Musician Spotlight
Joshua Baker,
new principal bassoon
Few things are more nerve-racking for a musician than
auditions, and Joshua Baker’s for principal bassoon with The
Florida Orchestra was no exception.
During the final round, he was sitting alone onstage at the
Mahaffey Theater. “Michael Francis was telling me random
excerpts to play, but he was so far away out in the audience,
I couldn’t understand him, and I kept asking him to repeat it
back for me,” Baker said. After a while, Baker got self-conscious
and decided to just play what he thought the maestro was
saying. “At one point, he stopped my playing. People were
laughing. Turns out my worst fear came true: I was on the
completely wrong excerpt.”
The maestro was already so impressed it didn’t matter. He got the job.
Baker grew up in Boise, Idaho, and got his undergrad degree at the New England Conservatory of Music in
Boston. He comes to TFO from the Charleston Symphony in South Carolina, a job he won while studying
for his master’s degree at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. We asked Baker a few questions
to get to know him better.
How did you choose bassoon?
Around 3rd grade, I told my parents I wanted to play the violin, which really came out of nowhere because
I had no exposure to classical music. At this point I was living outside of Boise, and the only place around
that taught was a fiddle shop, so I learned how to play the fiddle (I play a mean Boil Them Cabbage Down).
I eventually heard the bassoon on a CD of Vivaldi concerti and fell in love with the dark, woody tone. By
6th grade, when my family moved to Boise, there happened to be one bassoon teacher, the amazing
Janelle Oberbillig. She guided me perfectly so that by college I didn’t have anything I needed to “relearn.”
I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her.
How has music shaped your life?
To me, music is the ultimate representation of us as humans. It’s finding the balance between logic and
emotion. You play too emotionally and it can be confusing and have no direction. You play too logically
and it’s void of that human connection we have with one another, those shared emotions and experiences
that are uniting. There is that connection in people as well, that constant struggle and rechecking to find
balance in our own lives.
What excites you about the Tampa Bay area?
As soon as I moved to St. Pete I could tell that it invited a lot of culture and individuality. I love seeing
all the murals and graffiti art around town. The diverse cultures, people, and food are inviting. The easy
biking access around town is also unique and wonderful.
Any message for TFO fans?
I want to say thank you for supporting this wonderful organization. As someone new to the scene, I can
tell there is something special going on here, and it’s your support that is making it a reality. Please come
say hello after concerts. I’d love to meet all of you!
THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA | 2018-2019 3617