Jordan Randall Smith (born November 18, 1982) is an American conductor, arts entrepreneur, and percussionist. He is the music director of Symphony Number One and conductor of the Hopkins Concert Orchestra at Johns Hopkins University.[1][2][3] He was also a Visiting assistant professor of Music and Director of Orchestra at Susquehanna University.[4]

Jordan Randall Smith
Born (1982-11-18) November 18, 1982 (age 41)
Dallas, Texas
EducationPeabody Institute, Texas Tech University
Musical career
GenresClassical, Contemporary Classical
OccupationConductor
InstrumentsPercussion
LabelsSNOtone
Websitewww.jordanrsmith.com

Early life and career

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Smith was born in Dallas to professional musician parents: His father was a choir director and his mother was a pianist. He pursued percussion beginning at Mesquite High School.[5] Smith developed a substantial interest in 20th and 21st century repertoire for chamber orchestra during his graduate studies, where he programmed Schoenberg's 3 Pieces for Chamber Orchestra of 1910.[6] Smith has also worked as a music educator for a number of years across several different roles including the public schools.[7] After studies at Texas Tech University, Smith was accepted to the Peabody Institute where he studied with Gustav Meier, Markand Thakar, and Marin Alsop.[8] He has guest conducted a number of ensembles and orchestras in public performances including the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, York Symphony Orchestra, and Alia Musica Pittsburgh.[9]

Dallas Festival of Modern Music

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In 2009, Smith co-founded the Dallas festival of Modern Music with colleague Ryan Ross.[10][11] DFMM served the Dallas community with music from 2009 to 2011, opening its first season with the music of Schoenberg.[12] In its second year, the festival expanded to a full ten days of concerts, recitals, and educational programs.[13] The second season included a number of prominent guest artists including Christopher Deane and Paul Rennick.[14] DFMM was recognized for innovative programming and original presentations, receiving a TACA grant.[15][16][17]

Symphony Number One

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In September 2014, Smith began laying the groundwork for a chamber orchestra in Baltimore.[18] In May 2015, Symphony Number One made its debut at the Baltimore War Memorial. As music director of Symphony Number One, Smith was selected as a 2016 Baltimore Social Innovation Fellow.[19][20] Symphony Number One has garnered several awards including 2019 Winner of The American Prize in Orchestral Performance.[21] Smith also received 2nd Place in the 2019 American Prize competition in the conducting division.[22][23]

Other Activity

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External videos
  Smith's TED Talk, "Classical Music is Boring", TED video

In April 2018, Smith assumed duties as music director at Hunt's Memorial United Methodist Church in Towson, Maryland.[24] Smith was formerly the music director of Govans Presbyterian Church in Baltimore.[25][26][27]

Smith has recorded a number of albums and EP's. He founded SNOtone Records as a boutique label for the production of the music of Symphony Number One. Smith previously self-released two titles.

Smith occasionally contributes to the magazine Baltimore[28] and the weblog Sequenza21.[29] While not a published scholar, some of Smith's academic writings have been cited in published works.[30] More recently, Smith has become involved in work to share information on the music of composer Florence Price. This has led to the inception of the International Florence Price Festival, planned for launch in 2020.[31][32]

In October 2017, Smith gave a "TED talk,"[33] speaking at TEDxMidAtlantic 2017 to positive reviews.[34]

