Symphony Number One has been a labor of love to organize and we are eager to make a splash with our debut at the Baltimore War Memorial on May 8&9 at 8pm. We hope to see you there!
At Symphony Number One, our mission is to commission, perform, and promote substantial works by emerging composers. We're not what you would typically think of as a contemporary music ensemble, yet we hope to challenge the idea of an orchestra at the same time by consistently performing great classical music right alongside major new compositions. 

(Pledge your support on Kickstarter: http://kck.st/1xbm8uV)

We think we can better serve the composers we feature by focusing on just one emerging composer at a time rather than lumping all of them together onto one concert. Even trained musicians can get overwhelmed by a multitude of new compositional voices presented on one concert; how can we expect our audience to do any better? When this happens, your memories start to get flattened and you tend to only remember features like special effects, strange instruments, or other novelties, rather than to deeper musical layers.

Instead, we want to offer two things to help focus the lens: 1) In general, present only one new work at each concert, framed by other great repertoire. 2) Make that one work the featured work of the concert, make it robust in length and substance, and give listeners time to get to know this composer’s music in a lengthy piece. We don’t see anyone else with an ensemble so specifically devoted to new music by gifted emerging composers while remaining fully a part of the classical tradition; this is where we want to fulfill the need that we see.

On May 8 and 9 we will give the World Premiere of Mark Fromm’s first Symphony alongside the music of Mozart, Schubert and Webern. (Read the press release at http://eepurl.com/biPyGz) We hope you’ll join us for the birth of this exciting new orchestra!

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Read the press release: http://eepurl.com/biPyGz
Visit our Website at http://symphno1.com

Pledge your support on Kickstarter: http://kck.st/1xbm8uV

Symphony Number One: An Introduction

FIRST LISTEN: the world premiere recording of Mark Fromm's Symphony No. 1, presented in it's entirety!

Recorded live in concert at the Baltimore War Memorial May 8-9, 2015. Bassoon soloist: Hanul Park.

Album details at symphno1.org/album/debut.

From the composer,
 
"I had three goals in mind while writing Symphony no. 1. The first was to compose about thirty minutes of music as one, large, single-movement work, rather than the expected four- (or three- or five-) movement symphony. (For myself as a composer, I find the movements of multi-movement works to feel either like separate unrelated pieces, or the division between movements feels arbitrary, artificial, and unnecessary.) Secondly, most of my music is programmatic (it usually has a non-musical title, story, or something it is “about”); I wanted my first symphony to be absolute music, free of associations. Lastly, I wanted to showcase as many different instrumental colors as possible within the chamber symphony setting. The piece is scored for: flute (doubling alto flute), oboe, English horn, soprano saxophone, basset horn (or alto clarinet), bass clarinet, bassoon, two horns, harp, and a string section consisting of four first violins, three seconds, three violas, two celli, and one double bass. Each of the woodwinds plays extended solos, often juxtaposing the same pitch on different instruments (middle C sounds very different when played on oboe compared to English horn, for example). The climax of the piece features a completely divided string section with all thirteen players playing different lines."
 
"In order to make sense of the enormous scale of writing a single-movement work of that duration, I employ a tactic used by Mahler in his fourth symphony: the piece opens with a memorable melody, then that melody disappears for most of the symphony, only to reappear in full force at the end. My Symphony no. 1 opens with an extended (ca. 3-minute) bassoon solo playing a high, introspective melodic line, which doesn’t reappear until twenty minutes later as a penetrating, soaring, forceful statement in the soprano saxophone. That melody then makes up the entirety of the last ten minutes of the piece."
 
"After the initial contemplative bassoon solo, the music turns dark and sinister, then raucous and incisive, all serving as a foil to the calmer opening. Through all these twists and turns, the interval of a major seventh (a large, dissonant interval) unites all the various melodies and harmonies. After the sax solo recalls the opening tune, the full ensemble echoes it in soaring melodies and undulating harmonies, eventually giving way to the lone double bass playing it, slow and melancholy. The celli, violas, and violins gradually join the bass, all playing the same melody but starting on different pitches and at different times, resulting in an eight-part canon that continually ascends into the highest register. The darkness of the first two-thirds of the piece has turned into brilliance that carries it to the end."

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Symphony Number One

Mark Fromm: Symphony No. 1

Symphony Number One performs the music of Mozart! Features harpist Jordan Thomas and flutist Raoul Cho. Recorded live at the Baltimore War Memorial, May 8-9, 2015.

