Baltimore's Newest Chamber Orchestra Makes Debut

Everything about Symphony Number One seems refreshingly innovative.

Baltimore's newest chamber orchestra is dedicated to performing new, large-scale compositions paired with classical masterworks that highlight the featured composer. It has a Kickstarter campaign that at last count has raised almost $8,000 for the fledgling group, founded in 2014.

Symphony Number One wants to be a new kind of chamber music ensemble, said founder and music director Jordan Randall Smith.

"We're not exclusively a contemporary music ensemble, but we're not a traditional orchestra either," Smith said in a video on the orchestra's website.

The orchestra makes its debut this Friday and Saturday at the War Memorial. The program features the world-premiere Symphony No. 1 by Mark Fromm, the group's composer in residence, as well as works by Mozart, Schubert, and Webern.

Smith, a native of Dallas, formed Symphony Number One with five colleagues from the Peabody Conservatory. They all have experience with other local music projects such as Sonar, Outer Spaces, and Occasional Symphony, according to the orchestra's website.

The group's mission is to invigorate the America classical music landscape while encouraging current composers. We'll be watching to see what results.