"Some pianists are like acrobats who seek to dazzle audiences with their speed, strength, and agility," the citation reads, "but here is a different breed of soloist.... He achieves his goal with an understated virtuosity, a warmly glowing tone, and a sensibility that has a way of bridging opposites: the grandeur of the historic and the breezy freshness of the new; the cultivated sound of the Scandinavian cities where he now lives and the pristine beauty of the Norwegian mountains, to which he often retreats; and, perhaps best of all, the mature musical mastery he has attained and the boyish sense of wonder he has apparently never lost."
Andsnes, the co-director of the Risor Chamber Music Festival in Norway, frequently performs chamber music with such partners as violinist Christian Tetzlaff and tenor Ian Bostridge. He is currently curating a season-long "Perspectives" series at Carnegie Hall, and appears in a seven-city recital tour of the United States in January.