Sandbox Percussion Seminar

Save the Date: July 16-22, 2025

Sandbox Percussion Summer Seminar

The New School

Join The New School College of Performing Arts’ celebrated Ensemble-in-Residence, Sandbox Percussion in NYC at their 10th annual Summer Seminar, featuring a collaborative workshop and performance of Seven Pillars by Andy Akiho, newly appointed to the composition faculty at The New School College of Performing Arts.

ABOUT THE SUMMER SEMINAR

Sandbox Percussion is thrilled to celebrate their Summer Seminar’s 10th year with a collaborative performance of Andy Akiho’s complete Seven Pillars. In this intensive experience, participants will learn, rehearse, and perform alongside Sandbox Percussion through daily rehearsals, coachings, and workshops. We are excited to invite Andy Akiho to join us for part of the week to coach Seven Pillars and offer masterclasses and discussions on his music and career as a composer. Participants will be divided into multiple chamber groups, each performing a different movement from Seven Pillars. Each group will consist of one member of Sandbox Percussion and three participants. These groups rehearse for several hours each day – vigorously studying and learning the music more deeply than ever before. We will present Seven Pillars in its entirety in a public performance on July 22.

CHAMBER MUSIC INTENSIVE

Sandbox Percussion is happy to include a concurrent Chamber Music Intensive (CMI) for advanced participants. This program is specifically designed for those seeking an immersive chamber music experience that simulates the experience of having your own chamber music group composed of your peers. These participants will be placed in an independent group and assigned one movement of Seven Pillars to rehearse and perform on their own. They will receive intensive coaching from all four members of Sandbox Percussion as well as “sit-in” sessions, where one or two members of Sandbox will join in to play and rehearse with the group.

OBSERVATION PASS

Open to participants of all ages.

We are delighted to offer an Observation Pass for the Summer Seminar, open to everyone of all ages – from students to hobbyists to professionals. Observation Pass participants will be able to observe all performance classes, Sandbox Percussion masterclasses, and guest artist seminars. They will also be given priority seating at the final Seminar concert.

ABOUT SANDBOX PERCUSSION

Ensemble-in-Residence at the College of Performing Arts

Described as “exhilarating” (The New York Times) and “utterly mesmerizing” (The Guardian), GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble Sandbox Percussion brings out the best in composers through their unwavering dedication to artistry in contemporary chamber music. Sandbox Percussion captivates audiences with performances that are both visually and aurally stunning, solidifying them as leaders in the fields of contemporary music and percussion. Brought together by their love of chamber music and the simple joy of playing together, Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum, and Terry Sweeney engage a wider audience for classical music through multidisciplinary collaborations with today’s leading artists.

ABOUT ANDY AKIHO

Andy Akiho is a “trailblazing” (Los Angeles Times) Pulitzer Prize finalist and seven-time GRAMMY®-nominated composer whose bold works unravel intricate and unexpected patterns while surpassing preconceived boundaries of classical music. Called “increasingly in-demand” by The New York Times, Akiho has earned international acclaim for his large-scale works that emphasize the natural theatricality of live performance. He is the only composer to be nominated for a GRAMMY® in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category in 2022, 2023, and 2024.