Jon Snell
Jon Snell is a New York City-based composer-pianist whose work spans jazz, large ensemble writing, and live performance.
A recipient of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award, he has served since 2019 as Co-Producer and Arranger/Orchestrator for multiple Manhattan School of Music productions—most notably the 2023 Season’s Greetings, which brought together 175 performers across 12 ensembles, including members of the New York Philharmonic. He has received commissions for jazz big band, studio orchestra, concert band, and symphonic settings, including projects for Teachers College, Columbia University, and the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band.
As a performer, Snell works across New York’s jazz, theatre, and contemporary music scenes. He has held music director roles in New York City since 2017 and continues to tour regionally. Notable theatre credits include the Off-Broadway hit Titanique at the Daryl Roth Theatre, where he served as substitute conductor and keyboardist.
Originally from Iowa, Snell studied jazz and classical piano at the University of Northern Iowa, graduating magna cum laude and earning the Purple and Old Gold Award for Conspicuous Achievement in Music. He earned a Master of Music in Jazz Piano on scholarship from the Manhattan School of Music (MSM), receiving the William H. Borden Award for Outstanding Achievement in Jazz. Following his graduate studies, he was invited to join the Precollege Jazz Faculty at MSM, where he taught jazz piano, theory, ear training, and keyboard harmony and directed small ensembles for seven years.