September 24, 2021
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. 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.”
The form of “Seven Pillars” mirrors the ambitious nature of this multimedia work. The seven main movements function as a palindrome, with the music and their corresponding films highlighting the relationships between the various movements.
Virtual and in-person performance dates for “Seven Pillars” will follow this fall and winter. The world-premiere live performance will take place at Emerald City Music December 3 and 4, 2021, with an accompanying light show designed by famed theater director Michael McQuilken
Read full press release here.
Watch teaser video here
"Seven Pillars" - Concert in 11 Parts for Sandbox Percussion
Album Release - 9/24/2021
World Premiere - 12/3/2021 Emerald City Music Festival
Album link - https://ffm.to/sevenpillars