Barbara Schneider is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships at MIC, where she brings a blend of artistic insight, nonprofit leadership, and relationship-centered strategy to advancing the role of music in communities. Known for building collaborative partnerships and guiding ambitious initiatives from concept to completion, she helps connect mission-driven arts organizations with the resources and relationships needed to deepen their impact.
Before joining MIC, Schneider served as Managing Director of Present Music, the internationally recognized Milwaukee-based new music ensemble. She led strategic planning, strengthened relationships with major foundations and international artists, and helped shape the organization’s artistic and organizational vision. During her tenure, Present Music produced multiple seasons, featuring11 world premieres.
Previously, as Director of Community Partnerships at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Schneider led one of the nation’s largest music education outreach networks, coordinating up to 94 partnerships annually with schools and community organizations across Southeastern Wisconsin and helping expand access to music instruction from 1,500 to more than 16,000 students. She has also contributed to music education through project leadership on the Royal Conservatory of Music’s research-based early childhood music curriculum, Smart Start.
A violinist and educator, Schneider holds a master’s degree in violin performance and pedagogy from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, studying violin performance with Herbert Greenberg and violin pedagogy with Rebecca Henry. She taught violin at Peabody for 17 years while also regularly performing chamber and orchestral repertoire. Her experience as a musician and educator continues to inform her collaborative leadership style and deep understanding of the artistic ecosystem.