Bio

Toby Koenigsberg is an Associate Professor of Jazz Piano at the University of Oregon, and an internationally recognized pianist, composer, and educator. He received his Master of Music degree in Jazz and Contemporary Media from the Eastman School of Music and pursued graduate study in classical piano at the Peabody Conservatory. At Eastman, he received the Schirmer Award, given to the most outstanding graduate jazz performer in a graduating class.

A critically acclaimed recording artist for the Origin and Ninjazz record labels, Koenigsberg has performed at major venues throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, including the Rochester International Jazz Festival, the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music Jazz Festival, Jazz Festival Calgary, the Värinää Festivaali in Finland, the Knitting Factory in New York City, and elsewhere. He has presented at the annual conference of the International Association for Jazz Education, the Royal Academy of Music in London, England, the Shenyang Conservatory in Shenyang, China, Shikoku University in Tokushima, Japan, and at universities throughout the United States.

Koenigsberg is the author of six books on piano playing, musicianship, songwriting, and music production. His Contemporary Songwriting has been adopted as a required textbook at over a dozen institutions of higher education throughout the United States. His five-volume piano method, Toby’s Piano Improvisation, was recommended by the Oregon Music Teachers Association as the primary book series for Levels 1–5 of its Jazz Syllabus program. He has also published articles in Jazz Education Journal and JazzED magazine.

At the University of Oregon, Koenigsberg led efforts to design and implement new curricula in popular music, including a degree program that precipitated rapid enrollment growth in the School of Music and Dance. He also created and taught the university’s highest-enrolled Arts & Letters and Cultural Literacy Core Education course, an innovative offering in songwriting and music production.

Koenigsberg’s leadership roles have included: Area Chair of Popular Music, Coordinator of Popular Music, Area Chair of Jazz Studies, Associate Director of Jazz Studies, and Performance Faculty Coordinator, at the University of Oregon; Performance Chair and Discipline Liaison—Applied, at the international conference of the College Music Society, CMS Summit 2.0: 21st Century Music School Design; and Jazz Syllabus Chair, for the Oregon Music Teachers Association.

A nationally sought-after consultant, Koenigsberg advises universities across the United States on curricular innovation in music education.