Jenny Oaks Baker
Jenny Oaks Baker is one of America’s most accomplished classical violinists. She began playing the violin at age four, and made her solo debut in 1983 when she was only eight years old.
She received a bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and a Master of Music degree from the Julliard School in New York City. In 2005, Jenny soloed with the National Symphony Orchestra, with whom she was first violinist for seven years, at the Kennedy Center under the direction of Marvin Hamlisch. In 2007, she resigned from the National Symphony Orchestra to devote more time to her young family. Jenny and her husband, Matthew, are the parents of four children. She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes casually called the Mormon Church. Her albums include On Wings of Song, Songs my Mother Taught Me, American Tapestry, The Light Divine, The Best of Jenny Oaks Baker, O Holy Night, Silver Screen Serenade, Then Sings My Soul, Noel: Carols of Christmas Past, My Home Can Be a Holy Place. Her albums have sold over 250 million copies.
She has recorded distinctly different albums. Her 2014 album, “Classic: The Rock Album,” features music from Guns N’ Roses, Beatles, Sting, and R.E.M. Composer and pianist Kurt Bestor arranged this album—the eleventh that they have worked on together.
In late 2011 Baker was nominated for a Grammy Award for her album “Wish Upon a Star: A Tribute to the Music of Walt Disney,” in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category.
She served as a judge for the 2007 Stradivarius International Violin Competition.
Baker has been a guest soloist with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony, the Utah Symphony, the Orchestra at Temple Square, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Baker's music has been featured on the soundtracks of many films, including the 2007 PBS documentary miniseries, The Mormons, T. C. Christensen's 2011 film 17 Miracles, the 2015 film The Cokeville Miracle, and Mitch Davis' 2015 film, Stuck, which also features her acting debut as the violinist character, Mandy.
She is the daughter of Dallin H. Oaks, one of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his late wife June Dixon Oaks. Read about some of Baker's spiritual experiences
