Born in New Zealand in 1990, Ben Baker first picked up a violin aged just
three years old. Four years later he had notched up seven television appearances in New Zealand and played with the celebrated Nigel Kennedy who recommended he apply to join The Yehudi Menuhin School in London. Ben applied, was granted a scholarship, and travelled the 11,684 miles between Wellington and London to begin his training at the prestigious school.

His last big performance in New Zealand before leaving his homeland was a carol concert in front of 20,000 people in Wellington; since then he has played in the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Bath Pump Room at the International Bath Festival, The Stables and has given recitals in Turkey, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, France and New Zealand

Ben's concerto debut was at 12 years old in Istanbul playing with the Romanian State Orchestra at the Mozart Festival. At 13 he played the Bruch Concerto in G Minor with New Zealand's Wellington Sinfonia and was invited back two years later to play the Mendelssohn Concerto broadcast live on Radio New Zealand. That same year he released his first solo CD, 'Arcadian Strings', which won the Classic FM Next Big Thing Award.

Behind the Biography

How did you first begin playing the violin?

I think my story is quite a common one; I did just fall in love with the sound when I was very young. I went to a concert with my parents in New Zealand when I was not quite three years old and someone played a violin solo. Apparently I left my seat and went and sat at the soloist’s feet and then followed her off stage! My parents were bemused when I continued to be obsessed with ‘pretending’ to play the violin over the next few months and eventually a musician friend visiting the house asked what I was doing and suggested perhaps I should start learning to play even if I was just three. My first instrument was 1/16th the size of a full size instrument and cost just £20; I still have it.

In 2007 the Cathcart Concerto Award gave Ben the opportunity to play with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. The critic Michael Darvell said of his performance, ‘At just 17, Ben is obviously destined for great things’.

At the 2009 Gstaad Festival Ben impressed the Daily Telegraph critic, Michael White, who wrote, ‘A fine account of Vaughan Williams’ Concerto Academico with Ben Baker, a sleek-sounding young soloist; Hugely impressive’. That same year Ben was a finalist in the Young Concert Artist Trust (YCAT) competition at the Wigmore Hall and has since performed for YCAT on many occasions.

Ben has been supporting the charity World Vision by busking since he was just five years old and more recently through his CD sales. Ben has received acclaim both as a soloist and also as a member of the string ensemble, Trio Boyarsky.

During 2010 Ben will be touring Sweden, France and New Zealand with Trio Boyarsky. Ben is currently studying on a full scholarship at the Royal College of Music with Natasha Boyarsky. He has just released his second CD ‘Ben Baker Live at The Menuhin Hall’.