Timo Andres

American composer (born 1985)

Timo Andres
Andres in 2014
Born	Timothy Andres 1985 (age 38–39)
Alma mater	Yale University
Years active	2009 - present
Era	Contemporary
Website	andres.com

Timo Andres (born Timothy Andres in 1985 in Palo Alto, California^[1]) is an American composer and pianist. He grew up in rural Connecticut and lives in Brooklyn, New York.^[2]

Biography

After growing up in rural Connecticut, an environment that greatly influences his work,^[3] Timo 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.^[4] He is also a graduate of Juilliard's pre-college program.^[5]

Andres first rose to prominence at the age of 24 when his piece Nightjar was commissioned and performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and John Adams.^[6]^[7] Since then, he has been commissioned by Wigmore Hall,^[8] Carnegie Hall,^[9] the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, San Francisco Performances,^[10] the Gilmore Foundation and the Library of Congress.^[11] Andres has performed solo recitals at (Le) Poisson Rouge,^[12] Wigmore Hall and Lincoln Center,^[13] and alongside artists such as Gabriel Kahane,^[11] Philip Glass,^[14] and David Kaplan.

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."^[7]^[15]

Andres draws from a wide array of influences, including bands such as Sigur Rós, Boards of Canada, Brian Eno and Radiohead,^[5] as well as classical music by Brahms, Schumann, Mozart, and Charles Ives.^[3]^[16] He is also influenced by his love of design and typography.^[16]

Andres has repeatedly collaborated with Sufjan Stevens, including on the albums The Decalogue and Reflections.^[17]^[18] He arranged music from Stevens' 2005 album Illinois for a 2024 Broadway adaptation, Illinoise, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Orchestrations.^[19]

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^[20]
2008 Charles Ives Prize^[21]
2013 Morton Gould Young Composer Award^[22]
2013 Music Alive Residency Award^[23]
2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist in music ^[24]
2016 Glenn Gould Protege Prize ^[25]

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

References

^ Timo Andres biography
^ "Timothy Andres". WQXR. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "First Listen: Timo Andres And The Metropolis Ensemble, 'Home Stretch'". NPR Music. NPR. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
^ Timothy Andres. "People – Timothy Andres | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News". WNYC. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Hewett, Ivan (May 2, 2012). "Timothy Andres: New face". The Telegraph.
^ Villarreal, Yvonne (May 9, 2009). "Timothy Andres is enjoying his moment in the L.A. sun". The Los Angeles Times.
^ ^a ^b Ross, Alex (May 3, 2010). "Brazen". The New Yorker.
^ Finch, Hilary (May 26, 2013). "Elias Quartet/Biss at Wigmore Hall". The Times.
^ Schweitzer, Vivien (April 7, 2013). "Frequent Partners Unite for a New York Premiere". The New York Times.
^ "San Francisco Performances Presents Culmination of Jonathan Biss' Project, Schumann: Under the Influence" (PDF). San Francisco Performances. February 26, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "2012–2013 Schedule of Events". The Library of Congress. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
^ "Listen: Timothy Andres at LPR". (Le) Poisson Rouge. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
^ "Timo Andres, piano: Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts". Lincoln Center. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
^ "Philip Glass, Nico Muhly and Timo Andres – Barbican Hall, London 12/05/13". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
^ Ross, Alex (May 16, 2010). "Andres, Clyne, Dargel". The Rest is Noise.
^ ^a ^b Kushner, Daniel (March 21, 2012). "Subversive Reverence: Timothy Andres Re-Imagines Mozart's "Coronation" Concerto". The Huffington Post.
^ Yoo, Noah (October 25, 2019). "Sufjan Stevens / Timo Andres: The Decalogue". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
^ Corcoran, Nina; Strauss, Matthew (April 18, 2023). "Sufjan Stevens Releasing Reflections Ballet Score Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
^ Sherman, Rachel (April 30, 2024). "Tony Awards Nominations 2024: The Complete List". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
^ "52nd Annual BMI Student Composer Award Winners". New Music Box. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
^ "The Charles Ives Awards". American Academy of Arts and Letters. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
^ "The 2013 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composers Awards". ASCAP. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
^ "2013 Music Alive Residency Awardees". New Music USA. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
^ "The Blind Banister, by Timo Andres – The Pulitzer Prizes". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
^ "Genius of Philip Glass: The Glenn Gould Foundation". Glenn Gould Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2016.