Maria Schneider Orchestra | Artist
Maria Schneider is an American composer and jazz orchestra leader born 1969 in Windom, Minnesota. She is one of the leading jazz big-band leaders operating today who has won multiple Grammy Awards. 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. 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 moving on to become one of the most acclaimed composers and bandleaders of her generation, leading the Maria Schneider Orchestra. To-date, the Maria Schneider Orchestra has released eight consistently excellent studio albums and several live releases. Standouts include her debut Evanescence plus Concert in the Garden, Sky Blue, The Thompson Fields and Data Lords. Aside from her jazz orchestral works, Schneider's Winter Morning Walks (2013) album featured soprano Dawn Upshaw, bassist Jay Anderson, pianist Frank Kimborough, and multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson. The album accompanied poetry written by U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser and won Schneider a Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition.
Artist Website: mariaschneider.com
Featured Albums: Maria Schneider Orchestra
Related Artists: Maria Schneider, Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, Gil Evans
Video Clips: Allegresse, City Portraits, The Thompson Fields
