Jon Schmidt

Jon Schmidt (born 1966) is an American pianist currently residing in Salt Lake City, Utah. He describes his style as “New Age Classical.” He was born to German immigrants who acquainted him with the works of such composers as Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin. He began songwriting at age 11. To date, he has released eight albums and seven piano books containing transcriptions of original arrangements. His work is often described as New Age music with pop elements of hook and melody. He is also noted for his treatment of harmony, counterpoint, and rhythm. His works were also featured on sample discs for the Iomega Hipzip Digital Audio Player with the pieces “Sacred Ground”, “All of Me”, and “Waterfall”. Schmidt’s influences include Mannheim Steamroller, Billy Joel, and Beethoven. Schmidt currently has more than 2 million hits on YouTube for his piano/cello arrangement of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” and Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”, which is called “Love Story meets Viva La Vida”.