Cascades and OSU’s Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts, known as PRAx, continue their performing arts partnership with “BeLoud, BeLoved, BeLonging,” a Grammy-nominated musical collaboration by Imani Winds and Andy Akiho.

The genre-defying program bridges traditional and contemporary music while exploring the issue of mass incarceration through percussion and wind arrangements, and showcasing the transformative power of the arts.

Imani Winds, a Grammy-winning and four-time nominated wind quintet, is known for inventive repertoire and thought-provoking performances that have inspired audiences around the world.

A Pulitzer Prize finalist, seven-time Grammy-nominated composer and celebrated percussionist, Akiho has been described by the Los Angeles Times as “trailblazing.” A virtuosic steel pannist, his musical voice has evolved from learning to play drums by ear in Trinidad and New York City, to composing commissioned works for the New York Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Shanghai Symphony.

Akiho currently serves as the 2025-26 Patricia Valian Reser Artist-in-Residence at PRAx.