Jordan Randall Smith
Emeritus Board Member
Award-winning conductor Jordan Randall Smith is the Music Director of Symphony Number One and Visiting Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Orchestras at Susquehanna University. Smith was formerly Co-founder and Artistic Director of the Dallas Festival of Modern Music and 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 received 2nd Place in the 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. Smith was named to the Executive Council for the Institute for Composer Diversity at SUNY-Fredonia in January 2020.
Smith has 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. An in-demand clinician and guest conductor, Jordan also actively serves public school music educators in a variety of presentations and projects, such as his recent presentation at the 2019 Midwest Clinic.
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 an ocassional contributor to Baltimore Magazine.
Website: jordanrsmith.com
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