Born 1976 in Odder, Denmark, Simon Steen-Andersen has drawn a great deal of attention both in Denmark and abroad. Despite his young age, he has lived and studied in such diverse places as Aarhus, Paris, Freiburg, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen and Rome. Simon Steen-Anderson attempts to “approach the human behind the instrument, because then music can be about everything that is most important: communication, being, fragility, and intimacy.” In his most recent works, this takes the form of amplifying barely audible sounds at extreme levels, opening up a rich micro-world of new sounds. He was granted a year-long residency in 2010 under the DAAD program in Berlin, and the following year served as Composer in Focus during the Ultraschall Festival für Neue Musik. He has received numerous grants and awards from, among others, the Danish Art Foundation, the Léonie Sonning Music Foundation, and the International Summer Courses for New Music Darmstadt. In addition to compositions for soloists, ensembles and orchestra, some of which are scored for additional unorthodox instruments, devices and electroacoustic setups, Simon Steen-Andersen also creates audiovisual installations. His music often extends into the theatrical dimension through the performers’ actions. He has taught composition since 2008 at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark, published articles in kunstMusik, Dansk Musik Tidsskrift, and Parergon, and serves as co-editor of AUTOGRAF, a Danish magazine for new music.