About DR. GEORGE BAKER, music composer and coach

A native of Dallas, George Baker has received training with some of the finest organ teachers of the twentieth century. He obtained his bachelor’s degree (organ) from SMU under Robert Anderson, after which he traveled to Paris to study with Marie-Claire Alain, Pierre Cochereau, Jean Langlais, André Marchal, and Nadia Boulanger.  Baker earned the Prix de Virtuosité with Maximum Mention from the Schola Cantorum in Paris, under Langlais (1975).  Ultimately, he returned to the United States, where he earned his M.M. and D.M.A. degrees, before deciding to undertake the challenge of becoming a medical doctor.  Although he obtained his M.D. and became a dermatologist, Dr. Baker never ceased performing, composing, teaching, and recording.

In his early years as a musician, George Baker won first prizes by unanimous jury decisions in several major organ competitions including the AGO (Buffalo, 1970), the Grand Prix de Chartres (Chartres, France, 1974) and the International Improvisation Competition (Lyon, France, 1979).  His recording credits include the complete organ works of J. S. Bach (1979, the first to be recorded by an American artist) and the complete organ works of Louis Vierne (world premiere recording, released in 1994, a project he shared with Pierre Cochereau).  Other recordings include works of Langlais, Milhaud, Reger, Hindemith, Clérambault, DuMage, Ives, Sowerby, and Dupré. Baker has been awarded three French Grand Prix du Disque.

George Baker’s compositions have been frequently performed and recorded in the United States, Europe, and Asia. His current self-published catalog (baroquenotesmusic.com) includes twenty-three titles. His work, Le Tombeau de Jean Langlais, was commissioned by and premiered at the AGO Seattle National Convention in 2022. Baker’s latest commission will be premiered by Stephen Tharp at St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church in Ft. Worth, Texas in late 2024. His Workbook for Organ Improvisation has been purchased by clients in thirty-four countries around the world. 

Baker has launched a series of “Micro-Lessons” in organ improvisation on YouTube. Each short video features a topic for improvisers and/or an interview with a major organist. 

George Baker is currently Adjunct Associate Professor of Organ at SMU, where he teaches organ and organ improvisation.