Julius Baker, 87; Former Principal Flutist for New York Philharmonic

Julius Baker, 87, one of the leading flutists of his generation and the first flutist of the New York Philharmonic for nearly two decades, died Aug. 6 in Danbury, Conn. The cause of death was not announced.

Baker was born in Cleveland, studied music at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. and earned a diploma at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

After graduation in 1937, he went back to his hometown and joined the Cleveland Orchestra. He became first flutist with the Pittsburgh Symphony in 1941, where he remained until he joined the Columbia Broadcasting Symphony in 1943. From 1951 to 1953, he was the principal flutist with the Chicago Symphony. He joined the New York Philharmonic in 1965 and performed with the orchestra until his retirement in 1983.

In addition to performing, Baker also taught at the Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music and a number of master classes around the country including several in Los Angeles.

A Time magazine article in the mid-1960s regarded him as the top flutist in the world at the time, stating, “He is the supreme mechanic of his instrument, and he produces what is surely the most glorious tone that ever came out of a flute: big, round, cool white, radiant as September moon.”