TAP Welcomes Solon Snider Sway

Written by
Lou Chen, TAP Program Manager
July 11, 2022

Trenton Arts at Princeton is excited to welcome Solon Snider Sway as the new director of Trenton Youth Singers, succeeding Mariana Corichi Gómez. Snider Sway is Lecturer in Music Directing and Choral Programs at Princeton University, where he also directs the Playhouse Choir and Playhouse Orchestra. As a conductor and ensemble director, Snider Sway aims to facilitate creative and welcoming communities full of experimentation, growth, wonder, and imagination. 

In addition to his work at Princeton, Snider Sway is a composer/lyricist/librettist, music director, conductor, singer, actor, accompanist, arranger, and educator. Most recently, Solon composed songs for The Swallow and the Tomcat (Yale Summer Cabaret’s “Verano Season”), The Tempest (Yale School of Drama), Thank You for Trying (United Solo), and Thebes (Quinnipiac University). His latest musical, Thebes, developed with co-writers Emma Hathaway and Katie Hathaway in collaboration with director Danilo Gambini, is being developed by Rattlestick Theater in Fall 2022. Solon’s musicals Crescent City Baby (Music/Lyrics/Libretto) and Cupidity (Music/Lyrics) were both produced at Yale University, and his original concert music has been performed by the PRISM Saxophone Quartet, The Baltimore Choral Arts Society, UMBC’S RUCKUS Ensemble, The Whiffenpoofs, The Walden School Players, The Peabody Preparatory Percussion Ensemble, and more. He has also written and arranged music for video games, television, choirs, and a cappella groups.  

Recent music direction and conducting projects include The Shape of a Child (Avaloch Music Institute), The Hello Girls (Princeton University), Sondheim on Sondheim and No for An Answer (Theater 2020), The Fantasticks (Infinity Theatre Company), Matilda (Ghostlight Theater Camp), Romeo and Juliet (Saratoga Performing Arts Center), and Snow White (Ragtag Theatre).  

Snider Sway previously taught music and theater at The Dalton School After-School Program and has given lectures and full-length concerts on American music history through the Road Scholars Program. He teaches voice, piano, and musicianship lessons through his private studio and can often be found playing piano for ensembles and events around NYC. He has been an improv pianist for The Story Pirates comedy group and frequently works as an accompanist, vocalist, and arranger with The Young People’s Chorus of NYC. 

Snider Sway holds a B.A. in Music (Intensive) and Theatre Studies, with distinction in both majors, from Yale University. At Yale, he studied music theatre composition with Jeanine Tesori, Scott Frankel, and Josh Rosenblum, lyric writing with Michael Korie, and libretto writing with Marsha Norman. He also served as music director for The Duke’s Men of Yale and the world-renowned Yale Whiffenpoofs, with whom he produced the CARA-nominated album, “On the Bumpy Road.” 

"I am honored to follow in the footsteps of the wonderful TYS leaders who came before me and built this beautiful community through friendship and song," said Snider Sway. "I hope to build upon this legacy as TYS and TAP continue to create inspiring communities that reflect a broad array of distinct voices and life experiences. Let's make some music!"