience response at the concert, it’s clear that you have established a real following here. We’ll look forward to having you with us again soon.”
-Maury Okun, Director, Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, January 2017
“Akropolis was very well received by our audience and their performances at the two school programs were excellent. They were an very engaging group and we would love to have them back at some point in the future.”
-Michael Foris at Music in Corrales, February 2017
“The Akropolis concert was a great success. Their musicianship and rapport with the audience were wonderful. I received several emails to this effect from audience members. Finally, the outreach program at our Middle School was also well received. The entire student body was there (a first) and it seemed like about a million kids. The Quintet handled it all with aplomb and really engaged the audience throughout the presentation.”
-George Cady, Director, Friends of Music, Brookings, OR, March 2017
“I was thrilled with Akropolis on all accounts: Their performance was stunning and well loved by all…audience, faculty, and students. Their master class was terrific. Specific, well-founded in knowledge of the repertoire, and fast-paced.”
-Chris, Ludwa, Artistic Director, Bay View Music Festival, MI, July, 2017
“The Akropolis concert was a great success. Their musicianship and rapport with the audience were wonderful. I received several emails to this effect from audience members. Finally, the outreach program at our Middle School was also well received. The entire student body was there (a first) and it seemed like about a million kids. The Quintet handled it all with aplomb and really engaged the audience throughout the presentation.”
-George Cady, Director, Friends of Music, Brookings, OR, March 2017
Praised for their “powerful intimacy, nobody struts like the Akropolis Reed Quintet. Even when they stay in one place, they shake and shimmy and groove with the music. When they play, the music has this brisk, bouncy, breezy, easy strolling quality. And it’s not just concerts. The Akropolis members are highly focused on their educational outreach endeavors, making clinics and workshops as much a part of their touring priorities as their more conventional concerts.”
-Mathew Andrews, Oregon Arts Watch, October 21, 2016
“Akropolis was the highlight of the season for me. They were so musical and engaging, with a very tight ensemble performance.”
-Jack Hemink, Vice President, Jamestown Concert Association, May 23, 2016
“Akropolis was excellent, and they displayed this excellence in coaching, classes, and recital.”
-Griffin Campbell, Louisiana State University, October 12, 2016
“Akropolis was wonderful, as expected, and lovely to work with.”
-Eileen Carr, Director, Dayton ArtsLIVE, October 12, 2016
“The Akropolis Reed Quintet gave a wonderful performance in Jamestown, and they were a delight to have in our town.The audience responded well to all of their pieces and really seemed to enjoy the challenge of participating in the Steinmetz number. We look forward to working with them again.”
-Sally Ulrich, Director, Jamestown Concert Association, September 2016
“It was a wonderful, very well received concert and a great way to open our series this year!”
-Adam Schattschneider, Bluffton University Artist Series, September 2016
“Everything with the Akropolis Quintet residency went great. The concert was awesome and I heard positive comments from students, music department faculty, faculty across campus, and community attendees. Our students greatly enjoyed Akropolis’ expertise and perhaps different viewpoints from their primary instructors. I’m so glad they were able to come to CWU.”
-Dan Lipori, Central Washington University, October 2016
“Akropolis played an encore to everyone’s enjoyment after receiving a standing ovation. The school teacher was also extremely pleased, The students were involved and interacted well with the quintet. They were very quick learners in response to the suggestions or comments made by the ensemble.
-Robert Verhoogen, Chamber Music Corvallis, October, 2016
“Akropolis was very generous with their time and their talents and was a huge hit with our audience. The buzz among students was highly positive and could not have asked for anything better in terms of outreach.”
-Hank Knerr, Director, Lively Arts, Indiana University, PA, November 2016
“Fischoff’s 2015 Educator Award winner, the Akropolis Reed Quintet, performed brilliantly throughout the Northern Indiana community in a series of educational outreach programs. We are grateful to each member for their professionalism shown at each of the ten performances. More than 2,600 children, youth and adults were inspired by their musical performances and unbridled enthusiasm for chamber music.”
-Ann Divine, Executive Director, Fischoff National Chamber Music Association
“Akropolis delivered a fantastic performance on Saturday night. The audience warmed immediately to ARQ, and I’m sure that their stage demeanor had much to do with that. It is evident to me that they have taken great care to develop a group persona in the way that they speak to audiences that serves the music very, very well. We would not dare ask for a better opening to our concert season! ”
-David Perry, 2nd Movement Concert Series, New Haven, CT, October 3, 2015
“The concert was a resounding success. I received many positive comments from audience members of all ages about how they had enjoyed it, including the audience participation. There were three curtain calls and a standing ovation leading to a wonderful encore. ”
-Michael Spencer, Stockton Friends of Chamber Music, October 2, 2015
Translated – “The audience was thrilled by the rising stars’ appearance and rewarded the ensemble with long-lasting and thunderous applauses. In gratitude, the quintet played two encores.”
