Robert James Baca

Robert Baca is Professor of Trumpet and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. His background includes numerous performances in both classical and commercial areas. Mr. Baca has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra and the Phillip Brunelle “Plymouth Music Series Orchestra” as well as a past member of the popular radio ensemble for Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” He has toured with Frank Sinatra, Buddy Rich, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Blood Sweat and Tears and numerous others. He has performed over one hundred Broadway shows and hundreds of recording sessions in Minneapolis and Indianapolis. As a soloist, he has performed in China, Taiwan, London, Costa Rica and Europe as well as the United States.

Mr. Baca is a past executive board member for the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) as the United States Representative as well as an advisory board member for the Edwin Franko Goldman Band. As a teacher, Mr. Baca loves to work with students of all ages and has served as an adjudicator and guest artist of many festivals and educational gatherings as well as all state honors jazz ensembles.  Recently, he conducted the National High School Honors Jazz Ensemble for the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) at their national convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Baca champions diversity in repertoire performed in Jazz Ensembles as well as invited Jazz Series guests and Guest Artists and clinicians for the Eau Claire Jazz ensemble. Mr. Baca is a Bach Trumpet Performing Artist.