Artists

Daniel Schnyder, born in 1961 in Zurich, Switzerland, is a Swiss-American composer, saxophonist and flautist now based in New York City, residing in Harlem’s historic Sugar Hill. Internationally acclaimed for his genre-defying work, Schnyder bridges classical music, jazz and global traditions in a career that spans continents and cultures.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Schnyder performs at major festivals and concert series around the world.
His compositions have been commissioned and performed by prominent ensembles such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (New York), Tonkünstler Orchester (Vienna), Radio Symphony Orchestra (Berlin), NorrlandsOperan (Sweden), Chicago Sinfonietta, Vienna Art Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Opera of Bern, NDR Orchestra (Hannover),
NDR Big Band (Hamburg), Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Absolute Ensemble (New York), St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, American Composers Orchestra, PostClassical Ensemble (Washington DC), Pacific Symphony Orchestra and Opera Philadelphia.

Schnyder’s album Absolution (Enja Nova), featuring his Bass Trombone Concerto performed by David Taylor, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Classical Small Ensemble Recording in 2002.

As a composer and arranger, Schnyder has collaborated with jazz greats including Abdullah Ibrahim (African Suite), Lee Konitz (Tribute to Billie Holiday) and Paquito D’Rivera (Habañera, Enja Records). He has also worked with leading artists from Arabic and Chinese musical traditions, including Simon Shaheen, Bassam Saba, Jing Jang, Marcel Khalife and Jamey Haddad, seamlessly blending their styles with jazz and classical elements.

In 2014, Schnyder’s large-scale opera Abraham – a 120-minute work for choir, soloists, Arab music ensemble and orchestra – premiered in Düsseldorf, Jerusalem and Bonn. His opera Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, commissioned by Opera Philadelphia and starring tenor Lawrence Brownlee, debuted in 2015 and has since toured to major cities including Chicago, New York, London, Seattle and Atlanta.

Schnyder’s innovative orchestral works for non-Western instruments include a Concerto for Nay (featuring Bassam Saba), the Alphorn Concerto (written for Arkady Shilkloper) and a Pipa Concerto (premiered by Min Xiao-Fen at the National Gallery in Washington DC). His African Oratorio – Sundiata Keita, for symphony orchestra, choir and Malian soloists, was premiered at the Berlin Philharmonic, with lyrics in Maninka and traditional African instruments such as the kora, bala and djembe.

A frequent consultant for festivals, ensembles and arts organizations, Schnyder is known for his cross-genre programming and ability to fuse classical, jazz and world music traditions in innovative formats.

Among his many honours, Schnyder won First Prize from the International Trumpet Guild (1996) for his Brass Trio. His chamber music works have been performed in top international competitions including the Aeolus Competition, Deutsche Musikrat Wettbewerb, Muri Competition, Markneukirchen Competition and Rostal Violin Competition in Berlin.