James Baker
Producer, Host: Classics a la CarteJames first introduced himself to KPAC listeners at midnight on April 8, 1993, presenting Dvorak's 7th Symphony played by the Cleveland Orchestra. Soon after, he became the regular overnight announcer on KPAC.
If pressed to describe himself, James will say he is a musician who hosted classical music. For over 40 years, he has worked as a professional French horn player, holding posts in the Austin Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Orquesta Filarmonica de la Ciudad de Mexico, Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico, and Orquesta Sinfonica de Xalapa, the oldest orchestra in Mexico.
James also is an avid marathoner. Look for him running the streets of San Antonio with his three rescued border collies.
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While covering the 1939 Chilean earthquake, radioman Edmund Chester began wooing his future wife, while CBS radio wooed Edmund, to start La Cadena de las Américas. -
By 1943, a network of shortwave transmitters and receivers was strategically located in such a way that a signal originating in New York City could be heard all the way to the tip of Argentina. Music and communication were spread throughout the western hemisphere. -
One of Mexicio's greatest composers spent nearly two years in San Antonio, living in a home in the King William area. -
Mexicao's celebration of Diez y seis opens Hispanic Heritage Month, but less commonly known is that El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Guatemala all declared independence on September 15, 1821. -
The 2026 season of Momentos Musicales gets underway with the history of Mexico's Himno Nacional. -
The award-winning radio series, produced by TPR's James Baker, returns to the airwaves for Hispanic Heritage Month beginning September 16. -
Orchestra? Not in Havana — Sarah Willis is back with her own 20-piece 'Sarahbanda' for a new album that combines classical horn and the sounds of salsa, mambo, bolero and son to create a new spin on festive holiday classics. TPR's James Baker has an interview with the talented performer. -
Music bridges cultures across the Americas, shaping a broader and more inclusive view of what it means to be American. -
TPR's James Baker looks at some Hollywood films where the setting helps define the sound of the film, from dialogue to music. -
James Baker traces the history of the rumba and other Latin rhythms in early Broadway musicals on this episode of "Momentos Musicales" our special series for Hispanic Heritage Month on KPAC 88.3 FM.
