Andy Akiho, born February 7, 1979 in Columbia, South Carolina, is an American percussionist and composer of contemporary classical music. His interest in percussion began at age nine. Akiho's formal training started at the University of South Carolina, where he earned a B.M. in percussion performance. He later pursued graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music and Yale School of Music.
Akiho's early compositions were Caribbean-themed, folk, and jazz-based works for steel bands. His breakthrough came with the release of No One To Know One in 2011. Throughout his career, Akiho has received numerous awards, including the Brian Israel Prize (2008), ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers Award (2009), and multiple Grammy nominations for Best Contemporary Classical Composition from 2022 to 2024. He was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2022.
