Jordan Bak

Jordan Bak is a Jamaican-American violist.[1]

Early life and education

Bak graduated from the Juilliard School and the New England Conservatory.[1] While at New England Conservatory, Hsin-Yun Huang, Dimitri Murrath, and Samuel Rhodes were his professors.[1]

Career

In 2019, Bak won the Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition,[1][2] and in 2021, he was named a YCAT Robey Artist.[2] Other achievements include receiving a Kovner Fellowship and the Sphinx MPower Grant.[1][3]He has performed at London's Wigmore Hall, New York's Merkin Concert Hall, Bruno Walter Auditorium, Alice Tully Hall, Boston's Jordan Hall, and Baltimore's Shriver Hall.[1]

In May 2022, Bak released his debut album titled IMPULSE (Bright Shiny Things).[2] The album features compositions by Tyson Gholston Davis, Toshio Hosokawa, Leilehua Lanzilotti, Quinn Mason, Jeffrey Mumford, and Joan Tower.[2] With the exception of one work by Rebecca Clarke, each composition was written in the last four decades.[4] Pianist Ji Yung Lee appears on the Impulse album, joining Bak on Clarke's Untitled and on Toshio Hosokawa's arrangement of Takemitsu's A String Around Autumn.[4] The album reflects Bak's creative interest in the physical properties of sound.[4]

Bak held a faculty position as the Professor of Viola at Bowling Green State University,[2][5] served as a Visiting Artist and Ambassador for Music Masters in London, [5] and gave masterclasses at Oberlin Conservatory,[5] Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University,[2] University of Wisconsin-Madison,[2] Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (UK),[2] Conservatorio del Tolima (Colombia),[2] and the Brevard Music Center.[2][5] He held a faculty position with the Opportunity Music Project in New York.[2]

Composers Eli Greenhoe, Sampo Kansurinen, Caroline Shaw, and Delong Wang have collaborated with Bak.[6][7] Another collaboration includes Bak playing with the Takács Quartet.[8][9] The New York Classical Review wrote that "Bak's playing was so constantly involving and impressive that one was drawn to each note and phrase."[9] Other collaborations include chamber music tours with Musicians from Marlboro and the CAG on Tour [1] and being a guest artist with the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players.[6][7]

Playing viola and mezzo-soprano, Bak appeared in the world premieres of Kaija Saariaho’s Du gick, flög[6][7] and in the world premiere of Die Aussicht for string quartet and soprano.[6] He also performed with The Juliard Orchestra in Druckman Viola Concerto at Alice Tully Hall in New York.[7]

Composer James Ra wrote a Concerto for Three Violas and Strings that featured three soloists: Jordan Bak, Ramón Carrero-Martinez, and En-Chi Cheng.[10] They brought varied timbres to their respective roles which often divided into three primary ranges of high and lofty, warm and tenor-like, and supportive depth and across a textural spectrum.[10] In the second movement, the concertizers traded solos as an alternate approach to three solo violists.[10] Jordan Bak led the consort.[10] Bak and music director Dong-min Kim led the movement's finale.[10]

Awards

In 2019, Jordan Bak received the Samuel Sanders Tel Aviv Museum Prize.[1][2] In the same year, he received the John White Special Prize from the Tertis International Viola Competition.[2][6][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Channel, The Violin (2021-11-16). "VC YOUNG ARTIST | Violist Jordan Bak — "A Star in the Making and One to Watch Out For"". World's Leading Classical Music Platform. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Violist Jordan Bak signs with Arts Management Group". The Strad. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  3. ^ "A Day in the Life of a Violist | The Juilliard School". www.juilliard.edu. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  4. ^ a b c Hill, A. Kori (2022-05-09). "Jordan Bak Creates Immersive, Multi-Dimensional Soundscapes on "Impulse"". I CARE IF YOU LISTEN. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  5. ^ a b c d "Jordan Bak". University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
  6. ^ a b c d e "MusicalAmerica - New Artist of the Month: Violist Jordan Bak". www.musicalamerica.com. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  7. ^ a b c d e Wagstaff, Malinda (2020-01-29). "Jordan Bak, viola". WXXI Classical. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  8. ^ "Takács Quartet with Jordan Bak, viola". Vivo Performing Arts. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  9. ^ a b "Takács Quartet with Jordan Bak | Kennedy Center". The Kennedy Center. Archived from the original on 2026-03-09. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  10. ^ a b c d e Stevens, David (2021-09-20). "Rising Hope for Rising Stars". The Boston Musical Intelligencer. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
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