YALE STUDENT COMPOSER PROJECT                                                OHVII 13a

Andy Akiho

with Libby Van Cleve

New Haven, CT

March 30, 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Born in South Carolina — began playing drum set with sister at age 10 — attending University of South Carolina for college — playing with West African drum, steel pan and Brazilian ensembles at University of South Carolina; orchestra — graduation in 2001 — student exchange with University of North Texas — becoming interested in jazz — transcribing jazz solos for steel pan — visiting Trinidad after graduation — Jim Hall, Chris Lee (teachers) — meeting pan player Ray Holman in Trinidad — learning music by rote in the pan yard — steel pan instruction: develop your own technique — playing with four mallets; learned from marimba technique — no established tradition for steel pan yet — influence of learning by rote on rhythmic understanding — British pan player Rachel Hayward — first composition was solo for pan competition — moving to New York in 2003 — working as manager (director/composer) for Sesame Fires in Crown Heights — working as sushi chef in 2006 — moving back to New York in late 2006 — preparing for Manhattan School of Music Contemporary Performance Program audition —begins attending Manhattan School of Music in 2007 — seriously composing by 2008 — reception in the steel pan community — influence of performance background on compositions — to wALk Or ruN in wEst harlem — Synesthesia Suite — Japanese heritage — not connecting with Japanese side of family until moving to New York — similar concentration necessary for making sushi and composing — plans to write more for orchestra, without pan — commission from Ethel for pan and string quartet — composes on pan as part of compositional process.