Composer Andy Akiho Deep Dives his Work "Seven Pillars"

Written for percussion quartet, the piece had its Asian premiere by Sandbox Percussion at the 2024 Beijing Music Festival

 

Composer Andy Akiho was given the Young Artist Award at this year's Beijing Music Festival. Founded in 1998 by Long Yu and under the artistic direction of Shuang Zou, the festival fosters a commitment to contemporary music in addition to connections between China and the West.

At the 27th annual festival, Andy Akiho's work Seven Pillars was also given its Asian premiere by the Sandbox Percussion ensemble. We got to catch up with Andy to learn more about his experience in Beijing, the innovative piece, and his approach to composing.

 

What inspired the work Seven Pillars and what prompted you to write this piece?

Around 2012, I got a commission from Ian Rosenbaum's former group called The Time Travelers, and they asked me to write a piece for a percussion quartet. I had never written for that instrumentation before.

It started as a 10-minute piece, but when I started writing, I got really inspired and saw the form of the seven pillars. But at that time, I was just scheduled to write one piece, and I knew one day that I would want to write the others. So it started with Pillar Four, and I knew that would be the middle movement of the grander idea.

Then Ian introduced me to Sandbox and we talked about the possibility of doing the larger work, which then developed into the entire commission. That worked out great because they let me see the full dream of all 11 movements.

The more I got to know Sandbox, the more natural and organic it seemed to work with them. We were all on the same page about what we wanted out of the project. It was very inspiring to work with them and to collaborate on this piece.

 

 

What did you enjoy most about composing for a percussion quartet?

Well, it kind of goes back to what I was just mentioning about working with Sandbox. It's more about working with the actual artists or humans. I enjoyed writing for some awesome friends and working with their personalities, their musical strengths, etc. I like to write for the musicians more than the instruments, and that's been a theme for my most creative works. It didn't matter if they were a string quartet or percussion quartet.

But what made it extra special is that percussion is my first instrument. I was able to experiment with the instruments and treat the piece as if I were a kid going at the instrument and coming up with ideas. I probably wouldn't have been able to do that work if I weren't a percussionist.

 

If you had to describe the work in one sentence, what would it be?

The story of life through percussion.

 

 

At this year's Beijing Music Festival, you were presented with the Young Artist Award this year. How did you feel to get the award?

Receiving that award is such an honor, and I was shocked because I don't feel young anymore. I'm very grateful that to even be thought of (both artistically and youthfully). I'm very grateful, especially coming from such a great festival.

 

How did you first start collaborating with the festival?

My first encounter with the Beijing Music Festival was in 2015 with the China Philharmonic and  Long Yu performing the Ping Pong concerto, Ricochet.

From there, we always talked about doing more. I got to collaborate with Michael McQuilken on a documentary about recent projects that we had worked on, which came out during the pandemic.

Then after the pandemic, we talked about what could be the next thing we do in Beijing, and Seven Pillars was the perfect piece. It was great to get Sandbox out there and get them involved in the festival as well.

 

How do you think the Chinese audiences received the piece and the performance?

I think it went over well. It’s a very intense piece — it's 80 minutes of non-stop drumming. I believe Sandbox gave a phenomenal performance, for which I'm grateful. I think the audience vibes are a little bit different in China, so there's a lot more cell phone use, but we did encourage filming. We also encouraged them to clap in the middle of the piece. When it was over, the audience’s reaction was so exciting, which I was really happy about.

I got to meet a lot of people after the show and it was a really good atmosphere at the Festival as a whole. They're doing cool and innovative projects, so it was just fun to be a part of that and meet the community.

 

Other than the festival, what was your favorite part of the trip?

The food, definitely.

 

Do you see the festival as serving as a bridge between Western New Music and Chinese audiences? Do you think they're achieving that goal?

I do, but I also believe that it's even grander than that, because it's more global. They had an amazing South African chorus there, so I think they're bridging all types of cultures. Long Yu and the team there are thinking outside of the box, especially for China, allowing a lot of other types of music and cultures to come in. It doesn’t feel like a typical conservatory mindset.

 

Do you have any plans for future projects that may lead to Chinese performances?

Yes, I'd love to do an opera over there one day if the opportunity arises.

I would love to do more there from the ground up as well and create a new project that's initiated there. Seven Pillars was already done and out in the world, and I'm very happy that we got to share that with Beijing and Chinese audiences, but I want to do more.

There is a Kung Fu concerto that started in Guangzhou in 2017/18, that's honoring Bruce Lee. We started on a film with it and I want to see it fully produced and finished properly.

 

Out of your whole body, do you have a favorite piece, and why?

One is Ki Iro, which I just love to listen to. And then it’s a tie between Seven Pillars and Sculptures. The latter is a collaboration with Jun Kaneko’s sculptures, an orchestral score, and a film. That was a really creative, fun project.

 

What do you enjoy most about multi-disciplinary works?

When I’m in the audience, I enjoy multi-disciplinary experiences the most. I want to create experiences that I’d want to go to — whether it's ballet, film, or music.

 

What are some other premieres you're excited about coming up?

Colin Currie will be performing my Percussion Concerto with the  BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra on February 7^th!

 

If you were to give advice to a younger composer, what would it be?

I'm still trying to improve and grow, so my advice would be to remember that composing is a lifelong journey. I would tell myself, my friends, and even people I don’t know, that you should be honest with yourself in creating an original voice. Also, work with peers who you would like to collaborate with, those that you want to create lifelong relationships with so that you can inspire each other to grow and innovate. I think innovation is the fountain of youth.

 

Classical or non-classical, who are your main musical inspirations or influences?

I can never answer this because there are too many! I’d rather you give me an exact date and I’d go from there. In the 1980s it would probably be Metallica. In the mid 1800s, I guess Brahms or Mendelssohn.

I guess my favorite composer is Beethoven. He embodies real human trials and tribulations — the good, the bad, the ugly. It’s a common answer, but his late string quartets are my jam.