Tiny Desk Concert

Sandbox Percussion’s Tiny Desk Concert

Sandbox Percussion made its NPR Tiny Desk debut, joining one of today’s most influential live-music platforms with a program celebrating longtime collaborators Andy Akiho and Viet Cuong. Filmed in NPR’s signature intimate format, the performance showcases the ensemble’s imaginative sound world through music for vibraphone, crotales, crystal glasses, steelpan, tuned ceramic bowls, metal pipes, and other unconventional instruments.

The program features “Pillar III” from Akiho’s Seven Pillars, the large-scale work that earned Sandbox Percussion a GRAMMY® nomination and was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The ensemble also performs Viet Cuong’s Water, Wine, Brandy, Brine, written for 15 tuned crystal glasses, and Akiho’s Karakurenai, featuring the composer himself on steelpan.

For Sandbox Percussion, the Tiny Desk appearance offered a chance to highlight the close creative partnerships that have shaped the ensemble’s identity. Both Akiho and Cuong have been part of Sandbox’s musical life since their student years, and their works have become central to the quartet’s repertoire, from Seven Pillars to Re(new)al and beyond.

Known for presenting artists from across genres in a stripped-down, up-close setting, NPR’s Tiny Desk has become a defining platform for contemporary performance. Sandbox Percussion’s appearance brings the ensemble’s adventurous approach to percussion chamber music to a wide audience, offering a vivid introduction to the composers, collaborators, and sound worlds at the heart of its work.

Program

Sandbox Percussion: The Tiny Desk Concert
Pillar III — Andy Akiho
Water, Wine, Brandy, Brine — Viet Cuong
Karakurenai — Andy Akiho, featuring Andy Akiho on steelpan

From Sandbox Percussion

“We’re really excited to join the A-list of performers from across all genres who have appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk, the popular stripped-down live-music series that has become a true 21st-century pop culture phenomenon. It’s a dream come true.

Our group has always been shaped by the composers we work with, who have helped make Sandbox what it is. For this program, we chose two very special collaborators: Viet Cuong and Andy Akiho.

We met Viet in college and have worked with him on many projects, from Water, Wine, Brandy, Brine to Re(new)al, his fantastic concerto for Sandbox and orchestra. We also met Andy in school, and he has become one of the defining creative voices in our repertoire, especially through Seven Pillars.

All our gratitude to NPR for having us. Thank you for watching, and feel free to share.”