Michael Baker, Percussion
Michael Baker hails from a family of professional musicians and opera singers. Principal teachers include timpanist Cloyd Duff (Cleveland Institutevof Music), keyboard mallet virtuoso Earl Hatch (Paramount Studios-Los Angeles) and snare drum genius Forrest Clark(Los Angeles Philharmonic-Music Academy of the West).
In 1975 he was offered the Principal Percussion chair with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. This position was declined in lieu of a simultaneous offer of Principal Timpani of the Mexico State Symphony (1975-77). Michael Baker is the founding Principal Timpani-Mexico City Philharmonic (1978), founding Professor of Timpani and Percussion-Escuela Vida y Movimiento, and founding president of the Mexico City chapter of the International Percussive Arts Society.
As a drummer, percussionist and timpanist Michael has enjoyed performing in almost every style of music from the Tommy Banks Big Band, studio sessions with Canadian ‘Songwriter of the Year’ Gary Fjellgaard, Citadel Theatre(Edmonton) Staff Drummer, arranger and staff drummer at Project 70 Studios(Edmonton), to the Committee on the Arts Orchestra(Los Angeles), Ventura Symphony, Orchestra of the Americas(Mexico City) and the Pan American Percussion Ensemble.
Internationally Michael has toured Europe, the Americas and Asia, performing in venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Kennedy Center, Amsterdam Concertgebeow, and Teatro Colon(Buenos Aires). He has performed under a long list of distinguished conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Jorge Mester, Efrem Kurtz, Eduardo Mata and Kurt Klipstater, and appeared internationally with soloists such as Aldo Chicolinni, Cyprien Katsaris, John Cheek and Jorge Bolet. Recording credits include sessions for Angel, Radio Berlin, Royalty, Desto, Forlane, Varese Sarabande, EMI and RCA. By invitation of then Dallas Symphony conductor Eduardo Mata in 1982, Michael recorded the Chavez Partita for Solo Timpani at the RCA Studios in New York City. He subsequently performed the world premiere of this piece in Mexico City (1983).
In 2000 Michael was invited by Music Director Jorge Mester to return to the Mexico City Philharmonic as Guest Principal Timpani. During this extended sabbatical period he was also able to work on recording projects with the Orquesta de las Americas (broadcast on CBC Radio), freelance with numerous other Mexico City orchestras, and play drums in the Mexico City production of Man of la Mancha. He also played timpani in another recording project of recently discovered music of the Spanish Baroque.
Former students are Concerto Competition winners (Gabriela Gimenez-Manhattan School of Music). They perform in 14 orchestras in five countries, and teach at three universities. Other students are founding members of: Scrap Arts (Vancouver) and Tambuco Percussion Ensemble(Mexico City) Michael Baker is an endorsee of Sabian cymbals and Evans Drumheads.