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Tobias Hoffmann
saxophonist | composer | arranger
About Me
Tobias Hoffmann was born in Göppingen (Germany) in 1988 and discovered his passion for music and the saxophone during his high school years.
From 2008 until 2010 he studied at the University for Music, Drama and Media in Hanover and from 2010 at the Prins Claus Conservatorium Groningen
(The Netherlands), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in June 2013. From 2013 until 2015 he studied Jazz Saxophone at the Musik und
Kunst Universität Wien (Austria) and graduated with a Master of Arts (MA) with distinction. At the same time he studied Jazz Composition and
Arrangement and graduated with distinction in 2018.
Besides working on his own projects, Tobias Hoffmann is a sought-after sideman, composer and arranger for a wide variety of lineups and styles.
Concert tours have taken him to several European countries. He has played with musicians such as Bob Mintzer, Joe Gallardo, Alexander von
Schlippenbach, Paul Kuhn, John Clayton, and Benny Golson.
In 2019, he released the album Retrospective with his Tobias Hoffmann Nonet. In 2022 the album Conspiracy and in 2024 the album Innuendo with his
Tobias Hoffmann Jazz Orchestra followed. All productions were received very positively by the national and international press.
Between 2005, when he started performing, and 2016, he won some national and international awards while playing in different formations. Among
those were a second prize at the “Jugend jazzt” competition 2007 of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, a first award (cum laude) at the
competition of the “International European Music Festival 2011 in Neerpelt” (Belgium) and a first award at the “Euroregio Big Band Contest 2013“ in
Enschede (The Netherlands).
Since 2016, some of his compositions have been awarded prizes at various competitions worldwide. Among them are awards by the American Society
of Music Arrangers and Composers in Los Angeles (USA) or the Downbeat Magazine (USA).
His Tobias Hoffmann Nonet was awarded the 1st prize in the “Band” category at the international online competition Made in New York Jazz
Competition 2019 by a top-class jury including Lenny White, Randy Brecker, and Mike Stern.
In the summer of 2021, Tobias Hoffmann was a guest of the NDR Big Band in Hamburg (Germany) as part of the “Podium for Arrangers” and was
invited to rehearse and record his compositions there.
In December 2021, he was one of five composers from all over Europe to be invited by the renowned Subway Jazz Orchestra in Cologne (Germany) as
part of the project “European Composers - Sound of a Generation” to write a composition and to rehearse and perform it with the band.
In January 2022, he was a guest of the Slovenian Radio Big Band Big Band RTV and could rehearse and record his compositions there.
Since 2022, he has regularly worked with the Big Band Radio Romania in Bucharest (Romania) and the Bulgarian National Radio Big Band in Sofia
(Bulgaria).
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September 2024: 1st prize in the category A (original compositions based on traditional music from Sardinia) at the “18th Scrivere in Jazz” competition
organized by the Orchestra Jazz della Sardegna (Italy)
August 2024: “Grand Prize” at the “4th ISAC International Popular Music Composition Competition” in Japan
June 2024: the silver medal and the predicate “Outstanding Achievement” at the “Global Music Awards 2024” (USA)
May 2024: 3rd prize in the category “Jazz” of the International Songwriting Competition 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee (USA)
May 2024: “Best Composition” in the category “Graduate College” at the “47th Annual Downbeat Student Music Awards” (USA)
October 2023: 1st prize in the “Helsinki International Big Band Composing Contest 2023“ (Finland)
May 2023: “Outstanding Original Composition” in the category “Graduate College” at the “46th Annual Downbeat Student Music Awards”
March 2023: Two prizes at the “2nd Ise-Shima International Popular Music Composition Competition“ in Japan
November 2022: 3rd prize at the “II. Composition Contest of the Big Band de Canaries” in Teneriffa (Spain)
September 2022: 1st prize in the category B (original composition for Jazz Orchestra) at the “17th Scrivere in Jazz” competition organized by the
Orchestra Jazz della Sardegna (Italy)
August 2022: Two special prizes at the “1st Ise-Shima International Popular Music Competition“ in Japan
May 2022: “Outstanding Original Composition” in the category “Graduate College” at the “45th Annual Downbeat Student Music Awards” (USA)
October 2021: 3rd prize at the “Bill Conti Big Band Arranging & Composition Competition” of the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers
in Los Angeles (USA)
October 2021: 2nd prize at the “5th Karel Krautgartner's Composition Contest for the Best Composition for Jazz Orchestra” in Prague (Czech Republic)
May 2019: 2nd prize at the “8th Esko Linnavalli Sävellyskilpailu 2019“ in Helsinki (Finland)
November 2017: 3rd prize at the “JazzComp Graz 2017” (Austria)
December 2016: 2nd prize at the “3rd International Jazz Composition Contest during the 11th Silesian Jazz Festival“ in Katowice (Poland)
