Baron, Samuel

Samuel Baron was a prominent American flutist, conductor, and influential teacher. He was a founding member of the New York Woodwind Quintet and the longtime music director of the Bach Aria Group.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Baron initially began his musical journey as a violinist. He switched to the flute in high school and was largely self-taught initially. He pursued his formal music education at Brooklyn College and later attended the Juilliard School, where he studied the flute with Georges Barrère and Arthur Lora. He also studied conducting there, with Edgar Schenkman.
He was a founding member of the New York Woodwind Quintet, the New York Brass Ensemble, and the Bach Aria Group, a renowned American ensemble of vocalists and instrumentalists dedicated to the study and performance of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.
He was a dedicated champion of new music, premiering works by numerous American composers, including Samuel Barber's Summer Music, and pieces by William Schuman, Ezra Laderman, and Alan Hovhaness.
He taught at Stony Brook University, Yale School of Music, Mannes College of Music, and The Juilliard School, where he chaired the woodwind department.