Discography

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References

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  1. ^ "FRYO Conductors - Jordan Smith - Symphonia". Frederick Regional Youth Orchestra. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  2. ^ BWW News Desk. "Conductor Jordan Randall Smith Appointed To New Posts". Broadway World. Archived from the original on 2018-04-20. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  3. ^ "Jordan Randall Smith - Hopkins Symphony Orchestra". Hopkins Symphony Orchestra. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  4. ^ "Jordan Randall Smith". www.susqu.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-09-17. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  5. ^ Staff (2019-10-14). "Mesquite-born conductor receives national recognition". Mesquite News. Archived from the original on 2019-10-14. Retrieved 2019-10-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ OCLC 953527742
  7. ^ "Woodrow band making a comeback - Lakewood/East Dallas". Lakewood/East Dallas. 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  8. ^ Lim, Jon. "Jordan Smith on How Becoming a Maestro at the Pivot Led to a Great Career as a Conductor". Moving Forward. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  9. ^ "Cliff Colnot Leads Alia Musica Conductors Festival | Pittsburgh New Music Net". www.pittsburghnewmusicnet.com. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  10. ^ Banks, Dana (11 November 2009). "Ambitious inaugural by "Ars Nova Dallas" exceeds with Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire". Ft. Worth Music Examiner.
  11. ^ "Staff". Allen Philharmonic Orchestra and Symphony Chorus. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  12. ^ Robertwrote, 2009-11-08 23:06:00 Robert gurdonark 2009-11-08 23:06:00. "pierrot lunaire and other moonshine". Retrieved 2018-01-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ ""Taste the Music" this month - Lakewood/East Dallas". Lakewood/East Dallas. 2010-10-28. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  14. ^ "Faculty CV - Paul Rennick" (PDF).
  15. ^ Prejean, Jeanne (30 January 2012). "Once Again TACA Comes Through Distributing $1M To Area Performing Arts Groups And New Opportunity For New Works". My Sweet Charity. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  16. ^ Mosley, Chris (2 November 2011). "The Dallas Festival of Modern Music Kicks Off its Third Year Tonight". D Magazine. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  17. ^ "TACA announces 41 grants totaling $1 million in commitments". Dallas News. 2012-01-30. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  18. ^ Symphony Number One at Library of Congress
  19. ^ Simeone, Lisa. "Sweet Harmony: Love of music inspires Jordan Randall Smith to spread the joy". Baltimore Social Innovation Journal. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  20. ^ Milligan, Carley (27 October 2016). "How I promote composers for social change". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  21. ^ "The American Prize: WINNERS: orchestras, 2018-19". The American Prize. 2019-08-29. Archived from the original on 2019-09-04. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  22. ^ "Orchestra Director Earns National Recognition". www.susqu.edu. 2019-10-08. Archived from the original on 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  23. ^ Katz, David (2019-09-17). "The American Prize: WINNERS: conductors (orchestra), 2018-19". The American Prize. Archived from the original on 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  24. ^ "Jordan Randall Smith – Hunt's Memorial United Methodist Church". www.huntsumc.org. Archived from the original on 2018-05-05. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  25. ^ "Church Staff". Govans Presbyterian Church. Archived from the original on May 5, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  26. ^ "Govans Presbyterian Church - Music at Govans". www.govanspres.org. Archived from the original on 2018-05-05. Retrieved 2018-05-05.
  27. ^ "Govans Presbyterian Church - Chancel Choir". www.govanspres.org. Archived from the original on 2018-05-05. Retrieved 2018-05-05.
  28. ^ Smith, Jordan Randall (28 November 2016). "Listen to a Baltimore-Themed Holiday Playlist". Baltimore Magazine. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  29. ^ Smith, Jordan Randall (23 March 2013). ""María" Provokes and Penetrates at Le Poisson Rouge". Sequenza21. Archived from the original on 5 May 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  30. ^ Gibson, Patrick (May 2015). Missa Familiae Sanctae: A project report (Master of Music in Composition thesis). California State University, Long Beach. ProQuest 1698487482.
  31. ^ "International Florence Price Festival". International Florence Price Festival. Archived from the original on 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  32. ^ Smith, Tim (2019-04-11). "On diversity in the BSO". By Tim Smith. Archived from the original on 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  33. ^ "TEDxMidAtlantic 2017: Speakers". TED. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  34. ^ Wainger, Liz (30 October 2017). "The Amazing Superpower of a Great Metaphor". HuffPost. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  35. ^ Lundquist, Tiffany (August 13, 2017). "Nicholas Bentz on New Symphony Number One Album". The Peabody Post. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  36. ^ Stapleton, Maggie (December 13, 2016). "Sneak Peek Audio Leak: Symphony Number One". Second Inversion. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  37. ^ McCabe, Bret (December 16, 2016). "Recent Peabody graduate tackles man-made environmental destruction in mournful composition". Johns Hopkins University Hub. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  38. ^ Feikin, Rhea (June 23, 2016). "Artworks: Episode 431". Maryland Public Television. Archived from the original on November 20, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  39. ^ Smith, Tim (November 22, 2015). "Checking out new classical recordings with Baltimore roots". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  40. ^ Woolever, Lydia (February 17, 2015). "Music Reviews: February 2016 - The latest from Thrushes, Charm City Junction, and Symphony One". Baltimore. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
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