Andy Akiho is a Ph.D. composition student at Princeton University, who specializes in the steel pan, a percussion instrument he has brought to new prominence in contemporary classical music.



Andy Akiho grew up in Columbia, S.C., and began playing drums when he was eight. In high school, he used to leave class to play his snare in the woods.



As a student at the University of South Carolina, Andy Akiho played in every ensemble he could find including orchestra, a West African drumming group, concert band and drum corps.



At USC, Andy Akiho discovered the steel band and his interest deepened when he spent a semester as an exchange student at the University of North Texas.