Sandbox Percussion & Andy Akiho

Andy Akiho’s 2021 composition Seven Pillars is a work of significant scale. Written for the stalwart percussion ensemble Sandbox Percussion (Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum, and Terry Sweeney) with commissioning support from Chamber Music America, the nearly 80-minute Seven Pillars was recorded and released alongside 11 videos (each created by a different video artist) in 2021. It was nominated for two Grammy Awards and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2022. The work has now been performed more than 40 times, both by Sandbox and other groups. This week, students of the 2025 Sandbox Percussion Seminar will perform both Seven Pillars and Akiho’s 2023 piece Portal at The New School in NYC.

As the seminar concludes, CMA’s Orchid McRae caught up with Sandbox Percussion’s Ian Rosenbaum and composer Andy Akiho to discuss collaboration, education, and developing new repertoire.

Sandbox Percussion has operated for nearly 15 years: what are some challenges and difficulties of sustaining a contemporary percussion ensemble? 

Ian Rosenbaum: The biggest challenge for us is that there is no playbook for how to run a group like this! We have mentors and examples that we look to—groups like So Percussion, Bang On A Can, the Kronos Quartet and many others. But in many respects, we’ve been making this up as we go, and making all kinds of mistakes along the way. We are constantly re-imagining who the audience for our art is. Contemporary percussion music is quite a niche thing, and much of what we do is work to bring our performances, recordings, and collaborations to a growing group of people. 

There are many creative and unique percussion instruments on Seven Pillars (some seemingly homemade!), including a large rubber band, a cigar box, non-pitched metal pipes, and glass bottles. How did you arrive at these textures? 

Andy Akiho: I approach any found-sound or traditional instrument with child-like curiosity because it is fun and liberating to discover sounds and timbres that I love without the constraints of tradition. Overall, the process is very experimental. I don’t add these instruments for the sake of novelty; I do it because I love their sonic outcome. Obviously some objects speak to me more than others, but whatever you’re playing—whether it’s a marimba or a glass bottle—a musical story can be told. 

We’re corresponding in advance of the closing performance at Sandbox Percussion Seminar, which turns 10 this year! What makes Sandbox Percussion Seminar so special each year? 

IR: Our Sandbox Percussion Seminar has been an annual highlight of our schedule. It is one of the busiest weeks we have, but it’s also one of the most rewarding. When we started this group, there weren’t too many people out in the world trying to do this sort of thing—but that’s changing rapidly. It invigorates and inspires us to see so many young people playing chamber music at such a high level. It’s also really, really fun for us to spend time playing music with participants from all over the world. We learn things about this repertoire every year. 

This year is particularly special, because the participants are performing the entire Seven Pillars—on their own! We’ll play the solo movements, but they are handling all seven of the quartet movements. When we put this piece out into the world, we did not dream that groups of young people would be playing this music so soon. It’s incredibly humbling, and we can’t wait.

Andy, you’re working on a new piece for Sandbox Percussion. Has your writing for the ensemble evolved since Seven Pillars? 

AA: Naturally there has been some change, because we are all evolving and our tastes are changing. I never like to repeat myself, so the process of writing a new work for Sandbox is, by default, going to be different than that of Seven Pillars. For example, Seven Pillars started with a meticulous structure, and it was about fitting a narrative inside that architecture. The new piece I am writing for Sandbox originates from riffs and motives that I want to naturally evolve without the constraints of a pre-existing form. 

Will your collaboration continue? 

IR: Yes! Seven Pillars is one of the most meaningful artistic collaborations that we have ever undertaken, and we’re not done yet. We’ve already started work on our next project: Andy is a remarkable steel drum performer, in addition to his work as a composer, and we want to have a piece to play together. He is composing a new album-length work for all five of us. To do so, we’re bringing back together the entire Seven Pillars team: Sean Dixon to engineer and produce our record, and Michael McQuilken to direct the production. Keep an eye out….we are very excited for this music to get out into the world.  

AA: Our latest collaboration is a new percussion quintet for Sandbox and myself. There are new worlds to explore with this piece and we’re excited to record, premiere, and tour it in the near future. 

What role has CMA played in your process? 

IR: CMA offers so many things to our field. It’s a community of like-minded organizations and innovative people who are constantly creating new ways to commission and produce new work. We have multiple projects that only exist because of support from CMA, but we’ve also relied on support in all kinds of intangible ways. The staff and team at CMA are always there for us when we need advice, and we’re proud to have collaborated with CMA many times over the years! 

AA: CMA’s commissioning program has allowed Sandbox, our collaborators, and me to put more energy into our creative processes, while having the support to take artistic risks. I am extremely grateful that CMA believes in our crazy endeavors, and look forward to future collaborations. 

BONUS: Check out a selection from the score of Seven Pillars from the Spring 2022 issue of Chamber Music magazine.