Jon Snell

New York-based pianist and composer Jon Snell is a versatile musician whose skills extend across a variety of genres. His work is heavily influenced by jazz (Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau) as well as classical (Bach, Chopin), pop, and world music.

In New York, he has performed at venues such as Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Knickerbocker Bar and Grill, Jazz at Kitano, 55 Bar, Cornelia Street Cafe, The Django, and ShapeShifter Lab, and in the bands of Luis Bonilla, Ethan Helm, Javier Nero, Sam Dillon, Pureum Jin, Nate Sparks, and more.

Snell co-leads the jazz quintet Commons Collective, which released its fourth album in May 2018, along with a duo project with saxophonist Chris Merz, which lead to the release of a live album on the RealTown Records label.

In addition to an expanding online teaching studio (learn more at Jazz Lessons NYC) and educational outreach at universities, schools, and other venues across the United States, Snell is on the jazz piano faculty of the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) Precollege Division where he teaches courses in Jazz Theory, Jazz Ear Training, and Jazz Keyboard Harmony, as well as private lessons. At MSM, he also coaches a student jazz quintet.

Snell holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music (MM) and the University of Northern Iowa (BA), where he was the recipient of the William H. Borden Award for Outstanding Achievement in Jazz and the Purple and Old Gold Award for Conspicuous Achievement in Music, respectively. He is also a recipient of ASCAP’s Young Jazz Composer’s Award.