Benjamin Baker

Benjamin Baker is a composer and performer currently based out of Kansas City, MO. Ben’s music comes from a place at the intersection of spontaneous improvisation and traditional storytelling structure and includes works written for both concert ensembles and popular music groups, drawing influence from a multitude of genres and styles. Using contemporary pop music language with modern compositional techniques, Ben’s works paint serious atmospheres while still remaining playful and uplifting.

As a performer, Ben appears on multiple freelance recording works and is a standing member of the Extemporaneous Music Society of Kansas City, as well as the saxophonist for Kansas City band Friendly Thieves. He was recently awarded the 2022 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award for his piece PRIMORDIAL (2019) for alto saxophone and live electronics. Ben has written for performers such as the SPLICE Ensemble, Quince Ensemble and Patchwork Duo, and received his B.M. in Composition from Ohio University in 2020. He has recently received his M.M. in Composition from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2023.