Matthew Baker - Baryton

Originally from Sioux City, Iowa, Matthew Baker began his professional music career as a double bassist at the early age of 13 with the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, first as section and later as principal double bass.  

Matt leads a diversified performance career, having achieved recognition worldwide for his work in classical, jazz, folk, and theatrical performance in over 20 countries on both the baryton and double bass.  He has had critical acclaim from concerts and recordings in publications such as The Strad, Gramophone, The Times, Independent, and Bass World, among many others.

He first worked with Naxos Records first with the Elan Quintet in their highly lauded project of resurrecting and recording George Onslow’s string quintets. Now with the Valencia Baryton Project, Matt has, to critical acclaim, continued working with the world-class label to record its first 2 CDs of baryton works. 

As a barytonist, Matt has embraced both the traditional repertoire and looked beyond to new frontiers of baryton music. He has incorporated the instrument into music as diverse as medieval music, Indian classical music as well as premiering a new genre of music with French jazz pianist Baptiste Bailly in what was reported to have been the first ever jazz baryton concert.

Beyond his work with the baryton, Matthew is the professor of double bass at Berklee College of Music Valencia and a member of the Orquesta de Palau de les Arts, the opera of Valencia.

He holds a Bachelor of Music from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK, and a Postgraduate Diploma from the Royal Academy of Music in London, UK.

Matt is an ambassador to Schertler Electronics and is an endorser for Wiedoeft Rosin.