When Mr. Jonny Allen ’07 picks up his mallets or sticks, audiences watch in awe at the edge of their seats as he thrives in his element. Based in Brooklyn, Mr. Allen travels the world to share his love for music to a wide audience with his percussion quartet, Sandbox Percussion. He also shares his expertise with aspiring percussionists as a percussion teacher at Choate and the University of Missouri – Kansas City. The Grammy-nominated, award-winning percussionist is the latest addition to Choate’s list of applauded and accomplished alumni.
After receiving degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Yale School of Music, Mr. Allen proceeded to play with orchestras worldwide and has won prizes in multiple international competitions. He has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, most notably Carnegie Hall in New York City. While cultivating his global presence, Mr. Allen built his musical reputation in the U.S. He is part of jazz trio Triplepoint, a founding member of the American Modern Opera Company, a member of Sandbox Percussion, and co-director of New York University’s Sandbox Percussion Seminar, which takes place every summer.
Despite the many accolades to his name, Mr. Allen was once a Choate student with his fair share of challenging moments. As a new sophomore day student, he worried about how he would make friends, but he found his community within Choate’s annual spring musical productions. The productions of Sweet Charity and The Sound of Music “were a really great way to instantly be a part of this group of people,” said Mr. Allen. “I’ve always enjoyed making art with people and being a part of that communal energy.”
Mr. Allen also reflected on Choate’s inspiring student body. “When the orchestra sounds like a million bucks and your physics class is full of little geniuses, you want to be in an environment where you’re not the best one,” he said. He was continuously challenged to become a better version of himself. “I was surrounded by people who were all smarter, better, cooler, faster than me, so I was feeling really, really inspired to be like that myself.” Choate’s rigorous environment had a profound impact on Mr. Allen. His relentless search for communities that challenge him has continued long past his graduation.
Beyond Choate, Mr. Allen has continued to challenge himself and put himself in uncomfortable positions to stimulate greater growth. “In order to feel comfortable being uncomfortable, you should only be afraid to make a mistake that you don’t correct,” he said. To Mr. Allen, making mistakes is not a setback, but rather, a chance to grow and readjust. This mindset plays an important role in his professional music career. He shared that “one of [his] best performances came after a terrible dress rehearsal,” because making mistakes during the rehearsal helped him feel “extra plugged-in and a little on edge.” When faced with an inevitable obstacle, “rather than sitting paralyzed by the magnitude of the task,” he tackles it by “setting manageable goals that are achievable and doable in bite-sized amounts of time,” he said.
Mr. Allen has found a supportive family in Sandbox Percussion, the percussion quartet he joined ten years ago. What first began as musicians paying out-of-pocket to rent their studio space became a nonprofit organization that tours the nation. He expressed appreciation for his fellow members and the close connection they’ve built. He said, “[It’s been] ten years of just really refining our sound and our communication skills, our aesthetic and what we like. There’s a sense of pride as you watch it grow.” In collaboration with composer Andy Akiho, another Yale School of Music alumnus, Sandbox Percussion composed, recorded, and produced their album Seven Pillars, which was nominated this year for a Grammy in Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance and Best Contemporary Classical Composition.
Traveling to Las Vegas for the awards ceremony was a particularly memorable moment for Mr. Allen. “Everyone in our category is a huge inspiration for us. They are four groups that I’ve looked up to and felt like are doing incredible work, so just to be in there with them was a huge honor,” he said.
The Grammy nomination brought Sandbox Percussion’s career to new heights. “It’s a really exciting thing. After the nomination, we were the same group, same album, same projects and aspirations, but we were getting recognized and invited to play concerts.” To Mr. Allen, the Grammy nomination provided greater motivation for him to improve and work harder. “Being a percussionist, I’m just practicing and trying to sound better.”
Mr. Allen is currently working on a piece, written by composer and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, for Sandbox Percussion and a pianist. “I’m just really excited to see what he comes up with. His music is incredibly unique, and with his percussionist mindset, I think it could be really cool,” he said.
Throughout the progress of his career, and even during his time at Choate, Mr. Allen’s love for performing has only deepened. He hopes to share his passion with his audiences around the world and spread the joy of music. “There’s something that the stage and an audience give a piece that the practice room just never can,” he said.
