Composer
“…inventive and original.
The array of orchestral gestures
is, frankly, stunning.
...impressive and masterfully done."
Albert Mendoza, Alfred Music
"absolutely incredible...
like standing on the shoulders of giants and then taking the next step."
Review of Symphony in B-Flat Minor, Movement II,
Paul Cravens
Winston F. Schneider (b. 2007) is an international award-winning American composer of contemporary classical music. His work has been widely recognized for its masterful orchestration, imaginative use of the musical language, and bold contributions to 21st-century concert music.
He has over 40 composition wins to his name across the U.S. and internationally, including three major national competitions: MTNA, NAfME and NFMC. He was a MATA Jr. composer, which the New Yorker calls “the most exciting showcase for outstanding young composers from around the world.”
He had his debut of an 11-minute full orchestra work with a professional orchestra when he was 12, a work he wrote at age 10. He was the youngest composer ever to be in Curtis Institute of Music’s summer program. He received a prestigious ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards Honorable Mention at age 13 (a competition for composers up to age 30). He made his Masterworks debut with the Omaha Symphony in 2022 when he was 14. In 2024, Schneider received an esteemed Davidson Fellows Scholarship, recognized by Forbes as “one of the nation’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarships”—and notably, he was the only recipient in the field of music.
A prolific composer, Schneider has written over 100 pieces. The COVID-19 pandemic played a pivotal role in his artistic development. When the world was shut down, Schneider devoted almost all of his time to composing and studying scores. During this period, he completed three symphonies and several chamber pieces.
His diverse body of work includes a 60-minute symphony, a septet with spoken voice about the summer of Covid-19 from the perspective of a 17-year-old girl, an orchestra piece involving scent envelopes for the audience to mimic the stink of a threatened stinkbug, a chamber piece reflecting the dire urgency of saving children from child abuse situations, and "Arachnida," a 21-minute tone poem for orchestra, featuring six types of Arachnids.
Schneider has received considerable acclaim for his Salt Creek Tiger Beetle Quintet, inspired by an endangered insect found only in his home state of Nebraska, and Anniversary Overture, a commissioned orchestral work having received multiple performances by professional orchestras.
His works have been performed across the country by the Grammy-nominated Omaha Symphony, the Grammy Award-winning New York Youth Symphony, Sempre Musick Orchestra (Boston), the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra (CO), Face the Music (NYC’s premiere youth ensemble), Chamber Project Saint Louis, Ars Futura (Cleveland based contemporary music ensemble), Orchestra Omaha, Soundbox Ventures (Sarasota, FL), numerous chamber ensembles, youth orchestras and soloists, including virtuosic flutist Mimi Stillman. His orchestra works have been conducted by Maestros Ernest Richardson, Ankush Kumar Bahl, Alejandro Gómez Guillén, Na'Zir McFadden, David Bloom, and Aviva Segall.
With early abilities of perfect pitch and improvisational fluency, Schneider began composing at age 5. He's also a pianist and cellist, and was named Outstanding Performer of the Year for his performance of Prokofiev's Suggestion Diabolique for Global Musical Arts in 2023.
He’s been featured on PBS’s News Hour’s "Arts Canvas," as well as Nebraska Public Media feature stories, one which won a “Heartland Emmy.” In 2024, he was featured in Interlude, an international online music magazine. He's a From the Top Fellow and was a guest on From the Top's national radio program.
Insects have a profound influence on his music. Having caught, studied, released and catalogued over 175 species of insects, arachnids, and other crawling arthropods, his deep connection to the natural world has consistently sparked his creativity. This passion for both insects and music has led him to become advocate for raising awareness and fostering empathy toward endangered species and conservation efforts.
Committed to music education access, he co-founded Music Marathon 4 Music Education, raising over $10,000 to support lessons and instruments for all kids.
He studies with Dr. Ken Meints at the Omaha Conservatory of Music, piano with Anne Madison (OCoM) and cello with Micah Fusselman.
