Jonathan Snyder, DMA
Dr. Jonathan Snyder is a horn player, educator, arranger, and composer based in Las Vegas. He currently teaches at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the College of Southern Nevada, where he has taught courses including Music Fundamentals, Music Appreciation, and horn studio class. He also maintains an active private studio, working with students ranging from beginners to advanced performers.
As a performer, Jonathan regularly appears with ensembles including the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Opera Las Vegas, serves as principal horn of the Nevada Chamber Orchestra and the Las Vegas Summerlin Symphony, and performs as assistant principal horn with the Oregon Coast Music Festival orchestra. His career has included touring in Europe, recording the first studio version of a Lithuanian horn concerto, performing with artists including Sarah Brightman and Yoshiki, and appearing in the 2024 Super Bowl pregame show.
Jonathan has also been featured as a contributing artist and presenter at events including the International Horn Symposium, CSN Brass Day, and the Southwest Regional Horn Workshop. His research and performances have focused especially on underperformed horn repertoire from Central and Northern Europe.
Jonathan’s teaching is shaped by an unconventional path both in and outside of music. Before fully committing to a performing career, he worked in fields including technology, architecture, visual arts, and elementary music education. Those experiences continue to influence how he approaches teaching: practical, flexible, and centered on helping students discover what works best for them as individual musicians.
During his doctoral studies, Jonathan developed an overuse injury that forced him to completely rethink his approach to horn playing. That experience became a major turning point in both his performing and teaching, leading him toward a more sustainable and mindful approach to technique that still informs his studio today.
In addition to performing and teaching, Jonathan is active as a composer and arranger for horn and brass ensembles. His music has been commissioned and performed by university ensembles and chamber groups across the United States, and his arrangements often draw inspiration from film, video game, and contemporary music alongside traditional classical repertoire.
Awards, Compositions, & Arranging
In June 2022, Jonathan won first prize in the Charleston International Music Competition in the ages 30 and up category. In July 2022 he won second prize (no first prize awarded) in the MEDICI International Music Competition in the professional division. For both competitions, Jonathan performed Olivier Messiaen's “Appel Interstellaire” (Interstellar Call) from Des Canyons aux étoiles.
As a composer, Jonathan was a recipient of the 2012-2013 Sherrill C. Corwin Metropolitan Theater Award for his composition “The Last Hope” for orchestra. He continues to compose arrangements for horn ensembles. His arrangements for horn ensembles have been performed in the Czech Republic and throughout the United States.