Hymns for Private Use is the 5th album released by the Detroit-based Akropolis Reed Quintet and features original works by composers Annika Socolofsky and Nico Muhly. On Socolofsky’s so much more, Akropolis is joined by 7 small business owners from 4 states whose personal stories of community and sacrifice are woven together on a spoken word track, sourced from over 7 hours of interviews conducted in 2020.
Soprano Shara Nova joins Akropolis on Muhly’s Hymns for Private Use, which draws upon 5 spiritual texts from early English sources from the 12th to 18th centuries. These two large-scale works for reed quintet and voices are connected by intimate stories of ambition and devotion made available for each listener’s own “private use.”
Years in the making, we began recording this album back in 2018. Akropolis would like to thank the seven small business owners Kay Willingham, April Anderson, Garnett Archer, Sabrina Swain, Bruce Knudson, KJ Whitney and Keke Liu for opening up their hearts and for sharing their stories with us. Thank you to Shara, Nico, Annika, and XUAN for all of their support in helping Akropolis bring this music to life.
