Collection: Morehead State University - Stacy Baker

Dr. Stacy Baker earned the academic rank of Professor of Music - Tuba /Euphonium and has been honored as the 2016-2017 Distinguished Creative Productions Award recipient and the 2014-2015 Distinguished Teacher at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky where she has taught since 1996. Originally from Harsen’s Island, MI, she received both her M.M. and B.M. degrees from the University of Michigan where she graduated summa cum laude as a James B. Angell Scholar. She holds a D.M.A. in Performance and Literature with highest honors from the University of Illinois. She enjoys an active performing career appearing as featured artist at International Tuba/Euphonium Conferences (ITEC); regional Tuba/Euphonium Conferences (SERTEC/MWRTEC); International Women’s Brass Conferences (IWBC); U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” Tuba/Euphonium Conferences; International Euphonium Tuba Festivals, and conferences hosted by the Kentucky, Florida, and Michigan Music Educator’s Associations. Dr. Baker has toured and recorded throughout the United States, Europe, and China as soloist, and as a founding member of SymbiosisDuo, the R.S.V.B. and JUNCTION tuba/euphonium quartets, the IWBC’s Monarch Brass, the Athena Brass Band, Lexington Brass Band, and MSU’s Horizon Brass quintet.

Dr. Baker formed the professional tuba euphonium duo, SYMBIOSISDUO, with Dr. Gail Robertson in 2007 to increase awareness of the tuba/euphonium duo as a performance medium and to promote and disseminate new works for this unique combination of instruments. The duo chose the name “SYMBIOSISDUO” from the concert duet of that name written for them by composer Chris Sharp. In the program notes for the work he writes: “Symbiosis is defined as, ‘A relationship of mutual benefit or dependence . . . The technical and range-requirements for each solo instrument are comparable, suggesting a ‘separate but equal’ relationship.” This is an innovative and challenging approach to duet writing for tuba and euphonium producing ‘the symbiosis effect’ as the tuba is not relegated to an accompanying role, but is equal in all aspects of music with the other voice in the duo, the euphonium. Her duo’s debut album, SymbiosisDuo, was selected as finalist for the 2010 Roger Bobo Award for Recording Excellence in Chamber Music by the International Tuba/Euphonium Association (ITEA). The duo’s second album, Playground was released in February 2015. Both albums were funded through Morehead State University Creative Production Grants. SymbiosisDuo will appear as the Featured Artists for the 2017 Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival.

Dr. Stacy Baker served together with Dr. Gail Robertson as Co-Instrumental Advisor and Co-Curriculum Designer for the Pro-Series Elite Practice Systems for Tuba and Euphonium providing all exercises, instruction, and quartet arrangements as well as performing as on-screen talent alongside some of their students for the revolutionary pedagogical series of 10 DVDs for tuba and 10 DVD’s for euphonium. The project was fully funded and released by American Product Group, LLC in 2013 along with similar series for each of the wind instruments.

In 2016, Dr. Baker released Fanfare and Flourish: Celebrating Women Composers as a member of the R.S.V.B. Tuba/Euphonium Quartet on the PotenzaMusic label with Dr. Gail Robertson, Dr. Deanna Swoboda, and SSG Lauren Veronie-Curran.

Dr. Baker has also performed as principal tubist with the Warren Symphony and the Allen Park Symphony, and as substitute tubist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Symphony, the Champaign/Urbana Symphony, the Danville Symphony, the Owensboro Symphony and the Lexington Philharmonic. Dr. Baker served as co-editor of the International Women’s Brass Conference Newsletter from 2000-2003 and has served on the IWBC Board of Directors. Her teachers include Jeff Funderburk, Wes Jacobs, Tommy Johnson, Fritz Kaenzig, and Mark Moore.