TOBIAS RÜGER started as a pupil of Frankfurt’s legendary free jazz player ALFRED HARTH and then studied concert saxophone with DETLEF BENSMANN at University of the Arts in Berlin as well as Musicology at Freie Universität Berlin.

Starting playing music in the early ’80s, being involved in a project by HEINER GOEBBELS at the Moers Jazz Festival 1985.

In 2001 the Goethe Institut invited him and singer YAHLI TOREN to perform the programme “tradición y modernidad — A Ladino Songbook” with his adaptations of Jewish-Spanish songs. The concert took place in the synagogue of Porto, Portugal as part of the event “Porto — Cultural Capital of Europe 2001”.

Beginning in 1999 he recorded the complete works for saxophone by JOHN CAGE with the Berlin-based ensemble intersax. The album “A Cage of saxophones” Vol. 1 was released in 2001, Vol. 2 in 2006 and Vol. 3/4 in 2010 by mode records, New York. 

In 2003/04 he participated as sideman in BBC world-music award winner SHANTEL’s projects, playing several saxophone tracks on his albums “The Great Delay” and “Bucovina Club” Vol. 1 & 2.

Since 2004 TOBIAS RÜGER also worked as musical director for projects of Frankfurter Kammeroper (Frankfurt Chamber Opera) and Schauspiel Frankfurt (Frankfurt’s municipal theatre).