'AGT' Season 17: Who is David Snyder? Meet the musician known for his 'excellent score-reading skills'
While 'America's Got Talent' sees a wide range of talent and skill, each of the performers has one thing in common -- they all want a thriving career in entertainment. After all, the stakes are high, as winning the show comes with a $1 million cash prize and the chance to headline a show in Las Vegas!
There has certainly been an abundance of impressive musical acts so far. From Chapel Hart to Ava Swiss and Freckled Zelda, the range and variety this season has been one for the books. Now, the question is, does David Snyder have what it takes to join these ranks? Let's find out.
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Who is David Snyder?
David Snyder is an actor, model, and musician. He has trained classically in music for over 10 years, and his website mentions that he 'has experience every era of classical music, from Renaissance, to Baroque, to Modern.' Apart from his 'excellent score-reading skills', Snyder 'improvises, arranges, and composes music, most specifically on the piano'. Over the years, he has accompanied bands, choirs and soloists and has worked with the likes of Royse, Josh Bales, Matthew McFate, and The Adopted Brothers.
In a conversation with Voyage LA, Synder explained that he grew up in Rural North Dakota and was homeschooled. He has seven brothers and two sisters, and he was also "caretaker of twenty chickens, a hundred pheasants, two dogs, fifteen cats, and an affinity for alpacas". While Synder notes that this was not a likely combination for a musician and an actor, he appreciates his childhood and his hometown. "I grew up on a twenty-one-acre hobby farm, nestled nearby a small town of less than a thousand people. And man, I loved it. The open space, clean air, the kind people, the chores and lawn mowers. To this day, I’m pretty sure that my favorite thing is to run barefoot in some freshly cut grass," he explained. "The best, most impactful part about growing up in North Dakota was my family. I am the third oldest of a ten-kid family, raised from the same parents, all homeschooled for all grades. My brothers and sisters were (and are) my best friends, so homeschooling was a dream for me." he added.
When Synder began to learn the piano at age 8, it wasn't long until he realised his dream to be an entertainer. He moved to LA at the age of 18, after signing to a talent management company. And he has been relentless when it comes to chasing his dreams, he also expressed that the journey has had its teaching moments. "I think some the biggest challenges for me in the entertainment business have been internal. I struggled with the questions, “Who am I? Am I good enough? Am I capable? Will people be proud of me? What if I can’t make it?” I couldn’t help but put myself into a mentality that needed other’s approval to validate my value. I knew I had value, but it wasn’t always easy for me to see/understand." he added.
'America's Got Talent' airs on Tuesdays at 8 pm on NBC. For viewers who wish to tune in to the show without cable, they can do so using any of the following streaming services: Sling TV, fuboTV, Hulu With Live TV, AT&T TV or YouTube TV.