Soren Anders (born John T. Fischer) is an American composer, singer, record producer and instrumentalist from southern Illinois. He is the creator of the multi-award winning band Shimmerplanet.

Early life

Anders has said that as a child, he spent a lot of time outdoors, growing things and getting dirty. A bit of a hippy, he subscribed to ''Organic Gardening'' magazine when he was eight years old. He spent much of his early years playing the piano and violin, drafting maps of imaginary cities, and escaping into endless hours of TV watching. At the age of 16, Anders turned off the TV for good, and he wrote his first piece, a terribly melancholy instrumental composition for solo piano. In college, Anders committed himself to the piano, studying under the acclaimed principal pianist for the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...

, Mary Sauer. Anders possessed a special affinity for melancholy Russian music. Anders' has performed in many bands, most notably Shimmerplanet. He has taught elementary school music in a dangerous neighborhood, formed an award-winning children's gospel choir, and written music for a few plays and films. And, in the middle of all this musical meandering, he moved to New York and created Shimmerplanet.

Career

Ander's has gained much critical success as the creator of the band Shimmerplanet has been called "a breakthrough creatively" and "brilliant". "It takes artistic courage to be this lyrically honest and musically experimental," wrote Indie-Music.com. Awards from The

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...

, The Independent Music Awards, and Talent in Motion Magazine followed. Anders has worked with 60s recording icon

Lesley Gore Lesley Gore (born Lesley Sue Goldstein, May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. At the age of 16, she recorded her first hit song " It's My Party", a US number one in 1963. She follow ...

, 80s recording icon

Chris Stein Christopher Stein (born January 5, 1950) is an American musician and songwriter known as the co-founder and guitarist of the new wave band Blondie. He is also a producer and performer for the classic soundtrack of the hip hop film '' Wild St ...

(of Blondie), and recently, scored and conducted a choir for one of his favorite bands,

Menomena Menomena is an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, made up of Justin Harris and Danny Seim. Both members of the band share singing duties and frequently swap instruments while recording. In concert, Seim plays drums, while Ha ...

. The recipient of numerous awards, international airplay and critical accolades, Anders is very busy, not just with Shimmerplanet, but with various other collaborations ( Darren Ockert, Carolyn Eufrasio, Molly Bea).

References

External links

Soren Anders
– official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Anders, Soren Living people 21st-century American composers American multi-instrumentalists American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Illinois Shark Meat Records artists American male pianists 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American male musicians Year of birth missing (living people)