Schnyder learned to play cello before saxophone.
He attended Berklee College of Music and the Conservatory of Winterthur.
His work has been published by Hal Leonard, Universal Edition, and Edition Kunzelmann; he has been commissioned by Vienna Art Orchestra, NDR Big Band [de], Opera Philadelphia, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Berlin Philharmonic.
[1] Sidemen on his albums include Michael Philip Mossman, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Kenny Drew Jr., Dave Taylor, Adam Taubitz, Michael Formanek, and Mark Feldman.
He has also worked with Flavio Ambrosetti, Lee Konitz, and Abdullah Ibrahim.