Maria Schneider: Not Built For the Classical World
Following her passion, Schneider worked as an assistant for music legend Gil Evans. While studying with Evans, Schneider was able to assist in writing music and composing for a tour with Sting and Evans’s scoring of the movie The Color of Money. She was also lucky enough to get commissions from groups like the Jazz and Lincoln center to music icons such as David Bowie. After working with composers, Schneider created her own orchestra named The Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra in 1992. With her orchestra, she performed around the world. In 1994 she released her first record, Evanescence, for which it was nominated for two Grammys in 1995.
The list of awards for Schneider and her orchestra is never-ending. In 2004, Schneider won her first Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. That album was the first to win that was exclusively sold online and purely fan funded. In 2005 she won four awards from the Jazz Journals Association ranging from Jazz Album of the year to Composer of the year. She later won her second Grammy in 2007 for Best Instrumental Composition. In 2013, Schneider’s album Winter Morning Walks won three Grammys. In 2016, she also won a Grammy for the latest work The Thompson Fields. Her achievements could go on for a lifetime but her passion and success are what prove her to be a jazz icon for all.