Ryan Emerson Baird

Ryan Emerson Baird is a Los Angeles-based double bassist with a passion for historical performance on the viola da gamba and violone. In addition to regular performances with orchestras, chamber ensembles, and in the recording studio, Ryan is a member of the Santa Barbara Symphony and Delirium Musicum Chamber Ensemble. He has played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Phoenix Symphony, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, and Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra. Currently, he serves as the principal bassist of the Cabrillo Festival orchestra.

Ryan studied with Dr. Sandor Ostlund at Baylor University, where he graduated summa cum laude. Ryan continued his studies under David Allen Moore at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, earning a Master of Music and a Graduate Certificate, before attaining a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Double Bass Performance with additional emphases in Musicology, Viola da Gamba Performance, and Arts Leadership.

Dr. Baird teaches private lessons and leads the bass ensemble at the Colburn Community School. Ryan also works with Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), the LA Philharmonic’s El Sistema-based program.