Composer Steven Snethkamp was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree in composition from the College of Music at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he studied composition with Daniel Kellogg, Andrew May, and Richard Toensing with additional composition studies at Oakland University, under the tutelage of Lettie Alston. He has received awards and scholarships from the University of Colorado, Oakland University, and Indiana University, most notably the James M. Grossi Scholarship and the Nancy and Ted Anderson Music Award.

In addition to his studies, Steven served the Pendulum New Music Series at the University of Colorado as the Production Manager as well as a Student Representative and Stage Manager. He was a founding member of the Boulder Salon of Contemporary Music, a collective of student musicians dedicated to the discussion, performance, and promotion of new music outside of academia. He has also worked on technical crews as an audio engineer and production manager for a variety of performances and recordings, and has volunteered with the Wheatland Music Festival in Remus, Michigan.

An accomplished guitarist, Steven has played classical, jazz, and unique rock music for over 10 years. His performance experience is wide-ranging, having worked with a variety of world music ensembles, choral groups, experimental rock bands, folk, and bluegrass. Working with such a variety of groups, coupled with influences of a variety of composers, most notably Gyorgy Ligeti, Harry Parch, Stravinsky, and Beethoven has helped to shape his unique compositional style.

Currently, Steven lives in Bloomington, Indiana with his wife, Jessica, pursuing a Master of Music in composition from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, studying with P.Q. Phan. In his spare time, Steven is an avid disc golfer and beer connoisseur, and enjoys spending time with his skis in the backcountry.