Timothy Andres (b. 1985, Palo Alto, CA) is a composer and pianist. He grew up in rural Connecticut and lives in New York City. His compositions meld a classical-music upbringing with diverse interests in the natural world, graphic arts, technology, cooking, and photography. He has been praised for his “acute ear” by the New York Times’s Anthony Tommasini and “stubborn nose” by the New Yorker’s Alex Ross. An avid pianist from an early age, Timothy (Timo for short) performs widely, focusing especially on music by his contemporaries. “New music cannot be intimidating when played with this degree of skill and zest,” proclaimed Boston Globe critic Richard Dyer of a recent concert. Eleanor Hancock was his piano teacher for many years; later, he studied with Frederic Chiu, Boris Berman and Elisabeth Parisot. Timo’s début album, Shy and Mighty, was released in May 2010 on Nonesuch. The disc comprises ten interrelated pieces for two pianos, performed by co-pianist David Kaplan and the composer. Shy and Mighty has been an immediate critical success; Alex Ross wrote in the New Yorker that “the music achieves an unhurried grandeur that has rarely been felt in American music since John Adams came on the scene... more mighty than shy, [Andres] sounds like himself.” Andres will perform sections from the work with pianist Brad Mehldau at Zankel Hall next March. Recent commissions include new works for Metropolis Ensemble, an octet for members of New World Symphony (Some Connecticut Gospel), a violin/viola concerto for Owen Dalby and the Albany Symphony (Look Around You), and a chamber orchestra work for the Los Angeles Philharmonic (Nightjar), conducted by John Adams. The coming season will feature new pieces for Ensemble ACJW and the ACME quartet, among others. Timo earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale. He first studied composition during high school, at Juilliard’s Pre- College division (with Eric Ewazen) and has since worked with Martin Bresnick, Ingram Marshall, Aaron Jay Kernis, Chris Theofanidis, John Halle, Matthew Suttor, Kathryn Alexander, Michael Klingbeil, and Orianna Webb. Eleanor Hancock was his piano teacher for many years; later, he studied with Frederic Chiu, Boris Berman and Elisabeth Parisot. He has received awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, bmi, and ascap, as well as grants from Meet the Composer and the American Music Center. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.