Oliver Schnyder studied in Switzerland with Emmy Henz-Diémand and Homero Francesch and in the United States with Ruth Laredo (New York) and the legendary Leon Fleisher (Baltimore).

After winning the grand prize at the Pembaur Competition in Berne (1999), he gave successful débuts at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC (2000), and with the Tonhalle Orchestra under David Zinman (Orpheum Young Soloists on Stage 2002). Since then he has appeared in the leading concert halls of Europe, North America and Asia (e.g. Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw, Vienna Musikverein, Moscow Great Hall, Tchaikovsky Hall, Cologne Philharmonie, Munich Philharmonie, Herkulessaal, KKL, Copenhagen Koncerthuset, Tokio Opera City Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center, Taipei National Concert Hall, Wigmore Hall) and at the festivals in Lucerne, Gstaad (Menuhin), Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Schwarzenberg and Hohenems (Schubertiade), Schwetzingen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Montreux-Vevey (Septembre Musical), Linz (Brucknerfest), LiedBasel, Ruhr Piano and Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

In recent years he performed with such orchestras as the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra, the Philharmonia London, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, the West German Radio Symphony Orchestra of Cologne, the Korean Symphony Orchestra, the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, Dortmund Philharmonic, Wurttemberg Philharmonic, Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Belgrade Philharmonic, Hong Kong and Israel Sinfoniettas and all the leading Swiss symphony and chamber orchestras under conductors of the stature of Ivor Bolton, Semyon Bychkov, Vladimir Fedoseyev, James Gaffigan, Philippe Jordan, Michail Jurowski, Sir Roger Norrington, Muhai Tang, Mario Venzago, and David Zinman. He maintains an international presence with the Oliver Schnyder Trio, together with Andreas Janke (violin) and Benjamin Nyffenegger (cello). He has played chamber music with musicians such as Benjamin Appl, Daniel Behle, Guy Braunstein, Marc Bouchkov, Wolfram Christ, Veronika Eberle, Julia Fischer, Homero Francesch, Vilde Frang, Sol Gabetta, Ilya Gringolts, Martin Grubinger, Rachel Harnisch, Heinz Holliger, Henning Kraggerud, Jens Peter Maintz, Nils Mönkemeyer, Regula Mühlemann, Andreas Ottensamer, Alina Pogostkina, Christian Poltéra, Julian Rachlin, Lars Anders Tomter, Rudens Turku, Lise de la Salle, Antje Weithaas, Jörg Widmann, Jacques Zoon, and many others.