Jenny Oaks Baker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jenny Oaks Baker
Photo from Classic: The Rock Album in August 2013
Born	Jenny June Oaks (1975-05-27) May 27, 1975 (age 50) Provo, Utah, U.S.
Education	Curtis Institute of Music (B.M.) Juilliard School (M.M.)
Occupation	Violinist
Years active	1979–present
Height	5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Spouse(s)	Matthew David Baker (m. March 7, 1998–present)
Children	4
Parent(s)	Father: Dallin H. Oaks (born 1932) Mother: June Dixon (1933–1998)

Jenny Oaks Baker (born Jenny June Oaks on May 27, 1975) is a talented American violinist. She is famous for her beautiful music. Jenny has even been nominated for a Grammy Award, which is a very important music prize. She used to play in the National Symphony Orchestra. Jenny has made many albums, and some of them have been very popular on the Billboard charts.

Early Life and Music Training

Jenny Oaks Baker was born in Provo, Utah, on May 27, 1975. She started playing the violin when she was just four years old. By the age of eight, in 1983, she performed her first solo with an orchestra. As a young person, she won many awards in music competitions.

Her College Education

Jenny studied violin at two famous music schools. In 1997, she earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Then, in 1999, she received a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York City.

Jenny's Music Career

Jenny Oaks Baker has released many albums with Shadow Mountain Records. Her first album, On Wings of Song (1998), won two Pearl Awards. These awards are given by the Faith-centered Music Association.

Grammy Nomination and Popular Albums

One of her albums, Wish Upon a Star: A Tribute to the Music of Walt Disney, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2012. It was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Several of her albums have appeared on the Billboard charts. These include Then Sings My Soul (2010) and Noël: Carols of Christmas Past (2012). The Christmas album was produced by Kurt Bestor and featured singer Alex Sharpe. Her 2014 album, Classic: The Rock Album, also did well.

Performing on Stage

Jenny has performed as a solo artist in famous places like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. She has also played as a guest soloist with many orchestras. These include the National Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and the Utah Symphony. Her music has been on TV and radio shows across the country. She had a special TV show on BYUTV called "Silver Screen Serenade." In this show, she played music from her 2008 album of the same name.

Working with Other Artists

Jenny has worked with many well-known people. She has performed with singer Gladys Knight and composer Marvin Hamlisch. She also collaborated with Kurt Bestor and even former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Music in Movies

Jenny's music has been used in several movies. It was featured in the 2007 PBS documentary The Mormons. Her music was also in T. C. Christensen's films 17 Miracles (2011) and The Cokeville Miracle (2015). In Mitch Davis's 2015 film Christmas Eve, Jenny not only had her music featured but also acted for the first time. She played a violinist character named Mandy.

Awards and Recognition

In 2007, Jenny was a judge for the Stradivarius International Violin Competition. In April 2008, the Governor of Utah, Jon M. Huntsman Jr., gave her the Governor’s Mansion Artist Award. This award recognized her excellent artistic expression.

For seven years, Jenny Oaks Baker was a first violinist in the National Symphony Orchestra. She left in 2007 to spend more time with her family.

Jenny's Family Life

Jenny Oaks Baker is the daughter of Dallin H. Oaks and June Oaks. Her father is a lawyer and used to be the president of Brigham Young University. He also served as a judge on the Utah Supreme Court. As of 2025, he is a high-ranking leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jenny is a member of this church. She graduated from East High School in Salt Lake City in 1993. In September 2024, she played the violin with pianist Jared Pierce. They accompanied Nathan Pacheco as he sang "Happy Birthday" to Russell M. Nelson, the president of the Church, for his 100th birthday.

Jenny is married to Matthew Baker. They live in Utah with their four children: Laura, Hannah, Sarah, and Matthew Jr. Her children sometimes perform with her in concerts and on two of her albums. They are known as "Family Four."

Music Albums

• On Wings of Song (1998)
• Songs My Mother Taught Me (1999)
• Where Love Is (2000)
• American Tapestry (2001)
• The Light Divine (2003)
• The Best of Jenny Oaks Baker (2005)
• O Holy Night (2007)
• Silver Screen Serenade (2008)
• Then Sings My Soul (2010)
• Wish Upon a Star: A Tribute to the Music of Walt Disney (2011)
• Noel: Carols of Christmas Past (2012)
• Classic: The Rock Album (2014)
• My Home Can Be a Holy Place (2015)
• Awakening (2016)
• The Spirit Of God (2018)
• Epic (2020)
• The Redeemer (2022)

Jenny Oaks Baker & Family Four Albums

• Jenny Oaks Baker & Family Four (2019)
• Joy to the World (2020)

Film Appearances

Awards and Nominations

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are important music awards given each year in the United States.

Other Awards

• Concerto Soloists National Young Artists String Competition - Winner
• National Music Camp Concerto Competition - Winner
• Utah Symphony Guild Competition - Winner
• Kingsville International String Competition - Honors
• Irving M. Klein International String Competition (1996) - Michaelian Prize
• Governor's Mansion Artist Award (2008)