Saxophonist, arranger, and composer Steve Torok has spent years as a music professor at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, where he also directs student ensembles like the Jazz Collective and the MiraCosta Oceanside Jazz Orchestra (aka MOJO).
Professionally, Torok has performed or recorded with artists as diverse as Stevie Wonder, Usher, Taj Mahal, the Temptations, Four Tops, Barry Manilow, and Sheila E. His smooth jazz group Tekneek (signed to Tyscott and Polygram records in the late 1990s) recorded his music for albums like Point of View (1998). His 2015 solo album Eye to Eye, co-produced by Dan Siegel, features original tunes, arrangements of standards, and new jazz arrangements of Star Wars music (originally conceived for a Lucasfilm, Ltd. project).
In 2015, the Torok-directed MOJO earned the Downbeat Student Music Award for Outstanding Large Jazz Ensemble Performance.