Sandbox Percussion is one of today’s most exciting chamber music groups. Brought together by their love of chamber music and simple joy of playing together, members Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum and Terry Sweeney are committed to bringing percussion to a wider audience. Although classically trained, their repertoire runs the gamut from traditional percussion masterworks to experimental improvisations and new music.
In the summer of 2012, Sandbox made their New York debut at St. John’s Episcopal Church as part of the Concerts on the Slope chamber music series. They were subsequently invited to be the ensemble in residence for the Fall 2013 season. Later that summer they were finalists in The New England Chamber Music Competition, an international competition open to all genres of music and instrumentation, which included over 100 applicants from all over the world. Sandbox later worked closely with composer James Wood on his percussion masterpiece, Village Burial with Fire. Next to Iannis Xenakis, James Wood is known as the father of modern percussion composition. They gave multiple performances of Village Burial in Norfolk, Connecticut as part of the Norfolk New Music Workshop. James Wood described their performance of Village Burial as “fabulous.” While in Norfolk they also played along side what is often called the world’s greatest percussion quartet, Amadinda. Aurél Holló, member of Amadinda, later described, “With an array of skills, talent and freshness, these young artists seem to be pushing their limits up in the skies, as I realized listening to them at the Yale Summer School of Music. Sandbox Percussion is the promising group of the near future, battering right on your door.”
This season, Sandbox will focus on the music of Steve Reich, one of the most vital composers of percussion music in the 21st century with a featured performance on the inaugural season of the unclassical series at DROM in Lower Manhattan. Also this year, Sandbox collaborates with mezzo-soprano Elspeth Davis on one of György Ligeti’ s final works, Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedüvel and with marimbist and composer Rich O’Meara on a portrait concert of his works.
