Praised for his “spectacular performances” (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, Rosenbaum has premiered over one hundred 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 Andy Akiho and Christopher Cerrone, including two nominations for Seven Pillars, an album by Sandbox Percussion released on Aki Rhythm Productions, a record label that Rosenbaum and Akiho founded in 2021. His recording of Andy Akiho’s LIgNEouS Suite with the Dover Quartet was nominated for a GRAMMY® award 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 Bridgehampton, Chamber Music Northwest, Edinburgh Fringe, Lake Champlain, Moab, Music from Angel Fire, Music@Menlo, Norfolk, Spoleto, 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 they have selected in their history, and has performed regularly with CMS since then.
Rosenbaum is a founding member of Sandbox Percussion, a nonprofit performing arts organization that became the first percussion ensemble to be awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2024.
Rosenbaum endorses Pearl/Adams instruments, Vic Firth mallets, and Remo drumheads.