Dr. Kevin L. Baker brings a wide range of conducting experiences to the Jefferson City Symphony. A choral director by training, he has also studied orchestral conducting and has successfully taken the podium many times to perform choral/orchestral works from a wide variety of musical styles and time periods. His love for these masterpieces has led him to initiate or expand Masterworks programs at every collegiate institution he has served, providing opportunities for communities and students to hear and experience some of the world’s greatest musical compositions.
He has worked with the Green Bay Symphony, the Quincy (Illinois) Symphony, the Symphony of Southern Utah, and has hired and led members of the St. Louis Symphony, along with the Choral Arts Singers and local high school singers, in a performance of Handel’s “Messiah”. His technical and artistic skills as a conductor were recognized in 2014 when he was selected as the winner of the American Prize in Choral Conducting in the collegiate director’s division.
Dr. Baker has taught at every level of the educational spectrum during his 32 years as an educator. He received his undergraduate music degree from Southwest Baptist University, his Masters in Choral Conducting, and a Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. As a college professor, he has held the positions of Director of Choral Activities and Music Department Chair, has served on numerous University committees, and has taught countless students in choral techniques, conducting, and voice. His students have won National Association of Teachers of Singing regional competitions and have become successful teachers and adjudicators in their own right.
He grew up in the small town of Archie, MO, south of the Kansas City metro area. Eclectic with a wide variety of interests, he is an avid golfer, a former collegiate bowler, and is equally at home riding and training horses, remodeling homes, and generally being an outdoorsman, as he is on the podium. He is the proud father of four sons.