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Time:

Wednesday
December, 18, 2019
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Location:

Meeting Room W181

Clinician(s)

Jordan Randall Smith

Jordan Randall Smith

[email protected]

Strategies for Diversifying and Enriching Concert Programs in the School Ensemble

Clinic Synopsis:

For years, the music community has discussed the importance of diversifying the composers that students learn and that audiences hear. However, in large ensemble genres, progress has often been slow-going. As a Creative Director of the International Florence Price Festival with a background in music education, Smith will offer a firsthand perspective as participants work together in identifying key opportunities for diversification of concert programming and strategies for finding and preparing difficult-to-access music. In particular, participants will break down the phases of the programming cycle and examine each phase to identify strategies that will help directors adopt inclusive repertories over time. Through acknowledging the difficulties that persist, directors will better be able to tackle those challenges, while at all times maintaining complete artistic integrity.

Jordan Randall Smith - Biographical Information

Award-winning conductor Jordan Randall Smith is the Music Director of Symphony Number One, and Assistant Conductor of Hopkins Symphony Orchestra at Johns Hopkins University. Smith was recently named Visiting Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Orchestras at Susquehanna University. Also serving as Principal Conductor of Opus Concert Theatre, Smith was formerly Co-founder and Artistic Director of the Dallas Festival of Modern Music and Graduate Assistant Conductor of the Peabody Opera Theatre. Smith was lauded for being "an attentive partner" by the Baltimore Sun. His leadership of Mahler's fourth symphony was praised by the Sun's Tim Smith: "The third movement, in particular, was quite sensitively molded." Conductor Alan Gilbert called Jordan’s conducting of Boulez’ Le Marteau sans Maître, “impressive.”

In 2016, Jordan was named a Baltimore Social Innovation Fellow for his work with Symphony Number One. He was the recipient of a Bruno Walter Fellowship at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in 2010 and a Finalist for the 2018-2019 American Prize in Conducting. An active supporter of new music, Jordan has a discography spanning four commercial releases and a history of commissions, leading over 50 world premieres. Jordan is also a student of early music, having formerly served as Apprentice Conductor of the Dallas Bach Society Orchestra and Chorus. Jordan is also a Creative Director of the International Florence Price Festival.

Jordan is a former public school music educator and in-demand clinician, having mentored thousands of young musicians in ensembles across the country including the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Cross Timbers Youth Orchestra, and the Frederick Regional Youth Orchestra.

A Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in Conducting at the Peabody Conservatory, Smith was a student of Gustav Meier, Marin Alsop, and Markand Thakar. Jordan was invited to give a TED Talk at TEDxMidatlantic 2017 and is a contributor to Baltimore Magazine.

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