Maria Lynn Schneider (born November 27, 1960) is an American composer and big-band leader who has won multiple Grammy Awards.
Video Maria Schneider (musician)
Biography
Born in Windom, Minnesota, Schneider studied music theory and composition at the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1983, then earned a master's degree in Music in 1985 from the Eastman School of Music, studying for one year as well at the University of Miami. After leaving Eastman, she was hired by Gil Evans as his copyist and assistant.
She collaborated with Evans for the next few years, working with him on music for a tour with Sting and assisting him as he scored the film The Color of Money. Before she became one of the most acclaimed composers and bandleaders of her generation, Schneider received an NEA Apprenticeship Grant to study with Bob Brookmeyer in 1985.
In 1992, Schneider formed The Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, which appeared weekly at Visiones in Greenwich Village from 1993 until it closed in 1998. Since 2005, the ensemble has performed an annual Thanksgiving week-long gig at the Jazz Standard in New York City. The orchestra has also performed at jazz festivals and concert halls in Europe, South America, and Asia. Schneider has performed with over 80 groups in over 30 countries and has taught at universities worldwide. In 2013, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Minnesota.
Schneider's Concert in the Garden (2004) was the first award-winning album produced by ArtistShare, a fan funded platform that has (as of 2017) received 30 Grammy Award nominations and 10 Grammy Award wins.
Winter Morning Walks (2013) featured soprano Dawn Upshaw, the Saint Paul and Australian Chamber Orchestras, bassist Jay Anderson, pianist Frank Kimbrough, and multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson.
The album accompanied poetry written by U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser and was funded by ArtistShare. It won Schneider a Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. Dawn Upshaw won a Grammy for her vocal performance, while the Best Engineered Album, Classical award went to David Frost, Tim Martyn, and Brian Losch.
Maps Maria Schneider (musician)
Advocacy for musicians
Schneider has been a strong advocate for musicians' rights and copyright. She has testified before Congress, and has been asked to participate in several roundtables conducted by the US Copyright Office. Schneider has been outspoken against YouTube and the "freemium" streaming models. She has published several open letters and white papers on these topics.
Schneider has been a board member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences for the New York local chapter and has been involved in many of the NARAS advocacy initiatives, including Grammys on the Hill. In April 2014, on behalf of NARAS, Schneider testified on Section 512 of Section 17 before the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet. Schneider's advocacy against big data companies and their impact on music and culture is reflected in her music, including a piece entitled "Data Lords" commissioned by the U.S. Library of Congress (2016).
Other
Schneider is an avid birdwatcher and enlisted band members to contribute bird calls to "Cerulean Skies" on her album Sky Blue. Other bird-related songs on her albums include "Waxwing" on Coming About, "Bird Count" on Days of Wine and Roses, and "Arbiters of Evolution" on The Thompson Fields.
Awards and honors
- Best Composer, Best Arranger, Best Big Band, Down Beat magazine Annual Critics' Poll, 2006-2012; 2016
- Jazz Album of the Year, Composer of the Year, Arranger of the Year, Large Jazz Ensemble of the Year, Jazz Journalists Association, 2005
- Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, Concert in the Garden, 2004
- Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition, "Cerulean Skies", 2007
- Grammy Award for Best Classical Composition, Winter Morning Walks, 2013
- Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, The Thompson Fields, 2015
- Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Instruments and Vocal, Sue (Or In a Season of Crime) (David Bowie) from Nothing Has Changed 2015
Discography
- Evanescence (Enja, 1994)
- Coming About (Enja, 1996)
- Live at the Jazz Standard - Days of Wine and Roses (ArtistShare, 2000 [limited edition], 2005 [regular release])
- Allégresse (Enja, 2000)
- Concert in the Garden (ArtistShare, 2004)
- Sky Blue (ArtistShare, 2007)
- Winter Morning Walks (ArtistShare, 2013)
- The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare, 2015)
References
External links
- Official site
- "Open Letter to YouTube, 'Pushers' of Piracy" (May 15, 2016)
- "Content ID is Still Just Piracy in Disguise: An Open Letter to Rightsholders and a Music Industry Ready to Renegotiate with a Monster" (July 31, 2016)
- "What Do Whore Houses, Meth Labs and YouTube Have in Common?" (Sept. 27th, 2016)
- "Lyor Cohen Takes the Cake by Joining the Google Empire" (Oct 7th, 2016)
- Maria Schneider (October 1, 2008). "Navigating Comfort Zones". NewMusicBox (Interview). Interviewed by Frank J. Oteri (published November 1, 2008). (includes video)
Source of the article : Wikipedia