Buy The CD: http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-Number-One/dp/B018IT1QHK

Download Track: https://itun.es/us/CCZd_?i=1057962528

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Concerto for Flute and Harp, KV 299: I. Allegro

Here come the first clips from our performance at Light City Baltimore! Listen to  Alexa Rinn's "Light on the Night Harbor."

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Alexa Rinn | Light on the Night Harbor

From the Baltimore Light City Festival, 2016!

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Radiohead | Pyramid Song

From the Baltimore Light City Festival, 2016! 

Soloist Nicholas Bentz (@nicholas-bentz) performs a new version of Joel Puckett's (@joel-puckett) "Mint Julep," the finale from his violin concerto, "Southern Comforts."

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Puckett | Mint Julep

From the Baltimore Light City Festival, 2016!

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Conducted by Jordan Randall Smith (@jordanconductor)

Hugendubler | Dimethyltryptamine

Composed by Jonathan Russell (@jonathan-russell-22). Learn more!
► symphonynumber.one/rep/russell-cathedral

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Conducted by Jordan Randall Smith (@jordanconductor)

FIRST LISTEN: Here's your first chance to hear Jonathan Russel's "Light Cathedral" in its entirety! Performed live at Light Street Presbyterian Church on April 9 and 10, 2016. Commissioned by Symphony Number One for Baltimore's inaugural Light City festival.

More

Jonathan Russell, Light Cathedral

Composed by Nicole Murphy (@nicole-murphy-composer). Learn more!
► symphonynumber.one/rep/murphy-mirrors

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Conducted by Jordan Randall Smith (@jordanconductor)

Nicole Murphy writes: "In the early stages of planning Water Mirrors I took a solo road trip down the East coast of Australia, and spent a lot of time marveling at the reflective, mirror-like qualities of the large, still bodies of water that lay beside the road in a particular part of my travels. When I returned home I began researching the concept further and found a collection of poems that shared the same title, written by an Australian poet- Nicholas Powell (who is now based in Finland)."

Nicole Murphy, Water Mirrors

Composed by Martha Horst (@martha-callison-horst). Learn more!
► https://symphonynumber.one/rep/horst-landscapes

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Conducted by Jordan Randall Smith (@jordanconductor)

Approaching

Straussian Landscapes

Martha Horst: Straussian Landscapes

Composed by Natalie Draper (@drapernat). Learn more!
► https://symphonynumber.one/rep/draper-variations

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Conducted by Jordan Randall Smith (@jordanconductor)

Natalie Draper, Timelapse Variations

Excerpt from @nicholas-bentz's new work, "Approaching Eternity." Check out the first installment of Nicholas Bentz's "Rep Hub" composer page at sym1.co/bentz! We've got photos, a preview of "Approaching Eternity," videos, and more! Catch the world premiere of Approaching Eternity, @jordanconductor leads Symphony Number One, at the @symphno1 Season Finale, tickets and information at sym1.co/eternity. 

Also,

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You, Whom I Expected To See.. (MIDI excerpt)

New Composition and Blog Post by Ben Goldberg! Read ==>> https://symphonynumber.one/blog/2017/7/29/composers-notebook-ben-goldberg

Cornerstone

Symphony Number One presents its fourth album, featuring the music of Bentz, Horst, and Zhang. This track features excerpts from Nicholas Bentz' titanic "Approaching Eternity" for chamber orchestra.

Learn more at the following pages:

Album: symphonynumber.one/approaching
Composition: symphonynumber.one/rep/bentz-eternity
Composer Nicholas Bentz: symphonynumber.one/nick
Nicholas Bentz on Soundcloud: @nicholas-bentz

Approaching Eternity

Nicholas Bentz: Approaching Eternity (excerpts)

Symphony Number One presents its fourth album, featuring the music of Bentz, Horst, and Zhang. This track features Hangrui Zhang's "Baltimore Prelude" for chamber orchestra.

Learn more:

Hangrui Zhang on Soundcloud: @hangrui-zhang
symphonynumber.one/approaching

Baltimore Prelude

Hangrui Zhang: Baltimore Prelude

Symphony Number One is the East Coast's newest chamber orchestra, bringing together great composers of the past, virtuoso performers of the present, and the leading compositional voices of the future. Lead by Music Director Jordan Randall Smith, SYMPHONY NUMBER ONE offers an innovative model for presenting new music: while embracing the rich classical tradition, SNO will develop close working relationships with emerging composers of today, give new works multiple hearings, and produce substantial recordings, creating unique concert experiences for the public.

Symphony Number One

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