Our inaugural Together We Sound festival earns national support. Donate today to help Akropolis grow this festival’s impact for years to come.
Goal: $5,000 ⎜ Raised: $4,869
For almost 10 years, Akropolis has made contemporary music a thrilling and relatable experience, and we pride ourselves on taking high energy performances out of the concert hall and into the community. We believe everyone should have access and exposure to world-class music, and that life’s most memorable experiences are often the most unexpected.
With this tenet, we began two years ago, planning a contemporary music festival centered upon the pillars of education, access, and inclusiveness. Our aim ~ to enrich our various communities while fueling adventurous projects to sustain our organization for decades to come.
In May, this vision became a reality when our 14-event Together We Sound Festival was unveiled in Detroit. A city undergoing a cultural renaissance, many Detroit schools still lack music programs, and in the city that created Motown, most ordinary community members still lack access to the arts. Compelled to address these challenges, we made a major investment in our city.
Throughout six neighborhoods, we performed in parks with food trucks, inside office buildings, at a police station turned co-working space, in school gyms, cafeterias, music rooms, and in front of Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry murals. We helped high school students compose music which we premiered during the festival, and we advanced ourselves artistically by giving an amplified performance with Detroit’s industrial folk trio, YAK, and a closing performance with beloved soprano Shara Nova of “My Brightest Diamond.“
Launched by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Together We Sound has transformed our touring ensemble into a sustainable nonprofit organization. With support from individuals nationwide and foundations from New York, Detroit, and Chicago, next year’s festival has grown to include a school year long artist residency at three Detroit high schools, where students will work side-by-side with us on in-depth creative projects beginning this September. Increasing next year’s operating budget by 20%, Together We Sound has fueled several national-level upcoming projects, including the premiere of works by 5 female composers, a new work by 2018 Pulitzer Prize finalist Michael Gilbertson, and a music mobility exploration with metal fabrication artist Juan Martinez.
A year ago, when Matt became full-time Executive Director, we plunged into the depths of creating a lifelong, sustainable organization. We have grown immensely over the past year, but donations from supporters like you remain a critical component to our budget. Simply put, we can’t do it without you! Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Akropolis today, and stay tuned for our 2018/19 season announcement next month to learn where you may hear Akropolis this season.
Sincerely yours,
Matt, Kari, Ryan, Andrew, Tim
