Jordan Bak

Award-winning Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak has achieved international acclaim as a trailblazing artist, praised for his radiant stage presence, dynamic interpretations, and fearless power. Critics have described him as “an exciting new voice in Classical performance” (I Care If You Listen), “a powerhouse musician, with a strong voice and compelling sound” (The Whole Note) and lauded his “haunting lyrical grace” (Gramophone). The recipient of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Alexandra Jupin Award and a former Young Classical Artist Trust’s (YCAT) Robey Artist, Bak was also a prize winner in the Sphinx, Lionel Tertis, and Concert Artists Guild competitions, and has received accolades from ClassicFM, Musical America, and WQXR.

Along with his current performances with the world-renowned Takács Quartet on a tour of rarely-performed Mozart viola quintets, this season will also see Bak making his concerto debuts with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Houston Symphony Orchestra. And he will give the world premiere of composer Michael Frazier’s new viola concerto, Los quetzales, commissioned by Eastman School of Music, the Sphinx Organization, and American Composers Orchestra.

Bak’s well-received sophomore album, Cantabile: Anthems for Viola (Delphian Records), has garnered significant international attention, featuring works by Arnold Bax, Benjamin Britten, and Ralph Vaughan Williams, paired with contemporary compositions by Jonathan Harvey, Bright Sheng, and Augusta Read Thomas. A proud new-music advocate, Bak has given numerous world premieres, including Kaija Saariaho’s Du gick, flög for viola and mezzo-soprano; Jessica Meyer’s On fire…no, after you for viola, mezzo-soprano, and piano; Augusta Read Thomas’ Upon Wings of Words for string quartet and soprano; and Jeffrey Mumford’s stillness echoing for viola and harp.

Bak has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra, London Mozart Players, New York Classical Players, Juilliard Orchestra, and Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra, and has performed under such esteemed conductors as Howard Griffiths, Stephen Mulligan, Keith Lockhart, Gerard Schwarz, and Ewa Strusińska. As a recitalist and chamber musician, he has been heard at some of the world’s greatest performance venues, including at Carnegie Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, Jordan Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center, Elgar Concert Hall, and Helsinki Musiikkitalo.

Bak has been a presence at chamber music festivals including the Marlboro Music Festival, Tippet Rise, Chamber Music Northwest, and Newport Classical, and has appeared during the year at Chamber Music Detroit, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Emory University’s Candler Concert Series, and Shriver Hall Concert Series. He has collaborated frequently with the Escher Quartet, Verona Quartet, Catalyst Quartet, Merz Trio, and Hermitage Piano Trio and has performed with such artists as Jonathan Biss, Lara Downes, Jennifer Frautschi, Ani Kavafian, Soovin Kim, Charles Neidich, Marina Piccinini, and Gilles Vonsattel.

Passionate about education, Bak currently serves as Assistant Professor of Viola at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and as an Ambassador for UK Music Masters in London. Additionally, he has given master classes at the Manhattan School of Music, NYU Steinhardt, Oberlin Conservatory, Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (UK), and Conservatorio del Tolima (Colombia).

Only the third violist to earn the Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School, Bak holds a bachelor’s degree in music from the New England Conservatory and a master’s degree in music from the Juilliard School, where he was awarded the prestigious Kovner Fellowship. His principal teachers were Dimitri Murrath, Hsin-Yun Huang, and Samuel Rhodes.

Jordan Bak plays on two violas, both made by Jon van Kouwenhoven. He is married to violist Rubina Bak and shares two cats, Bartok and Walton.