Toni Cortez-Aguilar, M.S.
Toni Cortez-Aguilar is a performer, educator, and entrepreneur in San Diego County. Toni has performed throughout California, Hawaii, Japan, South Korea, and Eastern Europe. Her favorite performance venues have been: Copley Symphony Hall (now The Jacobs Center), Spreckles Theatre, Meng Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Tokyo Disneyland, Jeju Cultural Arts Grand Theater, Bojnice Castle, and The Liszt Academy. She is regularly featured in San Diego library concert series, both as a soloist and with her award-winning flute group, Connessa (Chamber Music Finalist, The American Prize (2021), selected performer at the 2023 National Flute Association convention, and Finalist, London Classical Music Competition (2024)).
As an educator, Toni is passionate about helping flutists of all ages develop strong musical and flute fundamentals while exploring the joys of making music. She currently teaches over 20 students in person and online, ranging in age from 8 to 80. She truly believes it is never too late to develop a love for music, especially flute playing. By pairing flute fundamentals with a collaborative and customized approach, Toni’s students develop strong technique and musicality.
As an entrepreneur, Toni is co-founder of Connessa Collective, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting world music by living composers, and the San Diego Flute Retreat, a summer vacation flute retreat designed for adult amateur flutists, and founder of her own home-based flute studio in Oceanside, CA.
Toni studied with Cindy Anne Broz, Shelly Whitehouse, Cynthia Ellis, and Diane Allencraig, and was selected to perform in masterclasses with Carol Wincenc and William Bennett. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Fullerton, and a Master of Science in student affairs in higher education from Colorado State University. In addition to teaching from her Oceanside, CA studio, Toni is currently the flute teaching artist at Mission Hills High School (San Marcos, CA) and Villa Musica (San Diego, CA).