2016 Jazz Honors Project

Bill Snodgrass

Bill Snodgrass is a Professor Emeritus of the University of Texas at Arlington where served as Director of Jazz Studies and head of the Music Industry Studies program from1976 to 2004. Under his direction the UTA Jazz Orchestra has recorded fifteen albums/Cds and has appeared as invited guest artists for prestigious international jazz festivals and concert tours in Montreux, Switzerland; Beijing, People’s Republic of China; Nassau, Commonwealth of the Bahamas; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Montreal, Canada; Vienna, Austria; Manila, The Philippines; and the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague, The Netherlands. The UTA JO has also given feature performances for the national conferences of MENC, American Broadcasting Association, and IAJE. The UTAJO has appeared on Japanese, American, and Brazilian public television telecasts.

Mr. Snodgrass served two terms as President of the Texas Unit of International Association of Jazz Educators, was Band Editor for Stan Kenton’s Creative World Music Publications, and has published many compositions and arrangements for jazz ensemble, marching band, and orchestra.

Mr. Snodgrass received his master’s degree from Texas Tech University where he majored in violin performance and music education. In addition to performing on bass in several professional jazz groups and serving nine years on the faculty of the Stan Kenton Summer Jazz Workshops, Mr. Snodgrass also performed in the Kansas City and Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestras. For fifteen years he served as State Auditions Coordinator for the TMEA All-State Jazz Ensemble. Mr. Snodgrass has served as an adjudicator and clinician for college and public school orchestras, wind ensembles and jazz ensembles throughout the Southwest. In addition to his being asked to be guest clinician for numerous TMEA All-region groups across the state, he also served as guest conductor/clinician for the Oklahoma and New York All-State jazz ensembles.