While many musicians on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series might require a piano or drum kit, the Peabody-packed ensemble Sandbox Percussion necessitated a much more unusual set up.
Composed of Peabody alums who recently joined the percussion faculty, the Grammy-nominated group's March 28 performance on the popular web series included traditional instruments, like the steel drum and vibraphone, paired with objects one might find in their kitchen—ceramic plates, wine glasses, and an empty bourbon bottle—to present music by Andy Akiho and Peabody alum Viet Cuong, '11 (BM), '12 (MM), who are considered two of the most important voices in contemporary classical music.
Video credit: NPR Music
"It is a dream come true to join the Tiny Desk community," said Ian Rosenbaum, Peab '08 (BM), who co-founded the Brooklyn-based quartet in 2011 with fellow members Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Peab '11 (BM), and Terry Sweeney, Peab '13 (BM). "Our group has always been shaped by the composers we work with, who have helped make Sandbox what it is, and we've chosen two very special people."
Sandbox's 2021 album Seven Pillars, Akiho's ambitious composition for percussion quartet, was both a Grammy nominee and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. It consists of seven ensemble movements and one solo movement for each percussionist. At Tiny Desk, the quartet performed "Pillar III," scored by Akiho for vibraphone, crotales, bass drum, tuned metal pipes, cigar box, glass bottle, metal jug, and kick drum.
During the concert, Akiho joined the quartet on steelpan for "Karakurenai" (Japanese for "foreign crimson"). The 2007 piece was originally written as a solo prepared for steelpan, but it can be performed on any combination of instruments and is open to improvisation. At Tiny Desk, the group chose to perform with tuned ceramic bowls, wooden slats, metal pipes, and pandeiro, a Brazilian hand drum similar to a tambourine. Sandbox also performed Water, Wine, Brandy, Brine, which was composed for 15 tuned crystal glasses.
Described as "exhilarating" by The New York Times and "utterly mesmerizing" by The Guardian, Sandbox Percussion recorded music for the animated science fiction film The Wild Robot, which was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Music (Original Score). In addition to its faculty post at Peabody, the group holds the positions of ensemble-in-residence and percussion faculty at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and The New School's College of Performing Arts.
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