Tony Baker is Professor of Trombone at the University of North Texas College of Music. Previously, Mr. Baker served as Assistant Professor of Trombone at Ohio University and as Visiting Assistant Professor of Trombone and Euphonium at Kent State University. A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, he is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota and the University of Central Arkansas. Mr. Baker's professional experience is as varied as it is substantial. Currently a member of the Dallas Opera Orchestra, he has performed with ensembles such as the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Akron Symphony Orchestra, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra.

 

As a soloist, Mr. Baker has established an international reputation. Mr. Baker was a soloist at the 2007 International Trombone Festival in Birmingham, UK and was a guest recitalist that same year at the Wey Valley International Concert Series in Weymouth, UK. In 2000 Mr. Baker was a soloist at the Grindavik Cultural Festival in Iceland, an event held in conjunction with the Reykjavik Cultural Festival. He was also a soloist at the 2000 Festival International D'Art Lyrique, held in Aix-en-Provence, France. This is an annual music festival hosted by the Academie Europeénne de Musique in conjunction with the Ensemble Intercontemporain. Ensembles with which Mr. Baker has performed as a soloist include the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”, the University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Ohio Valley Symphony, the University of Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, the Ohio University Wind Ensemble, the University of Central Arkansas Wind Ensemble, the trombone choirs of the University of North Texas, the University of Central Arkansas and Morehead State University (KY), the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Wind Symphony, and the Ouachita Baptist University Wind Ensemble (AR). Mr. Baker has given guest recitals and/or master classes at schools such as the Federal University of São João (Brazil), The Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester (UK), Trinity College of Music in London, the University of Arkansas, Humboldt State University (CA), the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the University of Kentucky, the University of Central Arkansas, Murray State University (KY), the University of Texas at San Antonio, the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Ohio State University, Ohio University, and Ouachita Baptist University. In February 1996, Professor Baker was invited to perform Luciano Berio's Sequenza V at the 1996 Music of Luciano Berio Symposium at the University of North Texas. He was also one of eight invited participants at the 1994 Christian Lindberg Solo Workshop. He has appeared as a clinician and performer at the 1998 University of Illinois Trombone Camp, the 1998 International Tuba/Euphonium Conference and most recently at the 2003 regional International Tuba/Euphonium Conference. In 2001 Baker was a guest artist at the International Trombone Festival in Nashville, Tennessee and was a guest clinician at the 2003 International Trombone Festival in Helsinki, Finland. In May 2002, Mr. Baker hosted the 2002 International Trombone Festival at the University of North Texas. This festival has been widely recognized as the largest and most successful in the history of this event.

 

As a jazz musician Mr. Baker has performed with groups such as the Woody Herman Band, the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. He has also performed on stage with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Steve Turre, Terry Gibbs, John Fedchock, Chris Vadala, Butch Miles and Jiggs Whigham. As a jazz clinician, Mr. Baker is on the faculty of various summer jazz workshops, including the University of North Texas Combo Workshop. In 2015 Mr. Baker performed as a guest jazz artist at events such as the American Trombone Workshop and the International Trombone Workshop in Valencia, Spain. In January of 2013 Mr. Baker served as the jazz trombone faculty for the Summer Course in Brasilia (CIVEBRA) in Brasilia, Brazil. He was the first jazz trombonist to hold this position in the 35-year history of this event. He also taught at the 2013 and 2014 Oklahoma Jazz Camps. Mr. Baker has been a guest artist at the Texoma Jazz Fest, the Redbud Jazz Festival, and the Capital University Jazz Week, to name a few. Mr. Baker served as the All-State Conductor of the 2004-2005 Minnesota All-State Jazz Ensemble. Mr. Baker has recorded with the Sounds of Blackness and can be heard with this group on their Grammy-nominated compact disc, Time for Healing. From October 1997 to April 2000 Baker was lead trombonist of the Columbus-based professional big band Jazz-to-Go.