At the age of four, Tobias Schirmer was already turning over buckets in the garden and hitting them with sticks. At the age of 13, he was the first state winner in Jugend Jazzt and after studying classical percussion, he earned his master class diploma as a jazz drummer in 2008. For him, drums are not just timpani, triangle and co. and so he has already found many a treasure at the local recycling centre in his search for new timbres.

In addition to the Art Promotion Prize with the Alexander Wienand Trio in 2010 and the Culture Promotion Prize of the Main-Kinzig District in 2002, Tobias Schirmer will receive the Bavarian State Prize for Music in 2023 with the cultural project »Der Blaue Eumel«. The artist works with jazz legends such as Ernie Watts, makes guest appearances at venues such as the Nuremberg State Theatre and teaches at the Würzburg University of Music.

In his current project »All You Can Beat«, Tobias Schirmer likes to experiment with objects made of different materials such as metal, stone, glass or wood that would otherwise have ended up in the rubbish. In this way, he playfully integrates sustainable thinking and action into his work, because Tobias Schirmer only uses old hand tools without electricity to work on the objects in his workshop.

The percussionist also plays a drum set, vibraphone and congas etc., with which he interprets current international literature for percussion.