Before the year comes to a close, we're taking a look back at the highlights that made 2016 memorable, meaningful, and magical.
January
Remember SNOzilla in January? We hung out with the Mount Vernon-Belvedere Association at Flavor while the Seans, Meyers and Campbell, repped Symphony Number One with some sweet Saxophone duets! Meanwhile the blizzard took over outside.
We'll be back at Flavor on February 5, 2017 for Beethoven's Kitchen!
February
In February, we did our first "SNO on the Road" tour to promote our 2nd release, Emergence, featuring the Andrew Boss Saxophone Concerto. Here, Sean Meyers and Elizabeth Hill give the world premiere of the piano reduction of Andrew's Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra, published by Murphy Music Press, LLC. What a great performance!
Learn more about this piece at our Emergence page.
March
By March, we were knee deep into rehearsal mode for a raft of great spring concerts, starting with Light City. Here, co-founder and former concertmaster Nicholas Bentz is rehearsing Joel Puckett's "Southern Comforts," Puckett seen to the right as he gives some pointers to the orchestra. This year, Nick is our Composer-in-residence and you'll have the chance to see Nick's latest work this coming spring!
April
April was the month of LIGHT: After Light City on April 2, we followed up with concerts at Light Street Presbyterian Church, featuring the premiere of Jonathan Russell's Light Cathedral alongside music of the late Pierre Boulez. Here's Boulez' "Dérive 2" for chamber orchestra. The legendary Pierre Boulez died just weeks before this performance. Alongside our other fabulous musicians, we welcomed two guest artists to these performances: harpist Adrienne Knauer and percussionist Brendan Betyn.
Tap to learn more about the music of Jonathan Russell.
May
In May, we had a chance to sit down with three of our composers at the Peabody Conservatory! Andrew Posner, Natalie Draper, and Nick Bentz talk with Jordan Smith about their music just one day before our season finale.
Andrew and Natalie are both featured on our latest album, MORE! Check it out: symphonynumber.one/more
Nicholas will see the world premiere of his latest creation later this spring!
We also launched Beethoven's Kitchen in May! We'll be back this coming February with more delicious dishes at Flavor.
Symphony Number One Presents 'Beethoven's Kitchen' with Works by Gill, Posner, Schubert https://t.co/m65lPXRoo4 pic.twitter.com/0rBn47nDnx
— Peabody Institute (@george_peabody) May 18, 2016
June
In June, Jordan Randall Smith sat down with Be Moving Forward's John Lim to talk about Symphony Number One's first year. Have a listen!
July
In July, we were named in the 2016 "Best of Baltimore" edition by Baltimore magazine. Check it out!
August
In August, we announced the winners of our 3rd Call for Scores. Together, James Lee III, Kirsten Broberg, Carolyn Chen, and Ryan Lindveit make up our slate of featured composers for Season 3. Read more about the other winners below.
Look for more from these four fine composers in the coming year
September
In September, we presented our season opener, Wealth of Winds, featured here in the JHU Hub.
From @HubJHU: Symphony Number One prepares to begin season two https://t.co/xM7Vzkpe2z
— Johns Hopkins U. (@JohnsHopkins) September 22, 2016
October
In October, we were featured in the Baltimore Business Journal. Take a look at Carley Milligan's interview with Jordan Randall Smith:
November
In November, we performed live at The Baltimore Sun with host Dan Rodricks. Check out our performance, featuring Paul Richards, Ben Goldberg, Joshua Diaz, Taylor Hillary Boykins, and the musicians of SNO!
Before the clock strikes midnight, we hope you'll consider making a final year-end donation to propel us into the New Year!
Thanks for making this year so special!
Last week, our music director, Jordan Randall Smith had a wonderful conversation with Nicholas Bentz, Andrew Posner, and Natalie Draper. Have a look!