Terry Sweeney is an accomplished chamber musician, educator, and collaborator, recognized for his contributions to contemporary percussion music as a member of Sandbox Percussion. During the 2023/24 season with Sandbox, he premiered new works by composers including Amy Beth Kirsten, Chris Cerrone, Doug Cuomo, Ellis Ludwig-Leone, Joan Tower, John Luther Adams, and Viet Cuong. Other highlights include performances at the Park Avenue Armory, 92nd Street Y, and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

With Sandbox Sweeney has performed concertos with the Colorado Symphony, Albany Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Curtis Symphony Orchestra, American Composer’s Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic, and the Des Moines Symphony.

Sandbox’s 2021 album Seven Pillars was nominated for two GRAMMY® awards – Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance and Best Contemporary Classical Composition. Since then, Sandbox has performed Seven Pillars more than 35 times throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Beyond his performing career, Sweeney is dedicated to education and mentorship. He serves as the Chair of Percussion at The Mannes School of Music and holds faculty positions at the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory and the Peabody Conservatory. In the summers, he co-directs the Sandbox Percussion Seminar and teaches at the Yellow Barn Young Artist Program. Sweeney holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory and the Yale School of Music and endorses Pearl/Adams musical instruments, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks and mallets, Remo drumheads, and Black Swamp accessories.