Jon Schmidt (pianist)
| Jon Schmidt | |
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Schmidt in 2014
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jon Schmidt |
| Born | 1966 (age 50–51) Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Genres | New Age, classical crossover |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Associated acts | The Piano Guys |
| Website | www |
Jon Schmidt (born 1966) is an American pianist, composer, piano teacher, and author. Classically trained, he branched into New Age music in his 20s and has developed a classical crossover style that blends classical, contemporary, and rock and roll. He has released eight solo albums and seven piano books containing original scores. Since 2010 he has been a member of The Piano Guys musical group, performing on their YouTube videos, albums, and in concert.
Jon Schmidt was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to German immigrants. Both his paternal and maternal grandparents became members of the Mormon church in Germany, and he is also a Mormon.
Schmidt was exposed to classical music at a young age. His father was an operatic tenor. His older sister, Rose-Anne, a virtuoso pianist, provided his classical training. Schmidt began appearing in piano recitals at the age of 8, was composing music by the age of 11, and started teaching piano at age 16. However, he did not perform publicly until college. As a student at Highland High School, he frequently played the piano at school assemblies and concerts. After graduation, he served on a mission to Norway, where he was known as the "mission piano player".
Schmidt was offered a music scholarship to the University of Utah, but decided to major in English instead. As he progressed in his undergraduate studies, he began thinking about pursuing a graduate degree in business administration. His career plans changed as he began performing in public.
Schmidt initially played at benefit concerts and recorded his music for sale on cassette tape. He then decided to promote himself by booking himself into large venues such as the Highland High School auditorium, which he filled with an audience of 1,000, and Kingsbury Hall, the largest performance venue in Salt Lake City, which he also sold out.
He released his first album, August End, in 1991. After that he signed with Aubergine Records and released A Walk in the Woods (2003), A Day in the Sunset (1994), and Jon Schmidt Christmas (1995). In 2000 he released To the Summit under his own label, JSP Productions.
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