Biography: Toby Lurie
1937	Began studying voice with intention of pursuing a career in opera.
1943-46	U. S. Navy
1946	Los Angeles School of Opera. Shifted his focus to composition.
1947-49	Studied composition at S.F. Conservatory of Music, U. C. Berkeley and University of Washington
1953	Moved with wife and son to Oakland, Ca. where he studied composition with Darius Milhaud at Mills College.
1954-65	Moved to Santa Barbara, Ca. entered Hotel business and other ventures
1965	Left the Real Estate business and began writing poetry on his 40th birthday
1967-03	1967-03 During this period Lurie read his poetry and conducted workshops for teachers and students at over 1,500 schools, from Kindergarten through University levels at venues in United States, Great Britain and Europe.
1983	On April 20, Lurie sketched his first work of art, copying a page from his 1st Symphony. The next day he framed six of his sketches and was on his way to a new career. In November of that year he had his first Gallery showing at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. From his earliest beginnings as a painter he combined music and poetry with his paintings to create large visual scores. He called his approach SYNESTHESIA, which is the interfacing of the various art disciplines.
1991	Lurie was the first American painter to have two galleries showing of his work simultaneously in Denmark, in Copenhagen and in Aarhus.
1993	Lurie, again, had two simultaneous gallery showings of his paintings in Japan. Toby Lurie has published 19 books of poetry and, among his larger language compositions, has composed 13 Symphonies for Spoken-Voice-Chorus, including his Symphony on the Holocaust a work for 80 voices, and a painting of that symphony, in addition to a painting of Beethoven's 9th Symphony which is 120 square feet.