componist

Auznieks, Krists

Geboortedatum: 1992

Krists Auznieks (b. 1992) is a Latvian composer whose music has been described as “exhilarating, stunning, luminous” (San Francisco Classical Voice), praised for its “astonishing complexity and beauty” (BroadwayWorld), and noted for its “extraordinarily imaginative writing” (BBC Radio 3). His quintet Piano was highlighted by The New York Times as one of the week's best classical music moments.
Auznieks's work is rooted in the belief that beauty offers moral clarity, composing at the intersection of music, memory, and metaphysics. His compositions often explore inner landscapes of longing, grace, and transformation, inviting listeners into experiences that are both refined and emotionally immediate.
His debut double album, Coiled Horizon, featuring guitarist JIJI and Sinfonietta Rīga, was nominated in three categories at the Opus Klassik Awards, including Best Composer and Best Concerto. The album showcases two contrasting works: Ecclesia Cordis, a jazz-influenced trio, and the electric guitar concerto Coiled Horizon, praised for its fusion of dense 20th-century composition with virtuosic guitar playing.
His choral piece Sensus, performed by the Latvian Radio Choir, has been acclaimed for its "spectral spiritualism" and was featured on the choir's album Angele Dei, which was selected as Gramophone Magazine's Editor's Choice.
Auznieks's compositions have been commissioned by ensembles such as the Atlanta Symphony, American Composers Orchestra, Bang on a Can, MATA, Swedish Radio, Kremerata Baltica, Latvian Radio Choir, Cappella Amsterdam, and Sinfonietta Rīga. His works have been performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Royal Danish Theatre, Beijing National Arts Centre, Muziekgebouw, The Southbank Centre, and National Sawdust.
In 2025, his piece Turning the Wheel was presented at the ISCM World New Music Days in Porto. He is the youngest composer to receive the Latvian Grand Music Award and has been honored with the Jacob Druckman Prize (Aspen Music Festival), the International Rostrum of Composers Award, the Richard Wagner Scholarship, and fellowships from the Hermitage Artist Retreat and Civitella Ranieri Foundation. In 2021, he was named Person of the Year in Latvian Culture.
Auznieks is currently composing two operas—one for the Latvian National Opera and another for the Riga Wagner House—and developing theatre scores for Daile Theatre and the Dutch National Theatre.
He earned his Doctorate from the Yale School of Music and completed his undergraduate studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. He has taught at Yale, Montclair State University, and the Latvian Academy of Music, where he is currently an Associate Professor. He also chairs the Latvian Composers Union and has collaborated with the New York Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers Program.
Auznieks's work continues to unfold at the meeting point of the spiritual and the sonic, drawing influence from Buddhist practice and a lifelong inquiry into exile, transformation, and awareness—composing not just music, but experiences of stillness, presence, and wonder in a restless world.