Home » Member Page

Tobias M. 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 Hannover and from 2010 at the Prins Claus Conservatorium Groningen (Netherlands), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in June 2013. After that he started his studies of Jazz Composition and Arrangement at the Musik und Kunst Universität der Stadt Wien. At the same time he studied Jazz-Saxophone at the Musik und Kunst Universität Wien and graduated with a Master of Arts (MA) with distinction in 2015.

Besides working working his own projects, Tobias Hoffmann is a sought-after sideman, composer and arranger for a wide variety of lineups and styles. From 2014 to 2017 he was conductor of the Vienna Spittelberg Jazz Orchestra, for which he also appeared as composer and arranger. Concert tours have taken him to Russia and several European countries. He has played with musicians such as Bob Mintzer, Joe Gallardo, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Paul Kuhn, Benny Golson. Between 2005, when he started performing, and 2016, he won a few national and international awards while playing in different formations. Among those were a „second prize at the „Jugend Jazzt“ competition of the federal state of Baden- Württemberg, first award (cum laude) at the competition of the International European Music Festival in Neerpelt (Belgium) and first award at the „Euroregio Big Band Contest 2013“ in Enschede (Netherlands).

On top of that one of his compositions was awarded the second prize at the 3rd International Jazz Composition Contest during the „11th Silesian Jazz Festival“ in Katowice (Poland) in 2016. Another composition of his was awarded third prize at the “JazzComp 2017” in Graz (Austria). In 2019 one of his composition was awarded the second prize at the “8th Esko Linnavalli Sävellyskilpailu 2019“ in Helsinki (Finland)

In October 2021, another composition was awarded 2nd prize at the “5th Karel Krautgartner's Composition Contest for the Best Composition for Jazz Orchestra” in Prague (Czech Republic).

Also in October 2021, a composition was awarded 3rd prize at the “Bill Conti Big Band Arranging & Composition Competition” of the “American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers” in Los Angeles (USA).

His “Tobias Hoffmann Nonet” was awarded first prize in the “Band” category at the international online competition “Made in New York Jazz Competition 2019” by a top-class jury including the judges 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 allowed 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.

Finally, in January 2022 he was a guest of the Slovenian Radio Big Band “Big Band RTV” and was allowed to rehearse and record his compositions there.

In May 2022, one of his compositions was awarded “outstanding original composition” in the graduate college category at the “45th Downbeat Student Music Awards”.