About this Artist

Violinist ELIZABETH BAKER is enjoying her 30th and final season with the LA Phil, culminating a 40-year career performing in symphony orchestras. She began her career barely out of graduate school, performing 10 seasons with the San Francisco Symphony before joining the LA Phil in 1987. Throughout her years with the SFSO and the LA Phil she has remained active as a performer and teacher. She performed with the new music ensemble Xtet for 16 years and the Baroque ensemble Bach’s Circle since 1998. Performing throughout the Western United States, she has appeared at Chamber Music Northwest, Oregon Bach Festival, Carmel Bach Festival, Sedona, South Bay Chamber Music Series, and Arco Santi. She has performed regularly with both the LA Phil’s and SFSO’s new music and chamber music group series, presenting West Coast and world premieres from composers as Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt, Don Davis, Stephen Stucky, and Ellen Taaffe Zwillich, to name a few. She was on the faculty at Cal Arts for 12 years and has worked with the YOLA youth at HOLA since its inception. Baker appeared as soloist three times during her tenure with the LA Phil, all premieres and all receiving critical acclaim. She can be heard on recordings from Hänssler classics, Delos, New World, and Crystal labels. She Baker holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory (’76) and Indiana University School of Music (’78, with Distinction. Awarded the Performer’s Certificate). She plays on a Sanctus Seraphin Violin, 1733 previously owned by her late mother Virginia Voigtlander Baker. Plans upon “retirement”are to move to New Mexico with her husband of 24 years continuing to perform and teach as health and time allow.