-Simon Beckmann, Westfälische Nachrichten Newspaper, Germany, August 25, 2015
“The group, who played from memory while subtly changing relative positions in response to the interplay of the parts, elevated precision to passion with their brilliantly tight performance.”
-Jeff Winslow, Oregon ArtsWatch, July 30, 2015
“Their ensemble was tight and their sound alluring—their playing off each other’s timbres as they stood dispersed among the audience at the beginning of “Sorrow and Celebration” was an especially nice touch.”
-James McQuillen, OregonianLive.com, July 23, 2015
“The album is filled from stem to stern with tight writing by young composers, and the spectacular playing engages both intellect and emotion throughout.”
-Andrew Sigler, New Music Box, June, 2014
“All of the music is remarkable for the sheer joy that it elicits from the exceptional ARQ musicians. The quintet plays with imagination, infallible musicality, and huge vitality. I can’t imagine why anyone even remotely interested in approachable contemporary chamber music would not snap up this release immediately.”
-Ron Grames, Fanfare Magazine, May, 2014
“Your workshop was amazing. As a young director I know I took so much out of it. Mainly the need to discipline and hold ourselves accountable for playing parts correctly and giving the very best we can to the ensemble. Prepartion is key along with the willingness to be critisized on many different musical levels. Our concert went very well and was well received. Many people had told me that the ensemble is begining to mature in its sound. I believe we can all thank the members of Akropolis for that! … All in all it was everything I could have hoped for. I hope we can have you guys back soon to do more things of this nature.”
-Kyle Tupper, Ensemble Director, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY
“Akropolis performed for our middle school and did a wonderful job of entertaining as well as educating. Concepts of musical structure and imagery were brought to the student’s attention with wit, depth and accessibility. They elegantly transitioned from the highest spheres of serious musical performance to fun, silly but enlightening musical demonstrations of what was happening in various pieces. My only complaint is that they couldn’t stay for a month!”
–Michael Bucy, Band and Choir Teacher, Floyd Dryden MS, Juneau, Alaska
“The Akropolis Visit was a great success and the coaching session with the clarinet quartet was especially successful.”
-Graydon Beeks, Director of Music Programming, Pomona College
“The visit by the Akropolis Reed Quintet to the Hart Community Performing Arts Series was a great success. Akropolis presented a varied and engaging concert program with a high level of energy and musicianship. In addition, their ability to relate to students made our outreach activities very productive.”
-Tom Kirk, President, Hart Community Performing Arts Series
“The master class was terrific and hit all the important points. It was well-paced and Akropolis picked their topics wisely. The dialogue and Q&A at the end was inspiring and informative, especially for those trying to figure out what’s next after music school!
-Janet Averett, Professor Music & Dance, San Jose State University
“We were thrilled with the Akropolis Reed Quintet’s visit to the Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck. They presented a wonderfully varied program of music with everything from a Handel transcription to Ton ter Doest’s Circusmuziek. Our well-established audience is accustomed to traditional programs of chamber music, but they loved hearing Akropolis’ more varied program. In fact, they were on their feet with excitement more than once during Akropolis’ concerts in Saugatuck. The group’s energy is infectious and their communication — both with each other in performance and with the audience — is refreshing. We’ve had many requests to bring Akropolis back for a return visit, and we can’t wait to see what awaits this talented group of musicians!”
-Jenny Walvoord, Artistic Director, Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck
“The Malone University music majors and Canton, Ohio community sincerely enjoyed the ARQ performance. They were personable, informational and incredibly well prepared with their music at the very highest artistic level. We hope to have them back to our campus very soon.”
-Michael Benson, Music Faculty and Concert Organizer, Malone University
“Once again our festival grew this year and some of this was directly due to students returning to work with Akropolis. Some of the students who had to leave early last year made a point to stay this year because they wanted to hear the performance. All the workshops went very well. My colleagues and I noted that all the members of Akropolis are very comfortable working with students and are able to give feedback in a positive way.”
-Bill Jobert, Professor of Bassoon and Organizer of Wright State University Double Reeds Day
“The Akropolis has become a serious contender in the music business. Aside from the quality of playing, which has always been good, the group has established something like their own trade, which is maybe even more important than the old ‘playing together and in tune’.
– Raaf Hekkema, Calefax Reed Quintet
“A very tight group.”
Chris Felcyn, WRCJ Radio Detroit, on-air interview, March, 2014
“Akropolis are fine players and did an outstanding job of connecting with our audiences in multiple venues. Our organization would be thrilled to engage them again in the future.”
Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings
“All of the music is remarkable for the sheer joy that it elicits from the exceptional ARQ musicians. The quintet plays with imagination, infallible musicality, and huge vitality. I can’t imagine why anyone even remotely interested in approachable contemporary chamber music would not snap up this release immediately.”
-Ron Grames, Fanfare Magazine, May, 2014
“The album is filled from stem to stern with tight writing by young composers, and the spectacular playing engages both intellect and emotion throughout.”
-Andrew Sigler, New Music Box, June, 2014