Jordan Randall Smith

Founder | Music Director

Award-winning conductor Jordan Randall Smith is the Music Director of Symphony Number One, Music Director at Hunt's Church and was recently appointed Assistant Conductor of the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra at the Johns Hopkins University. Smith was formerly Co-founder and Artistic Director of the Dallas Festival of Modern Music and Assistant Conductor of the Peabody Opera Theater. Smith was lauded for being "an attentive partner" by the Baltimore Sun. Jordan's leadership of Mahler's fourth symphony was praised by the Sun's Tim Smith: "The third movement, in particular, was quite sensitively molded." According to the Ft. Worth Music Examiner, Jordan, "drove an intensity in the air," leading the festival’s ensemble in residence, Ars Nova Dallas, in a series of performances of Schoenberg's landmark Pierrot Lunaire. 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 where he studied with Marin Alsop, Gustav Meier, and Jennifer Higdon and conducted the festival orchestra in concert. An active supporter of new music, Jordan has a discography spanning six commercial releases and a history of commissions, leading over 40 world premieres. Jordan is also a student of early music, having formerly served as Apprentice Conductor of the Dallas Bach Society Orchestra and Chorus.

Smith has mentored hundreds of young musicians in ensembles across the country including the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Cross Timbers Youth Orchestra. He is currently the conductor of the Frederick Regional Youth Orchestra Symphonia.

A Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in Conducting at the Peabody Conservatory, Smith was a student of Gustav Meier, Markand Thakar, and Marin Alsop. He received a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting at Texas Tech University under Gary Lewis.

An enthusiastic advocate for classical music, Jordan was invited to give a TED Talk at TEDxMidatlantic 2017 and is a contributor to Baltimore Magazine. Learn more about Jordan at jordanrsmith.com.