Jenny Oaks Baker

Jenny Oaks Baker

National Symphony

  Jenny Oaks Baker is one of America's most accomplished classical violinists. Whether her music is experienced live or through one of her many recordings, it is impossible to escape the magic of her artistry.

Ms. Baker began playing the violin at age four, and made her solo debut in 1983 when she was only eight years old. Since then, she has thrilled audiences throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States with performances equally powerful in emotion and mastery.

In April 1999, Ms. Baker made her Carnegie Hall debut as a featured soloist in the Easter Festival Concert. She has also performed as a soloist in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and in the Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress. In 2005 Ms. Baker soloed with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center under the direction of Marvin Hamlisch.

A past guest soloist with the Jerusalem Symphony, the San Diego Symphony, the Utah Symphony, the Orchestra at Temple Square, and the internationally acclaimed Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Ms. Baker has been featured in television and radio broadcasts nationwide. Additionally, she was a guest artist in "An Evening of Celebration," an internationally televised concert honoring Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On Wings of Song, Ms. Baker's debut solo album released in 1998, received two Pearl Awards from the Faith Centered Music Association (FCMA) and in 1999 she released Songs My Mother Taught Me, for which received she an additional three Pearl Awards, including Instrumentalist of the Year. Her next recording, Where Love Is, was awarded Instrumental Album of the Year. Collaboration with pianist Jenny Richards resulted in American Tapestry, an album celebrating the rich musical tradition of the United States, which received a 2001 Grammy nomination. The Light Divine, her fifth album was also honored with two Pearl Awards. Ms. Baker's albums have sold more than 75,000 copies and her latest, The Best of Jenny Oaks Baker has been a best-seller in the faith-based music industry since its release in 2005.

Jackman Music recently published The Jenny Oaks Baker Violin Collection. These two volumes of sheet music, by a variety of arrangers, were inspired by the music of Ms. Baker's albums and feature advanced hymn arrangements for violin and piano.

Ms. Baker received her Master of Music degree from the renowned Juilliard School in New York City and earned her bachelor's degree in violin performance from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Ms. Baker, her husband, and their three daughters reside outside of Washington D.C. where she is also a first violinist in the National Symphony Orchestra.