The Idea of the West: Anatomy of a Song with Tom Baker In-Person
Songwriter, storyteller, guitarist, and composer Tom Baker will perform excerpts from his in-progress acoustic-pioneer-chamber-opera called The Idea of West, scored for voice, guitar, banjo, cello, and bass. The Idea of West is an ongoing project that speaks to the pioneer migration across the American West in the 1800s; a migration that included Tom's own ancestors, from both sides of his family. It is about the harrowing indifference of the land, the arduous and often perilous journey across it, and the inheritance of a grand mythology of the American West, etched into childhood stories and memories.
The backdrop is the wonder of the American landscape, and the all-too-real cost of human suffering for the Indigenous tribes of the continent, those first stewards of this land. The performance will include at least one new song written during Tom's time in residency at the Hemingway House with The Community Library.
The presentation will also include a discussion on the songwriting process, and how various components of a song (lyrics, chords, melody, and form) come together through directed practice and attention. Tom will also tell a few stories and play a few songs he has written about his time growing up in Southern Idaho, and about his time in his home waters - Warm Springs Creek in Ketchum, where he spent his youth at his Grandfather's cabin on the Board Ranch.
Registration requested to join us in person. To watch live online (no registration needed) visit: https://vimeo.com/event/5887750. A recording will be available to watch for one week only on The Community Library's Event Archive.
- Date:
- Tuesday, June 2, 2026
- Time:
- 5:30pm - 6:30pm
- Time Zone:
- Mountain Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- John A. and Carole O. Moran Lecture Hall
- Campus:
- The Community Library
- Audience:
- Adults
- Categories:
- Films & Performances
Tom Baker is a composer, guitarist, improviser, songwriter, and electronic musician who has been a leader in the Seattle new-music scene since arriving in 1994. He is the artistic director of the Seattle Composers’ Salon, co-founder of the Seattle EXperimental Opera (SEXO), and founder of the new-music recording label Present Sounds Recordings. Tom’s compositions have been performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. He writes chamber music, opera, and electronic music, as well as music for percussion, chamber orchestra, dance, film, and chorus. He has been in residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts and the Montalvo Arts Center. His music is published by Frog Peak Music. Tom is also a scholar and researcher, and has recently presented work to the Society for Minimalist Music in Wales UK, and to the International Conference on the Arts in Society in Vancouver BC. He is an associate editor for Perspectives of New Music. Tom has been a Professor of Music at Cornish College of the Arts for the past 10 years. Tom is active as a performer and improviser, specializing in fretless guitar, theremin, and live electronics. “Begin Again,” Tom’s most recent album with his band The Tom Baker Quartet, was voted Best Northwest Recording of 2023 by the Earshot Jazz Festival. His electronic interactive-arts collaboration with visual artist Robert Campbell has been featured in the MoxSonic festival in 2019, Current’s New Media festival in 2020, and in 2024 their work “Study No. 294” was awarded a top prize in the Experimental Brasil Festival, and was a semi-final winner in the Austin Arthouse International Festival.