Cellist Jeffrey Zeigler, Steel Pannist Andy Akiho Join ProMusica For December Concerts

ProMusica Chamber Orchestra will welcome cellist Jeffrey Zeigler and steel pannist Andy Akiho for their Dec. 14-15 concert series at the Southern Theatre, Akiho & Beethoven. Led by Music Director David Danzmayr, the program will feature Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4, Akiho’s Concerto Fantasy for Steel Pans and Orchestra, and Akiho’s Cello Concerto, Nisei. Nisei will be ProMusica’s 71st commissioned work*, written specifically for Zeigler.  

“We are proud to continue to highlight today’s living composers through our Composer/ Performer Project, adding to our robust and diverse list of commissioned works,” said Janet Chen, ProMusica’s CEO. “We are delighted to welcome back Andy Akiho as our Composer/Performer and look forward to premiering his new work alongside cellist Jeffery Zeigler.” 

Akiho and Zeigler are close friends and collaborators and have a shared heritage as second-generation Japanese Americans. Their shared culture provided inspiration for Nisei, the Japanese term for “second generation,” which will be performed by Zeigler alongside the orchestra. Akiho will also join the orchestra for his own concerto Fantasy for Steel Pans and Orchestra. Beethoven’s bold and cheerful Symphony No. 4 will close the program, blending the classical with the contemporary.

Akiho is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and five-time GRAMMY-nominated composer whose bold works are known for surpassing preconceived boundaries of classical music. Known as “an increasingly in-demand composer” (The New York Times), Akiho has earned international acclaim for his large-scale works. He is the only composer to be nominated for a GRAMMY in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Akiho spent most of his 20s playing steel pan by ear in Trinidad and New York City and began composing at 28; his social roots laid the foundation for his current practice, where he writes for people, not just instruments.

Acclaimed for his independent streak, Zeigler has commissioned dozens of works and is admired as a potent collaborator and unique improviser. As a member of the internationally renowned Kronos Quartet from 2005-2013, Zeigler is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Avery Fisher Prize and the President’s Merit Award from the National Academy of Recorded Arts (GRAMMYs). Following his tenure with Kronos, his career led to collaborations with a wide array of artists such as Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, Hauschka, Yo-Yo Ma, and more. Zeigler has also performed as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Toronto Symphony, the Royal Danish Radio Symphony, and several others.