Jenny Oaks Baker mixes classical with classic rock for SCERA show
Provo native Jenny Oaks Baker is among several artists performing at the LDS Missionary Expo charity concert on Friday at the UCCU Center in Orem.
Jenny Oaks Baker will join Utah Symphony on Monday for an evening concert of patriotic and classic rock music at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre in Orem.
Grammy-nominated violinist Jenny Oaks Baker will join the Utah Symphony on Monday night mixing Americana classics with classic rock at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre.
Baker will perform tunes from her latest album “Classic: The Rock Album” among others, with accompaniment by the symphony orchestra, which has approximately 90 musicians. Songs from classic rockers The Who and R.E.M. will be featured during the outdoor performance, along with cinema soundtrack and Disney favorites.
The Utah Symphony will share patriotic music such as Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” and also “Liberty Fanfare” by noted composer John Williams.
” ‘Pinball Wizard’ is electrifying,” Baker said. “You never miss that there’s no electric guitar going on. All those instruments playing together can be really electric.”
The Provo native nabbed a Grammy nod in 2012 for Best Pop Instrumental Album with “Wish Upon a Star: A Tribute to the Music of Walt Disney,” which was produced by Kurt Bestor, who also produced Baker’s latest album.
“He completely re-orchestrated all of these rock tunes,” she said. “The rock impulse or the rock feel is from the orchestra. It’s kind of a classical take on classic rock.”
Baker was born in Provo and grew up listening to the Utah Symphony as a child. The violinist now lives in Virginia with her husband and four children. She has since attended Juilliard School of Music in New York City, and the Monday show will mark Baker’s third time performing with her “dream” symphony.
“It’s home. Utah is home,” Baker said. “This is the orchestra that when I was younger, it was my dream to perform with them. I even wanted to be in the Utah symphony as I was growing up. I practiced so hard so I could have the opportunity to perform with them, and I’m really excited to be coming home.”
Baker fulfilled that dream as a teenager, and went on to become a member of the National Symphony until resigning in 2007 to spend more time with her young family.
A known saying in the performing arts states, “If I miss one rehearsal, I notice. If I miss two rehearsals the critics notice. If I miss three rehearsals, audiences notice.”
“That’s fine and dandy, but that wasn’t spoken by a mother of four children,” Baker joked. “Four children that have to practice. So I get their practicing done first.”
She keeps her family near and at times will incorporate her children in fireside shows during the summer so they can perform with her. She said it makes it more of a “family thing” than a “career thing.”
As a member of the National Symphony, Baker would perform Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” a triumphant battle cry with booming drums and marching brass arrangements.
“Every July 4th we’d perform that right as the fireworks were going off. So, I could never see the fireworks,” Baker said. “It was really sad for me because we’d be playing ‘1812’ and I’m like ‘Am I never going to see July 4th fireworks ever again?’ I mean, I love the piece. It’s awesome and exciting but sometimes it made me miss fireworks.”
Adam Robertson, president and CEO of SCERA said the Shell outdoor theater is a venue unmatched in its atmosphere.
“It sure is a neat experience to sit on that hill in an outdoor setting and experience the symphony,” Robertson said. “Even if you’ve seen them before at Abravanel Hall, it’s just a totally different experience under the stars.”
He said when patrons attend events at the SCERA, they are also supporting thousands of local youth in cultivating an interest in the arts through the venue’s in-house arts education programs. Young artists experience dance, theater, puppeteering, music and the arts in these community activities.
“We take very seriously the values of our community when we’re programming the Shell,” Robertson said. “I think this will be a great family event that’s close to the Fourth of July, and if you’re not already in the spirit of the 4th, then this will hopefully do it for you.”
JENNY OAKS BAKER featuring UTAH SYMPHONY
When: Monday, 8 p.m.
Where: SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre, 699 S. State St., Orem
Tickets: $15, $10 for children (ages 3-11), seniors (ages 65-plus) and students (with ID). Reserved seating is available with tickets ranging from $20 to $30 for adults and $15 to $25 for children, seniors and students.
Info: (801) 225-ARTS, scera.org.