For more than three decades, Tony Steve has been a force in contemporary percussion—on stage, in the classroom, and in the recording studio. From symphony halls to silent film screenings, Broadway tours to university lecture halls, Tony’s musical journey has been anything but ordinary.

Tony holds degrees in Percussion Performance from Jacksonville University (B.M.), Ithaca College (M.M.), and pursued doctoral studies at Florida State University (D.M. ABD). His academic path laid a foundation not only for high-level performance, but for a deep understanding of percussion as a storytelling and expressive medium.

As a professor of music and percussion at Jacksonville University, Tony helped shape musicians for 30+ years. He built the percussion curriculum from the ground up, founded both a Percussion Ensemble and a course on African and Latin hand drumming, and developed interdisciplinary offerings like Music for Dance and World Music. His reach goes beyond sticks and skins. Tony’s expertise runs the gamut from pop and rock history to private composition and orchestration. He’s placed students in top graduate programs across the country and continues to inspire new generations of artists.

Tony’s performance career is nothing short of kaleidoscopic. He has toured and recorded with artists including The Who, Johnny Mathis, Martina McBride, and Weird Al Yankovic, and has held percussion roles in national touring productions of Wicked, Beautiful, The Little Mermaid, Motown: The Musical, and many more. As a longtime member (and occasional soloist) with orchestras such as the Jacksonville Symphony and Coastal Symphony of Georgia, Tony bridges classical tradition with contemporary flair.

A passionate champion of new music, he’s a frequent composer and performer at events like Electro-Acoustic Barn Dance, and has created original works for marimba, silent film, chamber groups, and voice. His recordings include The Guaraldi Sessions, Along the North Shore, and The American Songbook for Xylophone and Quartet. His compositions and arrangements have been published by Keyboard Percussion Publications and Tony Steve Music LLC.

But perhaps most telling of who Tony is? He’s the guy who created a program connecting middle school musicians with the local homeless shelter, and who stages student musicals to raise money for inner-city schools. His work is as much about people and purpose as it is about performance.

Whether you’re a student, a fellow musician, or someone discovering the power of percussion for the first time, Tony Steve is here to help you hear the world a little differently.