Daniel Schnyder, born 1961 in Zurich, is one of the most active and most performed Swiss composers of his generation. Since 1992, Daniel – who is not only a composer but also a saxophonist and flutist – has been living in New York City. His work integrates many influences, thus reflecting the urban reality of our multicultural society. Daniel's extensive catalogue of works includes compositions of almost all musical genres, including oratorios, operas, symphonies, chamber music, big band music, wind orchestra compositions, concerts, jazz compositions, film music, multimedia works, ethnic compositions, etudes, folk music, avant-garde and experimental music as well as all combinations of these genres. Daniel's creations deal with jazz, classical and non-European music and take up influences of new music as well as stylistic means and techniques of old music, ethnic music and jazz-related music styles. Playing all these types of music himself and working closely with well-known musicians in the respective musical fields, he succeeds in integrating the Babylonian polyphony of today's music into his oeuvre while his handwriting and personal style always remain clearly recognizable. In a multimedia approach, Daniel combines the above-mentioned musical worlds, reworks masterpieces from the Renaissance, classical and romantic periods to jazz and rock new, and transforms them into entirely new sound experiences.
ARCHITECTONICS of JOY is one example among many. Other examples include 'SCHNYDER FEST' with the Post Classical Ensemble in May 2016 at the National Gallery in Washington DC, the opera 'Charlie Parker's YARDBIRD', performed in April 2016 at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, in 2017 in London (ENO) and at the Lyric Opera Chicago, 2018 in Phoenix and Atlanta and 2020 in Seattle, as well as the African oratorio "Sundiata Keita", performed in 2010 at the Berlin Philharmonic with musicians from Mali and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir. Daniel has played jazz with Paquito D'Rivera, Lee Konitz, Ray Anderson, Ronnie Burrage, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Michael Mossman, Vladislav Sendecki, NDR Big Band, HR Big Band, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Kenny Drew jr, Abdullah Ibrahim, Lew Soloff, Michael Formanek, Franco Ambrosetti, Victor Lewis and Hubert Laws, Georg Gruntz and many others, which is documented on more than three dozen CDs.
Daniel's works regularly feature as compulsory pieces at important international classical competitions (Maurice André Competition in Paris, Aeolus Competition in Düsseldorf, Rostal Competition in Berlin).
Spoken languages: English, German