Mission
Mission
Using digital instruments The Fauxharmonic Orchestra’s mission is to bring fresh and artistically meaningful experiences of orchestral music to a diverse, world-wide audience.
The Fauxharmonic Orchestra is committed to:
- Advancing the state-of-the-art for the digital performance of orchestral music by contributing to, and sharing knowledge about the development of tools, software, instruments, techniques and aesthetic foundations of digital musical instruments.
- Increasing the awareness of, and support for, music composed for orchestra.
- Preserving and cultivating the rich heritage of orchestral music—from Bach to the composers of our day—at the highest artistic level.
- Developing new audiences of all ages for classical and contemporary orchestral music.
- Producing outreach programs that elucidate the inherent connections between of the creative processes of performance and composition.
- Performing significant new orchestral music.
- Promoting and encouraging orchestral composers.
- Providing artistic opportunities for aspiring and experienced orchestral conductors from anywhere in the world.
Paul Henry Smith
Paul Henry Smith studied conducting with Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood and with Sergiu Celibidache at the Curtis Institute of Music and in Munich. He has studied orchestration and composition with Richard Hoffmann, Lukas Foss and Steven Scott Smalley. His career is devoted to promoting and improving the digital performance of orchestral music.
Since 2003 he has been perfecting his digital orchestra, accompanying soloists, performing live concerts and creating recordings for composers and filmmakers. His live performances have been supported by Bang & Olufsen and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra.
In the 1980s, as a visiting researcher at MIT’s Media Lab, Mr. Smith worked on early digital orchestra systems and one of the first computer-controlled Bösendorfer pianos created by Wayne Stahnke (The 290 SE). His high-quality orchestral performances are increasingly sought for film and television scores, as well as for insightful interpretations of concert music.
Mr. Smith has an MFA in musicology from Brandeis University and a BA in composition and theory from Oberlin College. He lives in the Boston area with his wife and two children.