Meet the Artist Behind MUSE
Michael Baker brings MUSE to The Peale July 25th 2026, an exciting performance bridging childhood inspiration and adult creative process.
The Peale is pleased to host MUSE, a recital program brought to you by Michael Baker.
MUSE is a recital program that explores the connection found between an artist and their inspirations. The performance combines childhood inspirations, the adult creative process, and traditions rooted in jazz-fusion, musical theater, opera, and contemporary instrumental music. The program will include never-before-heard arrangements created specifically for this event, as well as classics re-contextualized to fit the unique voice of the euphonium.
MUSE is approximately one hour long and includes approximately forty minutes of transcriptions, arrangements, and new music for euphonium, piano, and electronics.
Join us at The Peale on July 25, 2026 at 2 PM for MUSE. This event is free for all, RSVP’s are appreciated.
Visit The Peale’s Upcoming Events to see what else is coming soon!
About the Artist and Performer
Michael Baker is an exciting and dynamic new solo artist in the brass world. A multi-talented euphonium player, chamber musician, arranger, educator, and brass pedagogue, he is making waves and breaking into the role of a solo performer.
Beyond Baker’s recital this season at The Peale Museum, he has already found success in performance partnerships with museums, churches, and non-profits across Virginia, Maryland, and Michigan. He has been a featured soloist with bands at the high school and collegiate level. Baker’s recitals are noted for being thought-provoking and captivating, always featuring musical connections beyond those of the typical classical performer.
Baker often arranges for his own performances, showcasing transcriptions of music from Jazz, Fusion, Musical Theater, and more in addition to the euphonium’s typical repertoire. With his arranging, he seeks to push the limits of the euphonium and showcase the capabilities of both the soloist and the instrument.
As a versatile chamber musician, Baker has contributed to performances with a wide variety of organizations. During his time with “The Fairfax Four” tuba-euphonium quartet, the group was featured with the American Festival Pops Orchestra at the Hylton Performing Arts Center and at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts. His time with the quartet also included a performance at the US Army’s annual Tuba-Euphonium Workshop. Baker’s continued career in chamber music followed him to his studies in Ann Arbor, where he joined the award-winning Graduate Quartet of the University of Michigan. He was a member in the spring of 2026, when the quartet earned second place in the chamber music competition at the Heartland Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference.
A proud product of the musical community of Northern Virginia, Baker continues the legacies of excellence passed down to him through his contributions as an educator and clinician. In addition to his classroom experience, he cultivated a studio of private students, ran clinics and masterclasses, and worked as an advisor on both low brass technique and conducting for internationally recognized programs in both Virginia and Michigan.
Baker holds degrees in Euphonium Performance and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan and in Music Education from George Mason University. His mentors and teachers include David Zerkel, Ali Miserendino, Dr. Mark Jenkins, and Bobby Behrend. He will begin doctoral studies at James Madison University in Euphonium Performance, Pedagogy, and Literature with Kevin Stees in the fall of 2026.
