Dear Friends and Family,

Thanks to all of you, Baltimore now has a new cultural organization, Symphony Number One, and the internet has a new place for exciting and meaningful music by emerging composers. You helped us build it, you helped fund it, and you should be proud of everything that's come out of it!

Now, we're working hard to take it to the next level. We have so much more that we're capable of doing. We have more exciting concerts planned, including the music of Strauss, Mozart, Reich and Ives. Including more Mahler with Taylor Hillary Boykins and Joshua Thomas. Including other kinds of musical experiences mixing food and drink. Including world premieres by Horst, Draper, and Omiccioli. Including exciting production concepts and unique venues that have never been filled with classical music. Including the music of Brahms and Bentz performed by the SNO piano quintet: Elizabeth Hill, Nikita Borisevich, Christopher Ciampoli, Emily Cantrell, and Joe Isom. Including the privilege of bringing my dear friend, my lifetime mentor, and one of my all-time favorite musicians, Brian Zator, to Baltimore. Including more album releases and innovative digital media experiences. Including "distributed opera" that combines new music with interesting trips around our city. Including exciting partnerships in the works with The Center Club, Flavor, Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, and Innovate Baltimore. Including community investment plans across all of Baltimore. The list goes on!

But we need you to help us put gas in the tank so that we can get there. Thanks to you, we are well on the path to building a sustainable arts organization committed to substantive good. The most important step accomplished is that we have begun to build a substantive support base of people here, in Baltimore, a base with the means to directly support our work.

This is a big deal. But this is also a very lengthy process will take years of cultivation.

One day, this tree we're growing will have the ability to give us shade; it's giving some already! But in the meantime, we're counting on the help of our friends, family, fans, and music lovers from across the globe to help provide some shade, some cover for us to continue to do the hard work ahead.

I haven't made a public appeal for Symphony Number One support since last Fall, but the time is right. Will you join in? Will you chip in $1 or $5? We have a challenge grant open right now which will turn your SMALL contribution into an extra $1000 if only we can get 100 new donations. (By the way, this $1000 donation comes from supporters here in Baltimore!) We're down to the last few donations to get the extra funds. If you'd like to help, here's the link: symphonynumber.one/light. I hope you'll consider it.

Thanks for your support this last year. We couldn't have done it without you!

Love,

Jordan