Born in
Windom, Minnesota, Schneider studied music theory and composition at the
University of Minnesota, graduating in 1983, then earned a master's degree in Music in 1985 from the
Eastman School of Music, studying for one year as well at the
University of Miami. After leaving Eastman, she was hired by
Gil Evans as his
copyist and assistant. In 1988, Schneider formed her first band in collaboration with jazz trombonist
John Fedchock, her husband at the time, and that group appeared at Visiones in
Greenwich Village. Both that group and her marriage would dissolve, but Schneider followed up in 1992 by forming the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, which would appear weekly at Visiones from 1993 until the venue closed in 1998. Albums by the group have been released as by the Maria Schneider Orchestra since 2000. From 2005 through 2019, the Maria Schneider Orchestra performed an annual Thanksgiving week-long gig at the
Jazz Standard in
New York City. The orchestra has also performed at jazz festivals and concert halls in Europe, South America, and Asia. Schneider has performed with over 80 groups in over 30 countries and has taught at universities worldwide. In 2013, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Minnesota. Although three of the orchestra's albums had been previously nominated, Schneider's
Concert in the Garden (2004) was the first to win a
Grammy Award. It was also the first such award-winning album produced by
ArtistShare, a
fan funded platform that has (as of 2017) received 30 Grammy Award nominations and 10 Grammy Award wins. The orchestra has since won additional Grammy Awards for the large-ensemble jazz albums
The Thompson Fields and
Data Lords, while Schneider receive Grammy Awards for individual compositions on the albums
Sky Blue and
Data Lords. The orchestra performed a 30th anniversary concert in November 2024 at
The Town Hall in
New York City, marking 30 years since the release of their first album,
Evanescence. Aside from her jazz orchestral works, Schneider's
Winter Morning Walks (2013) album featured soprano
Dawn Upshaw, the
Saint Paul and
Australian Chamber Orchestras, bassist Jay Anderson, pianist
Frank Kimbrough, and multi-instrumentalist
Scott Robinson. The album accompanied poetry written by U.S. Poet Laureate
Ted Kooser and was funded by ArtistShare. It won Schneider a
Grammy Award for
Best Classical Contemporary Composition. Dawn Upshaw also won a Grammy for her vocal performance, while the
Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Classical award went to David Frost, Tim Martyn, and Brian Losch. ==Advocacy for musicians==