Sandbox Percussion: Canto Ostinato by Simeon ten Holt

Sandbox Percussion brings Canto Ostinato to the McGuire Theater on Friday, April 9, 2027, at 7:30 PM. They'll be joined by pianists Matthew Aucoin and Conor Hanick for an original arrangement of the piece, which is part of the Walker Art Center's Performing Arts Season 2026-27 and copresented with Schubert Club Mix.

Canto Ostinato was written by Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt, and it's a minimalist work with a strange kind of flexibility built right into it. It's made up of 106 'cells' or sections, and the duration and dynamics of those sections are infinitely variable. That gives the performers a lot of interpretive latitude, and it means no two performances are ever the same. Sandbox Percussion plays an original arrangement for two marimbas, two vibraphones, and two pianos, a combination that brings out the piece's subtle harmonic shifts and pulsing musical figures. The San Francisco Chronicle once described the result as 'a sonically magical combination ... verging on the hypnotic.'

If you're planning to go, there's one sensory note to keep in mind: the performance includes flashing lights. Tickets start at $25.