ABOUT

Jacob Samuel Snider is an American composer, songwriter, pianist, and improviser who has quietly been establishing himself as a secret weapon of contemporary music, scoring for the screen, and the concert hall. Named Best New Artist by NPR affiliate WXPN, he has built a career rooted in his original voice that blends improvisational mastery with cinematic storytelling, earning recognition by debuting at South by Southwest, premiering on the BBC, delivering intimate piano performances, and through innovative collaboration with artists like Jon Batiste, Big Thief, and producer Tony Berg (Fiona Apple, Phoebe Bridgers, Andrew Bird) who produced Snider’s debut LP, Carrier (feat. Armand Hirsch).

A lifelong pianist and composer, Snider has scored award-winning films showcased at Tribeca Film Festival (Common Ground) and Sundance Film Festival (Training Wheels), among others, with Common Ground — the 2025 Amazon/MGM documentary starring Laura Dern, Woody Harrelson, Jason Momoa, Rosario Dawson, and Donald Glover — earning him Oscar® consideration for Best Original Score at the 96th Academy Awards..

Crafting substance over spectacle, Snider has taken a methodical path by building a diverse body of work celebrated for its emotional depth — "a musical journey different from anything else around” (Twisted Soul). His orchestral work American Lapse, world premiered by the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra in 2024, has been hailed as “majestic” (Worcester Telegram), cementing his place as an emerging contemporary voice. He now steps into the role of Composer-in-Residence for the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra for their 2025-2026 season, where his symphonic overture for 50-piece orchestra and dance, Steps To A Gathering, will world premiere on the stage of the legendary Mechanics Hall in 2025.