Rockville To Host Grammy-Nominated Percussion Concert

ROCKVILLE, MD — The Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center in Rockville is hosting the D.C. area’s premiere of Grammy-nominated Sandbox Percussion's “Seven Pillars” by Andy Akiho.

The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 1.

“Seven Pillars” is the largest-scale chamber music work that Akiho has written and that Sandbox Percussion has commissioned.

“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,” Akiho said. “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 other 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,” Akiho said.

An accompanying light show is designed by theater director Michael Joseph McQuilken.

Tickets for “Seven Pillars” are available for $45 for general admission, $35 for seniors (age 60 and over), and $15 for students with an ID. For tickets and more information, visit the Constellations Chamber Concerts website.