Percussionist Karen Toney (she/they) showcases her passion for music by connecting with the community through music education, chamber performances, and composing and arranging for percussion.

Toney is a member of the Patterns Quartet, originally formed at the University of Central Florida. The group produced a pioneering album of previously unrecorded works for two vibraphones and two marimbas called Patterns, which was shared by John Schafer on his radio show New Sounds on WNYC, a public radio station in New York. She has also been featured in multiple Vic Firth Performance Spotlight videos (check out the watch page!).

Toney has also been forming her education philosophy in practice for over a decade, teaching students ranging from elementary school to collegiate, and large ensembles to one-on-one lessons. She taught at the UCF Percussion Summer Institute in 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2024. She is passionate about providing a safe and healthy environment for students to reach their goals and find their voice for authentic self-expression whether their medium is music or otherwise.

Karen received her Master of Music degree from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University under the direction of world-renowned percussionist Robert van Sice in 2016. Prior to that, she received her Bachelor’s in Music from the University of Central Florida under the expert guidance of prolific educators/performers/ arrangers/composers Jeffrey Moore, Kirk Gay, and Dr. Thad Anderson, where she received music and academic scholarships as well as the Presser Award.