Krists Auznieks

Biography

Composer Krists Auznieks has been praised for his "exhilarating...stunning...luminous" (San Francisco Classical Voice) music, possessing "astonishing complexity and beauty" (Broadwayworld), and "old-fashioned elegance" (Herald Tribune). His quintet "Piano" was featured in The New York Times among the week's best classical music moments; he is also a recipient of Aspen Music Festival's Jacob Druckman Prize and the youngest composer to ever receive the Latvian Grand Music Award for best composition of the year.

Recent commissions include works for Atlanta Symphony and Bang on A Can Marathon, choral pieces for Cappella Amsterdam and Latvian Radio Choir, a guitar concerto for Sinfonietta Riga and JiJi, works for New York based new music ensemble Unheard-Of, a multi-media work for Canadian soprano Meghan Lindsay, and a piece for LA based Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra.

Auznieks' music has been performed at The Kennedy Center, The Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Royal Danish Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Hall, Prague Quadriennial, Beijing National Arts Centre, Shanghai City Theatre, Amsterdam's Muziekgebouw, The Southbank Center (London), Théâtre Maisonneauve (Montreal), The Kitchen (NYC), National Sawdust (NYC), Chassé Theater (The Netherlands), Cultuurcentrum Hasselt (Belgium), Théâtre De Nîmes (France) and featured in Gaudeamus Muziekweek (Holland), Prague Quadrennial, Aspen Music Festival, American Music Festival (Albany, NY), MATA 2017 (NYC), SO Percussion Day of Awesomeness, Arctic Arts Festival (Norway), UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers in Finland, European Capital of Culture Aarhus 2017 Festival (Denmark), and Chelsea Music Festvial (NYC).

He has also been commissioned by American Composer Orchestra, Bang on a Can, Aspen Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Yale Percussion Group, Albany Symphony, Latvian Radio Big Band, Contemporaneous, pianists Melvin Chen, and David Fung, and worked with conductors Robert Spano, Patrick Summers, Christopher Rountree, pianist Stephen Gosling, and bassist Robert Black.

Currently pursuing doctorate at Yale School of Music with Aaron Jay Kernis, David Lang, Chris Theofanidis, Hannah Lash, and Martin Bresnick, he is also an alumnus of The Royal Conservatory of The Hague. His most recent recognitions include fellowships from Hermitage and AIR Serenbe residencies, Aspen Music Festival, NEXT Festival of Emerging Artists (NYC), Bennington Chamber Music Conference, American Academy of Fontainebleau and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, The Woods Chandler Memorial Prize from Yale, awards from American Composer Orcestra's Earshot, The Chicago Ensemble's Discover America XI, Association for the Promotion of New Music, and Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra competitions.

He has served on the faculty of Yale School of Music, Montclair State University, and has also taught for NY Philharmonic's Very Young Composers Program. He resides in NYC with his fiancé pianist Robert Fleitz.


Photo Credit: Girts Ragelis