New York, NY – The New York-based ensemble Sandbox Percussion, instructors in our Sandbox Percussion Seminar, releases its debut album, And That One Too (Coviello Classics) on Friday, February 28, 2020. And That One Too includes works by Andy Akiho (Haiku 2), David Crowell (Music for Percussion Quartet – with Crowell on guitar) Amy Beth Kirsten (she is a myth – with Kirsten on vocals), and Thomas Kotcheff (not only that one but that one & that too).
Brought together by their love of chamber music and the simple joy of playing together, Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum and Terry Sweeney formed Sandbox Percussion in 2011. A central tenet of their mission as an organization has been to collaborate with composers over long periods of time to write music that stretches the boundaries of what is possible with percussion – both technically and expressively. Rosenbaum explains, “This collection of works represents four of the most meaningful and long-term relationships with composers that we have had as a group. Furthermore, this album is about the first nine years of Sandbox's existence, and about the music of four people who have done a lot to help us become the musicians we are today.”
About Sandbox Percussion
Described as “virtuosic and utterly mesmerizing” by The Guardian, Sandbox Percussion has established themselves as a leading proponent in this generation of contemporary percussion chamber music. Brought together by their love of chamber music and the simple joy of playing together, Sandbox Percussion captivates audiences with performances that are both visually and aurally stunning. Through compelling collaborations with composers and performers, Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum and Terry Sweeney seek to engage a wider audience for classical music.
In the 2018-2019 season, Sandbox Percussion presented more than 30 performances throughout the United States and made their United Kingdom debut at the Vale of Glamorgan festival in Cardiff where they premiered a new work by Benjamin Wallace for percussion quartet and fairground organ. Sandbox presented four separate programs of music by John Luther Adams at Storm King Art Center, Tippet Rise Art Center, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, and the String Theory concert series in Chattanooga, TN. Sandbox performed Viet Cuong’s Re(new)al with the Albany Symphony and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra as well as premiered a wind ensemble version of the work with the Brooklyn Wind Symphony. Sandbox collaborated with actor and writer Paul Lazar on a portrait concert of music by John Cage at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University, and gave three sold out performances of Music for Eighteen Musicians with Emerald City Music in Seattle, WA.
In addition to keeping a busy concert schedule Sandbox has also participated in various masterclasses and coachings at schools such as the Peabody Conservatory, Curtis Institute, the University of Southern California, Kansas University, Cornell University, and Furman University. While there they coached students on some of the most pivotal works in the percussion repertoire including Steve Reich’s Drumming, György Ligeti’s, Síppal, Dobbal, Nádihegedüvel and John Cage’s Third Construction. These teaching experiences have inspired the quartet to pursue a role of pedagogy and mentorship for today’s young generation of musicians. This season Sandbox Percussion will present the fifth annual NYU Sandbox Percussion Seminar. This week long seminar invites percussion students from across the globe to rehearse and perform some of today’s leading percussion chamber music repertoire. A culminating performance is held at the iconic Brooklyn venue, National Sawdust.
Composition has been an ongoing interest for Sandbox Percussion. Jonathan Allen and Victor Caccese have collectively composed six pieces for the quartet. Sandbox has also worked closely with composer David Crowell on a marimba arrangement of his saxophone sextet, Point Reyes. Sandbox Percussion has collectively arranged and composed works with Dutch-American DJ, Scumfrog and will present a collection of new works in the coming concert season.
In the Spring of 2020, Sandbox will premiere Seven Pillars, a new evening-length work by composer and steel pan virtuoso, Andy Akiho at the Mondavi Center in Davis, CA. Having frequently performed the middle movement, Pillar IV, this new work will feature seven movements for the quartet and four solo movements. Sandbox Percussion will present a performance at the Dumbarton Oaks concert series where they will premiere a new work by composer, Viet Cuong as well as a string quartet version of his concerto Re(new)al. They will also return to the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts where they will premiere a new work by Christopher Cerrone in collaboration with pianist Conor Hanick. Other premieres this season will include works by Bora Yoon, Jessica Meyer, Julian Wachner, and Matthew Evan Taylor. Sandbox Percussion endorses Pearl/Adams musical instruments, Vic Firth drumsticks, Remo drumheads, Zildjian Cymbals, and Black Swamp accessories.
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