A bold, genre-defying audio and video collaboration for percussion quartet set to release on September 24, 2021.
Article by Sarah Jae Leiber
Published Aug. 27, 2021 in Broadway World
Critically-acclaimed composer Andy Akiho and Sandbox Percussion announce the release of Akiho's "Seven Pillars," a bold, genre-defying audio and video collaboration for percussion quartet set to release on September 24, 2021. The work consists of seven ensemble movements and one solo movement for each member of Sandbox, developed through multiple extended residencies at Avaloch Farm Music Institute.
Performed by Sandbox, this evening-length work is the largest-scale chamber music work that Akiho has written and that Sandbox has commissioned. Akiho and Sandbox's ongoing collaboration for "Seven Pillars" has spanned the past 8 years. It has been a labor of love between friends and towards the end of the project, Akiho and Sandbox expanded the collaborative circle.
Akiho and Sandbox Percussion commissioned 11 video artists to create original films for "Seven Pillars" - one film for each movement of the work. These collaborative videos encompass the worlds of dance, animation, experimental narrative film, time-lapse, and more.
"I've never taken on a project this ambitious - it's nearly 80 minutes of music - but I was inspired by the collaborative relationship I have with Sandbox," says Akiho. "We're all close friends, we enjoy making music together, and there is freedom to experiment in that type of environment. The instrumentation includes traditional instruments such as vibraphone, glockenspiel, and marimba, with some found percussion sounds like glass bottles and metal pipes. Creatively, I wanted to limit the instrumentation in order to encourage the opportunity to find unique timbres and playing techniques on each instrument."
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"Seven Pillars" - Concert in 11 Parts for Sandbox Percussion
Album Release - 9/24/2021
World Premiere - 12/3/2021 Emerald City Music Festival
Album pre-order link - https://ffm.to/sevenpillars
Pillar V single -
