Mission & Advisory Board
Mission
Hopkins Symphony Orchestra provides excellent orchestra concerts and performance opportunities for the JHU and surrounding communities.
The mission of Johns Hopkins University is to educate its students and cultivate their capacity for life-long learning, to foster independent and original research, and to bring the benefits of discovery to the world.
Vision & Goals
Hopkins Symphony Orchestra’s vision is to be an integral presence in the JHU and surrounding communities as Baltimore City’s only community orchestra. Vital to both campus and community life, HSO provides quality performances, educational opportunities, community engagement projects, and collaborations with artistic, social, and educational partners. Except where specified, all goals and strategies apply to both the Symphonic and Concert Orchestras.
HSO’s goals are to:
- Combine the talents of Hopkins students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community musicians in a rigorous, artistically challenging and satisfying orchestral experience.
- Offer an annual season of innovatively programmed, high-quality, low-cost symphonic and chamber concerts and a free family concert to a growing audience base
- Serve the community with special concerts, collaborations, and educational programs
Advisory Board
The purpose of the Advisory Board is to offer advice to HSO staff, and initiate and carry out Board-approved projects and activities to further the HSO mission. Board members include current and former orchestra members, community members, and ex-officio member (Artistic Director, General Manager, Homewood Arts Programs Director). Contact HSO if you would like more info or wish to serve on the board.
More about HSO
Hopkins Symphony Orchestra is open to JHU students not majoring in music, as well as to JHU faculty, staff, alumni, and community musicians. The only community orchestra in Baltimore City, HSO is dedicated to performing and promoting orchestral and chamber music from the standard and contemporary repertoires at a high artistic level.
HSO consists of two ensembles: the Symphony Orchestra and the Concert Orchestra. Each fall, orchestra musicians are accepted into the ensembles through a competitive audition process. Both orchestras offer a rigorous, artistically challenging orchestral experience, presenting an annual series of innovatively programmed, high quality, low-cost or free orchestral concerts and a free children’s concert. The winner(s) of the biennial JHU student Concerto Competition performs with the orchestra in April.
HSO reaches out to a diverse audience through affordable concerts and educational programs like public school instrumental mentoring, lecture-demonstrations, and free pre-concert talks. Performances feature young Maryland soloists and composers as they develop their careers in addition to nationally and internationally known soloists. Among HSO’s prominent soloists have been Sara Davis Buechner, Allison Charney, Brian Ganz, Hilary Hahn, Awadagin Pratt, Eugenia Zukerman, and Stefan Jackiw.