Toby Cruse
Toby John Cruse is a British talent agent, artist manager, concert promoter, theatre producer, entrepreneur and professional musician. He is founder and CEO of Worldwide Entertainment, incorporating Worldwide Talent, Worldwide Live and Manhattan Music. He also works as a celebrity booking agent.
Early life
Born in Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England, Cruse lived in Cookham, Berkshire until August 2007 when he moved to Maidenhead, Berkshire, the town in which he now resides. Cruse attended Cookham Rise Primary School and Furze Platt Senior School in Maidenhead, Berkshire, and went on to study at Trinity College of Music, London, and with tutors from other music colleges across the UK.Musician
As a professional musician, Cruse has worked on over 200 theatrical productions, many in London's West End and on national/international tours, both as Musical Director/Supervisor, orchestral musician and/or vocal coach, and for the BBC, Channel 4 and Sky. As a classical pianist, he has performed extensively, winning competitions for his interpretation of Chopin and Rachmaninov, and has performed the famous "Rach 2". He has performed for royalty at Windsor Castle and other venues on numerous occasions and, in 1999, formed the Thames Valley Sinfonia and Thames Valley Sinfonia Chorus, and later the British Sinfonia.Artists
Artists Cruse has worked with include Kylie Minogue, James Morrison, Lily Allen, Gary Barlow, Will Young, Katherine Jenkins, Laura Wright, Michael Ball, Dina Carroll, Leo Sayer, Josh Groban, Hayley Westenra, Faryl Smith, Jonathan Ansell, Sir James Galway, The X Factor Finalists, Michael Feinstein, The Real Thing, Issy Van Randwyck and Rose-Marie.Golden and Diamond Jubilees
In 2002, for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, a portrait of Cruse was painted by Timmy Mallett as part of a series of 50 portraits of people from around Cookham, Berkshire. Other figures to be painted included Lorraine Kelly, Sir Clive Woodward, Ulrika Jonsson, Jim Rosenthal, Wendy Craig and Stanley Spencer's grandson, John.In 2012, for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, Cruse reformed and conducted the British Sinfonia for a concert in his hometown of Maidenhead, Berkshire.