Dr Toby Wren

Dr Toby Wren is a Senior Lecturer in the Master of Creative Industries postgraduate program at SAE.

Toby is a composer, improviser and music researcher. His work is diverse and exemplifies the intersection of practice and theory, incorporating both practice-based and practice-led methodologies.
Recent career highlights include articles in the journals Critical Studies in Improvisation (Wren & Vaidyanathan, 2020) and Ethnomusicology (2023, forthcoming), anf an Artistic Practice book, co-edited with Vanessa Tomlinson called Here and Now (2018).
Toby is currently working on a creative collaboration with Carnatic vocalist, Dr Charulatha Mani, and a practice compendium for guitar.

Toby has released seven albums of his original music including the recent, Black Mountain, which was critically acclaimed in national media.
As a composer, his works have been performed by the Southern Cross Soloists, Trevor Hart Quartet, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Queensland Orchestra, where he was a resident composer in 2003.

Toby completed a Doctor of Philosophy in 2015 through the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University.
His research deals with the ethics of interculturalism, cultural appropriation and musical hybridity and examines how meaning is negotiated in intercultural contexts through improvisation.
The research stems from his involvement and collaboration with South Indian (Carnatic) musicians in India and Australia over a number of years.

Research Areas: Ethnomusicology, Musicology, Hybridity, Cultural Difference, Practice-based Research, Research Methods, Composition, Performance, Improvisation, Indian Classical Music, Jazz Studies.

Selected Publications

Wren, T. (2023, forthcoming). Remembering Palghat Raghu. Ethnomusicology 67(1).

Carriage, L. & Wren, T. (2021). The Jazz Social: Jazz performance during COVID. Perfect Beat 21(2).DOI: 10.1558/prbt.19344

Wren, T. & Suresh, V. (2020). Cows at the beach: Intercultural discourse through improvisation. Critical Studies in Improvisation 16(1). Retrieved

Tomlinson, V. & Wren, T. (Eds.). (2017). Here and now: A snapshot of artistic practice at the Queensland Conservatorium. New York: Intelligent Arts.

Wren, T. (2017). Rich and famous: Intercultural work for jazz quartet. In Here and Now, V. Tomlinson and T. Wren (Eds.). New York: Intelligent Arts.

Wren, T. (2014). Improvising culture: Discursive interculturality as a critical tool, aesthetic, and methodology for intercultural music (PhD dissertation).

Wren, T. (2009). The Carnatic jazz experiment: The influence of Carnatic music on my composition and improvisation practice (2008-09) (Master’s dissertation).

Wren, T. (2021). The news. Toby Wren. [Scores]. Brisbane: Independent release.
Wren, T. (2017). Black mountain. Toby Wren. [CD, LP]. Brisbane: Independent release.
Wren, T. (2012). Rich and famous. Toby Wren Quartet. [CD]. Brisbane: Pinnacles Music.
Wren, T. (2011). The Carnatic jazz experiment. Toby Wren. [CD]. Brisbane: Independent release.
Wren, T. (2008). Everything Must Go. Toby Wren Quartet. [CD]. Melbourne, VIC: Newmarket Music.
Wren, T. (2006). Umlaut. The Toby Wren Trio. [CD]. Brisbane: Pinnacles Music PM0206.
Wren, T. (2000). Fat Lip 81. Babel. [CD]. Brisbane: Independent release.

Wren, T. (2008). Jazz hands. In The Australian jazz real book, Tim Nikolsky (Ed.). Melbourne, Australia: Australian jazz real book.
Wren, T. (2008). Beat me. In The Australian jazz real book, Tim Nikolsky (Ed.). Melbourne, Australia: Australian jazz real book.