Zahra Glenda Baker

Zahra Glenda Baker is a Louisiana-born performance artist whose diverse talents as a vocalist, storyteller, poet, ritualist, teaching artist and wellnes practitioner have enhanced the Chicago arts scene for over 35 years. She focuses on interpreting human experiences and advocating for liberation. A guardian of African American oral traditions, Zahra is deeply engaged in nurturing  community care and cultural expression. 

 She is recognized for her performance work as an engaging performing artist, a keeper of African American oral traditions and a experimental vocalist. She is honored to have collaborated with phenomenal musicians, poets, dancers, artists, filmmakers, and storytellers.  As a creative musician, Zahra has performed extensively with Shanta Nurullah which include Shanta Nurullah’s Sitarsys, Freedom Song Leaders, Classic Black and ShaZah. Zahra also currently performs with Hamid Drake as a member of the improvisation ensemble Moment to Moment. Storytelling performance history includes Performance duo “In the Spirit,” with Emily Lansana and collaborative works with performance artist, Sojourner Zenobia. She has performed at venues such as the World Music Festival, M3 Festival, MCA, The Chicago Art Institute, The Old Town School of Folk, The Chicago Jazz Festival, The National Association of Black Storytellers Conference and Festivals, The Chicago Cultural Center, Jonesborough National Storytelling Festival, Rhode Island Black Storytelling Festival and countless Schools, Museums and Festivals. As a 2024 Elastic Arts Dark Matters Artist in Residency, she developed a ritualized performance entitled “This Black is Me: Sacred Encounters with Callie Guy House.”  As a teaching artist, Zahra has developed wellness music and performing arts programs in schools, community centers, shelters, recovery centers, eta Creative Arts Foundation, the Chicago Department of Corrections and the Chicago Park District.