Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie (born September 17, 1969) is an American composer and sound engineer based in Brussels, Belgium.
Early life Adam Wiltzie was born on September 17, 1969, in New York City. Originally a champion youth tennis player, a knee injury sustained when he was 16 ended his career. Wiltzie then moved to Austin, Texas, where he lived for 10 years, before moving to Europe.
Career Wiltzie is best known for his work as a founder of seminal ambient classical projects Stars of the Lid, The Dead Texan, Aix Em Klemm and A Winged Victory for the Sullen. He scored A Winged Victory for the Sullen's 2021 album Invisible Cities, the score to the critically acclaimed theater production directed by Leo Warner.
He has also recorded, played with, and worked as a live sound engineer for artists such as The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, Labradford, Bedhead, Pip Proud, The Bad Livers, Windsor for the Derby, Ed Hall, Iron & Wine, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hauschka and Sparklehorse.
He has written the original scores for several film and television productions including Salero, The Yellow Birds and Iris. He also collaborated with Jóhann Jóhannsson on his scores for The Theory of Everything and Arrival, and wrote two of the main themes with Dustin O'Halloran in the 2016 Oscar-nominated film Lion.
In 2026, Friendship Survival Guide, a collaborative album by Adam Wiltzie and Jóhann Jóhannsson, was announced for release on September 18 by Deutsche Grammophon. The album draws on sessions recorded between 2013 and 2017, with Wiltzie completing the project after Jóhannsson's death in 2018. The album features Tim Hecker and Bryan Senti, while Steve Albini recorded guitar parts at Electrical Audio. To accompany the release of Friendship Survival Guide, Wiltzie collaborated with Belgian director Jonas Govaerts on a three-chapter short film starring Wiltzie and actor Jeroen Perceval in a fictional nocturnal taxi journey. The film was shot in Ghent and Muizen.
Discography Solo Travels in Constants Vol. 24 (Temporary Residence Limited, 2015) How to Disappear Inside a Thirty Piece Orchestra (Self-released, 2021) Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal (Kranky, 2024)
Stars of the Lid (with Brian McBride)
Sleepingdog (with Chantal Acda) Naked in a Clean Bed (Muze, 2006) Polar Life (Gizeh, 2008) With Our Heads in the Clouds and Our Hearts in the Fields (Gizeh, 2011)
Aix Em Klemm (with Robert Donne) Aix Em Klemm (Kranky, 2000)
The Dead Texan (with Christina Vantzou) The Dead Texan (Kranky, 2004)
A Winged Victory for the Sullen (with Dustin O'Halloran) A Winged Victory for the Sullen (Erased Tapes, 2011) Atomos VII [EP] (Kranky, 2014) Atomos (Erased Tapes, 2014) Iris (Erased Tapes, 2016) God's Own Country (2017) The Undivided Five (Ninja Tune, 2019) Invisible Cities (Artificial Pinearch Manufacturing, 2021)
Adam Wiltzie & Jóhann Jóhannsson Friendship Survival Guide (Deutsche Grammophon, 2026)
Film Score Albums Salero (Erased Tapes, 2016) American Woman (Artificial Pinearch Manufacturing, 2019)
Filmography Films Year Title Director Notes2016 Iris Jalil Lespert2017 The Yellow Birds Alexandre Moors2018American WomanJake Scott2022H4Z4RDJonas Govaerts Documentaries Year Title Director Notes2009 The Passage Alexander Douglas2010 Submission Stefan Jarl2013 Godheten Stefan Jarl (2)2015 Salero Mike Plunkett Short Films Year Title Director Notes2010 Want to See Something ? Tomas Jonsgården2018BlightRaphaël Crombez Television Year Title Production company Notes2018 Forever Amazon Studios Season 1, Episode 8 - "Goodbye Forever"
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