Panist, composer Andy Akiho nominated for two Grammy Awards - One Composer, Four Players, ‘Seven Pillars’

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 NY Times  

By Zachary Woolfe

Andy Akiho’s 11-part, 80-minute new work for percussion quartet is a lush, brooding celebration of noise.

Andy Akiho, center, wrote “Seven Pillars” for Sandbox Percussion (from left: Terry Sweeney, Ian David Rosenbaum, Jonny Allen and Victor Caccese).

Andy Akiho, center, wrote “Seven Pillars” for Sandbox Percussion (from left: Terry Sweeney, Ian David Rosenbaum, Jonny Allen and Victor Caccese).Credit...Nathan Bajar for The New York Times

Akiho has written substantial works for steel pan, for percussion, for marimba and string quartet, for snare drum and sampled dog barking, and many other configurations — even a concerto for onstage Ping-Pong players and orchestra. But “Seven Pillars” is a breakthrough for him, in its 80-minute length and its conceptual complexity.

It is being unveiled as a live theatrical event staged by Michael McQuilken, with striking lights synchronized with the music, in Seattle on Friday, and will tour in the coming years, including to the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York in April. But because of the pandemic, it was first released in September as a recording, with accompanying short films. The album has been nominated for two Grammy Awards: One of the categories, best contemporary classical composition, specifically honors Akiho, and the other, best chamber music/small ensemble performance, Sandbox Percussion.

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