At this year鈥檚 Colorado Shakespeare Festival, audiences at 鈥淭he Comedy of Errors鈥� will be wooed back to 1920s Paris by the costumes, the set and of course, an onstage minstrel and her accordion. Because after all, what would summer be without the whimsical sound of the accordion?
For Alicia Baker, the answer to that question is simple: it just wouldn鈥檛 be summer.
鈥淲hen I was six years old, we were on a family vacation and we ended up in Kimberley, British Columbia, during the Kimberley International Old Time Accordion Championships. I recognized the right side of the accordion because I had already been playing piano for two years, and my parents bought me one on the spot.
鈥淎fter that, we went back for 16 summers in a row so I could compete.鈥�
, originally from Portland, Oregon, grew up in a musical family. Both her parents are choir teachers, nurturing in her a third musical passion: singing.
鈥淪o when I went to college at Oregon State University, I earned three bachelor鈥檚 degrees 鈥� in vocal performance, piano performance and music education.鈥�
Now Baker is in the second year of her master鈥檚 in vocal performance and pedagogy at the College of Music. But she still plays her accordion in gigs around the world鈥攊ncluding the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre this summer.
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