Timo Andres

Timo Andres (born Timothy Andres in 1985 in Palo Alto, California ) is an American composer and pianist. He grew up in rural Connecticut and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Biography

After growing up in rural Connecticut, an environment that greatly influences his work, Andres attended Yale University for both his undergraduate and graduate education, studying with Martin Bresnick, Ingram Marshall, Aaron Jay Kernis, Christopher Theofanidis, John Halle, Matthew Suttor, Kathryn Alexander, Michael Klingbeil, and Orianna Webb. He was a member of Skull and Bones. He is also a graduate of Juilliard's pre-college program.

Andres first rose to prominence at age 24, when his piece Nightjar was commissioned and performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and John Adams. Since then, he has been commissioned by Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, San Francisco Performances, the Gilmore Foundation, and the Library of Congress. Andres has performed solo recitals at (Le) Poisson Rouge, Wigmore Hall, and Lincoln Center, and alongside artists such as Gabriel Kahane, and David Kaplan.

In 2014, he performed with the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts, in the Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, in the summer series.

Works Andres's work has received broad critical acclaim and is particularly noted for its seamless blend of traditional and contemporary idioms. Alex Ross of The New Yorker has called Andres "quietly awesome" and his music "the kind of sprawling, brazen work that a young composer should write."

Andres draws from a wide array of influences, including bands such as Sigur Rós, Boards of Canada, Brian Eno and Radiohead, He is also influenced by his love of design and typography. He arranged music from Stevens's 2005 album Illinois for a 2024 Broadway adaptation, Illinoise, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Orchestrations.

Compositions and projects

Chamber music 2004 Violin Sonata for violin and piano 2004 "Formal Conceits" for flute, clarinet, violin, ’cello, and piano 2006 "I Found it in the Woods" outdoor music for flute, viola, and harp 2006 "Strider" ambient music for vibraphone and piano 2006 "Five-Speed Automatic" fanfare for trumpet, horn, and trombone 2006 "The Night Jaunt" traveling music for flute, clarinet, electric guitar, bass, and piano 2007 "Play it by Ear" for clarinet, bassoon, horn, string quartet, bass, and piano (or clarinet and piano) 2007 "Talking About Dancing" for baroque violin, bass gamba, and harpsichord 2007 "I Found it by the Sea" variations for piano quartet 2008 "Some Connecticut Gospel" for flute (doubling alto), bassoon, trombone, piano, violin, viola, ’cello, and bass 2009 "Fast Flows the River" for ’cello and Hammond organ (or MIDI keyboard) 2009 "Crashing Through Fences" for piccolo, glockenspiel, and two kickdrums 2010 "Clamber Music" free variations for two violins and piano 2010 "Thrive on Routine" for string quartet 2010 "Trade Winds" for clarinet, string quartet, percussion, and piano 2011 "You broke it, you bought it" for percussion and electric guitar 2012 "Trade Secrets" for alto flute, percussion, violin, and ‘cello 2012 "Piano Quintet" for string quartet & piano 2013 "Safe Travels" for flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, viola, and ‘cello 2013 "Early to Rise" for string quartet 2013 "Austerity Measures" for percussion quartet 2014 "Checkered Shade" for flute, clarinet, violin, ‘cello, percussion, and piano 2014 "Inner Circle" for flute, clarinet, and marimba 2014 "Mooring" for piano quartet 2015 "Strong Language" for string quartet 2015 "Words Fail" for violin and piano 2016 "Tides and Currents" for two pianos and two percussionists 2016 "Land Lines" for triple brass quintet 2017 "Steady Gaze" for flute and piano 2017 "Listen to the radio a lot" for snare drum and electronics 2018 "Piano Trio" for violin, cello, and piano

Keyboard Music 2007 "Shy and Mighty" album for two pianos 2007 "How can I live in your world of ideas?" for solo piano 2007 "Sorbet" for solo piano 2010 "It takes a long time to become a good composer" for solo piano 2011 "At the River" for solo piano 2011 "Retro Music" for piano four-hands 2012 "Old Friend" for solo piano 2013 "Clear and Cold" for solo piano 2013 "Heavy Sleep" for solo piano 2016 "Zefiro Torna" paraphrase for solo piano 2017 "Wise Words" for solo piano 2017 "Old Ground" for solo piano 2017 "Moving Études" for solo piano

Large Ensemble 2008 "Senior" for string quartet and orchestra 2008 "Nightjar" for chamber orchestra 2008 "Home Stretch" concerto for piano and chamber orchestra 2009 "Bathtub Shrine" elegy for full orchestra 2010 "Paraphrase on themes of Brian Eno" for chamber orchestra 2010 "How to Pop and Lock in Thirteen Steps" for chamber orchestra 2011 "Old Keys" concerto for piano and small orchestra 2014 "Word of Mouth" for chamber orchestra 2015 "Running Theme" for string orchestra 2015 "The Blind Banister" concerto for piano and orchestra 2016 "Everything Happens So Much" for full orchestra 2017 "Steady Hand" for two pianos and chamber orchestra 2017 "Upstate Obscura" for cello and chamber orchestra

Vocal 2010 "Family Plays" for high male voice and piano 2010 "Are your fingers long enough?" for female voice, double bass, and looping pedal 2011 "Two River Songs" for baritone, violin, and piano 2011 "Comfort Food" for women’s chorus and mixed nonet 2013 "Work Songs" for three voices, two guitars, keyboard, accordion, and piano 2015 "Schubertiana" for mezzo-soprano, viola, horn, and piano 2015 "Mirror Songs" for male voice and piano

Others 2010 "Mozart Coronation Concerto re-composition" for piano and orchestra 2011 "Scores for Jonathan Ehrenberg’s Moth and Seed" for piano and electronics 2011 "Frank Tell project" for violin and electronics 2012 "Histories" for l’histoire ensemble 2015 "Requiem" for chorus and orchestra 2015 "Small Wonder" for solo cello 2019 The Decalogue an album by Timo and Sufjan Stevens

Awards 2004 BMI Student Composer Award 2008 Charles Ives Prize 2013 Morton Gould Young Composer Award 2013 Music Alive Residency Award 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist in music 2016 Glenn Gould Protege Prize

Recordings 2010 – "Shy and Mighty" (Nonesuch) with David Kaplan, piano 2013 – "Home Stretch" (Nonesuch) with Metropolis Ensemble and Andrew Cyr 2019 – "Work Songs" (New Amsterdam) with Becca Stevens, Gabriel Kahane, Ted Hearne, Nathan Koci, and Taylor Levine 2019 – The Decalogue, with Sufjan Stevens 2023 – Reflections, with Conor Hanick and Sufjan Stevens 2024 – The Blind Banister (Nonesuch), with Metropolis Ensemble and Andrew Cyr