A Moment of Awe: Brookdale’s Joseph Toto Performs at TEDx 2025

At the third annual TEDx Brookdale Community College event, themed “Full of Awe: Moments that Transform,” Brookdale music student Joseph Toto delivered a piano performance as the featured intermission entertainment.

Held in the intimate Black Box Theater of the Performing Arts Center, Toto’s performance added a moment of reflection and emotional depth to the day’s thought-provoking presentations. He performed a dynamic and moving selection of works, including J.S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in b-flat minor, BWV 867, Angelica Negrón’s La Intervención, and two Schubert/Liszt arrangements: Der Doppelgänger and Ständchen.

However, for Toto, the TEDx appearance was just one highlight in a year filled with personal and artistic milestones.

An aspiring classical pianist and composer from Freehold, New Jersey, Joseph Toto has been studying piano for over 13 years and composing for the past three. “I aspire to achieve virtuosity in my playing and emotional depth in my compositions,” Toto said. He shows his dedication to both skill and emotion in music through his daily practice and growing repertoire, which includes works by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, and Liszt.

“I continue to practice for many hours a day, and I am working very hard to improve my skills, technique, and musicality,” he added.

After graduating from Manalapan High School, Joseph enrolled in the music program at Brookdale Community College, where he quickly became a regular performer in campus concerts. He also took the stage at Steinway Hall in New York City, showcasing his talent with challenging pieces like Chopin’s Octave Etude and Liszt’s Transcendental Etude No.11 “Harmonies du Soir.” At Brookdale, Joseph is also a proud member of Phi Theta Kappa and the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Joseph’s musical development has been shaped by esteemed instructors, beginning with Sandy Callahan at Freehold Music Center and continuing with Dr. Cory Hall of BachScholar and the Well-Rounded-Pianist. He currently studies with Sunhwa Kim, a doctoral candidate at the Manhattan School of Music and faculty member at Hoff-Barthelson Music School, and takes composition lessons with Jee Won Kim, a doctoral candidate at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

This spring, Joseph announced his acceptance into the Manhattan School of Music, where he will pursue a Bachelor of Music in Classical Composition.