Jazz Conductor Maria Schneider and Her Orchestra

Composer, bandleader and NEA Jazz Master Maria Schneider makes a highly anticipated La Jolla Music Society debut with her genre-defying 18-piece orchestra. Her latest album, Data Lords, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a winner of two GRAMMY Awards, and was named Jazz Album of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association.

Known as a breakaway jazz orchestra leader and composer, Minnesota-born Maria Schneider is a multiple GRAMMY winner and the 2019 recipient of the prestigious NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for her work in classical, jazz, and even pop with the late David Bowie. Under her baton, the Maria Schneider Orchestra has brought big-band composition into the 21st century, developing the art form into an imaginative and beautifully fluid medium.

Maria Schneider’s music has been hailed by critics as “evocative, majestic, magical, heart-stoppingly gorgeous, and beyond categorization.” She and her orchestra became widely known starting in 1994 when they released their first recording, Evanescence. There, Schneider began to develop her personal way of writing for what would become her 18-member collective, made up of many of the finest musicians in jazz today, tailoring her compositions to distinctly highlight the uniquely creative voices of the group. The Maria Schneider Orchestra has performed at festivals and concert halls worldwide. She herself has received numerous commissions and guest-conducting invites, working with more than 90 groups in over 30 countries.