Professor earns prestigious award

IU Jacobs School of Music professor Claude Baker was named the 2008-09 Paul Fromm composer-in-residence for the American Academy in Rome two weeks ago.\nThe Academy is a “very famous hotbed for composers at the beginning of their career,” said Don Freund, acting chair of the composition department.\nBaker will travel to Rome and act as elder statesman for the Academy during the fall 2008 semester. \nFreund said the Paul Fromm Composer-in-Residence award “is something everyone knows about.” It is a famous prize, related to the Rome Prize dating back to the 19th century, he said. The American Academy of Rome is known for its prestigious career opportunities, Freund said, “as well as being a great place to further yourself as an artist.” \nThe Academy “has a long history of hosting artists and scholars,” said David Dzubay, chair of the composition department, who has known Baker since he came to IU in the mid-1980s.\nBefore Baker’s extensive career at IU, he attended East Carolina University for his undergraduate career and received his master’s and doctorate from the Eastman School of Music in New York. Baker has been honored with many awards, including an American Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, two Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards, the Eastman-Leonard and George Eastman Prizes, as well as many other awards. He also served as Composer-in-Residence of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra for eight years.\nBaker has also had numerous orchestras perform his music, including the St. Louis, San Francisco, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Louisville orchestras. His work was also performed at the New York Philharmonic and the National Symphony Orchestra. \n“He is a very distinguished American composer, finely crafted,” Dzubay said.\nBaker said the honor will give him the chance to have “unlimited time to pursue projects and the ability to be in Rome in a more intimate way than as a casual tourist.” \nHe said the semester he will spend in Rome will also benefit his students as well\nas himself. \n“To have an opportunity like this one will give me greater knowledge on the world,” Baker said. “By bringing back lessons ... I hope I can be a better teacher for my students.”\nBaker said he is looking forward to spending the \nsemester abroad. \n“I am ecstatic, thrilled,” he said. “I cannot wait.”