For GRAMMY-nominated violinist Jenny Oaks Baker, music is a vehicle to bring people closer to Christ. And while her career as a performer and recording artist has brought opportunities she could never have imagined, Jenny says she’s needed to let go of some dreams to prioritize the Lord.
On a recent episode of the All In podcast, Jenny shared a piece of advice that has been crucial to navigating life decisions. When she was in high school, her father, President Dallin H. Oaks, counseled her:
“Jenny, don’t spend too much time figuring out what you want to do because that may not be what you’re supposed to do. Just work your hardest and keep the commandments, and the Lord will lead you to the life you are supposed to have.”
This promise has been a guiding light for Jenny long past high school, and she went on to study violin performance at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and The Juilliard School in New York City.
But even as she became more established in her career, landing a seat as a first violinist in the prestigious National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Washington, DC, she felt called to play a different tune.
Following the Lord’s Baton
After playing with the NSO for six years, Jenny decided to resign. She and her husband, Matthew, were expecting their fourth child at the time, and she felt prompted that the Lord wanted her to focus on being present for her family.
While she wasn’t certain how she would continue performing, she had faith that the Lord had something else in mind for her musical gifts.
This trust didn’t mean the decision was easy, however. Jenny describes leaving her last performance with the symphony as an emotional moment: “I just went out in the parking lot of the Kennedy Center, and I ugly cried. I knew it was right, but it was still hard.”
But thankfully, the Lord didn’t ask her to wait long before opening new doors that provided more flexibility.
“The next day, I started receiving calls from conductors to come solo with the orchestras,” Jenny says. “Nobody knew I resigned, … the Lord kind of held back the opportunities to perform until after I proved that I was willing to follow Him.”
Testifying of Christ
Jenny always understood that the Lord had given her a spiritual gift for bringing people closer to Christ through her music.
One of her goals as a violinist had been to become well-known enough that the Boston Pops or New York Philharmonic might hire her as a soloist. But a few years ago, she felt the Lord guide her to take a different approach.
“All of a sudden, into my heart and mind came an idea that I never considered before,” she says. “And it was, ‘You hire them, [or a group like them, to] basically create a Christ-centered program.’”
Since that prompting, Jenny has organized a 10-city tour and a 20-city tour performing music centered on the life and mission of Christ. Last spring, she even had the opportunity to perform in Lincoln Center in New York City the night before Easter.
While giving her violin dreams to the Lord has not been easy, Jenny is grateful for the ways He has revealed even more meaningful opportunities for her life—showing her what she’s “supposed to do,” as her father counseled.
“I would love to know the end from the beginning and have it all laid out,” Jenny says. “But the Lord just provides a little light in front of your next step if you turn to Him, and then that next step after that, and a little direction here and a little direction there. And all of a sudden, … once in a while, you’ll get a glimmer of the big picture.”
Learn more about Jenny’s story on the full episode of the All In podcast, available in the player below or on your favorite streaming platform.
The Redeemer
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