Lauded for her "sheer musical imagination" (Gramophone), Kari Landry is a Backun Artist and the clarinetist and founder member of the GRAMMY® Award-winning Akropolis Reed Quintet. Having premiered and commissioned more than 200 works by living artists and composers, she is a pioneer and champion of a new genre of classical music—the reed quintet. A proud small business owner, Kari runs Akropolis’ nonprofit alongside her husband and Akropolis saxophonist Matt, serving as the organization’s Artistic Director and Marketing Manager.

Kari is a fierce advocate for independent and impactful music careers. Since 2016, Kari has taught at the University of Michigan School of Music Theater and Dance in the EXCEL entrepreneurship department, encouraging students to pursue their own artistic ventures and businesses. She serves on the classical adjudication panel for YoungArts, a national organization that identifies exceptional young artists ages 15-18, amplifies their potential, and invests in their lifelong creative freedom through their prestigious arts competition. 

In her freelance career, she has served on the jury for the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition on multiple occasions, held faculty positions at the Maine Chamber Music Seminar, performed with Rocket City New Music, and has given masterclasses and lectures in Canada, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, and at many American universities.

Prior to working full-time for Akropolis, Kari served as the Marketing & Programs Manager for the Ann Arbor Summer Festival. While working in Ann Arbor, Kari received a Michigan EMMY for best historical documentary for her work on A Space for Music, A Seat for Everyone, showcasing 100 Years of University Musical Society Performances in Hill Auditorium. 

Kari was born into a musical Detroit family. Her mother was a bassoonist, and her father was a Motown studio French Hornist who, among many recordings, can be heard ripping up the intro to the iconic “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by the legendary Marvin Gaye. As a new mother, she aims to pass on her family's musical heritage to her 2-year-old old son Theo who has already toured with Akropolis from Atlanta to Amsterdam. 

She is an alumnus of The University of Michigan (BM and MM) and Eastern Michigan University (MA) and has held administrative positions with the University Musical Society (UMS), Ann Arbor Summer Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and The Kennedy Center. Kari attended the Aspen Music Festival for two summers during college and was the E-flat clarinetist in the University of Michigan Symphony Band’s 2011 tour to China.She owes her musical success to her instructors Dan Gilbert, Chad Burrow, Ted Oien, and Suzy Dennis-Bratton.