Ian Rosenbaum

Praised for his “spectacular performances” (The Wall Street Journal), and his “unfailing virtuosity” (Chicago Tribune), Grammy-nominated percussionist Ian Rosenbaum has developed a musical breadth far beyond his years. As a passionate advocate for contemporary music, he has premiered dozens of new chamber and solo works. He has collaborated with and championed the music of established and emerging composers alike, from Andy Akiho, Christopher Cerrone, and Amy Beth Kirsten to John Luther Adams, George Crumb, and Paola Prestini.

Rosenbaum’s recordings were nominated for three Grammy Awards in 2021 for performances of music by Akiho and Cerrone, including two nominations for Seven Pillars, an album by Sandbox Percussion released on Aki Rhythm Productions, a record label founded by Rosenbaum and Akiho in 2021. His recording of Akiho’s LIgNEouS Suite with the Dover Quartet was nominated for a Grammy in 2022. In 2017, Rosenbaum released his first full-length solo album, Memory Palace, on NS Tracks. It features five signature commissions, as well as collaborations with Brooklyn Rider and flutist Gina Izzo. He has appeared at the Bay Chamber, Bridgehampton, Chamber Music Northwest, Edinburgh Fringe, Lake Champlain, Moab, Music from Angel Fire, Music@Menlo, Norfolk, and Yellow Barn festivals, and has collaborated with the Dover Quartet, Brooklyn Rider, cellist Jeffrey Zeigler, and violinist Kristin Lee. In 2012, Rosenbaum joined the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Bowers Program (formerly CMS Two) as only the second percussionist selected in its history, and has performed regularly with CMS since then.

Rosenbaum is a founding member of Sandbox Percussion, the Percussion Collective, and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. He is on faculty at the Peabody Institute, the Mannes School of Music, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Rosenbaum endorses Pearl/Adams instruments, Vic Firth mallets, and Remo drumheads