By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — Legend has it that composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein loved music so much that he would sometimes engage strangers in deep discussions about it.
It's in that spirit that 26-year-old conductor Joseph Jones recently founded Empire State Sinfonia, a new orchestra with a focus on community outreach.
Aside from its own performances, Jones wants Empire State Sinfonia — which has several Upper West Side musicians and has performed at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle on West 59th Street — to collaborate with schools and community groups to bring classical music to new audiences.
"There are people who grow up never knowing what a violin looks like," Jones said. "They don't know that instead of going to the movies on a Friday night you can see Beethoven for $25."
Jones, who grew up on a farm in Rhode Island with an opera singer father and pianist mother, started studying violin when he was 7. In middle school, he became a timpanist percussionist, then went on to study composition and conducting at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore.
Jones launched the fledgling Empire State Sinfonia last year, after he put together benefit concerts for Haiti at Riverside Church in Manhattan and Our Lady of Refuge in Brooklyn.
Jones, who also teaches music and lives in Washington Heights, had been toying with the idea of starting his own orchestra, and he decided to seize his chance.
"There was a lot of talent and genius involved and it was a shame to let it go to waste," Jones said of the benefit concert group.
Though New York has a number of orchestras, Jones believes there's room for more. He's inspired by cities such as Tokyo, Paris and Berlin that support five or more full-time orchestras.
After the Haiti benefits, the new orchestra next performed at a holiday concert in Brooklyn.
Then a chance encounter with Alec Spencer, the head of New York Festival Singers, led to a New Year's Eve concert before an audience of 600 at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle on West 59th Street and Columbus Avenue. Watch a video of the performance here.
In January, Empire State Sinfonia, which has 40 musicians, started the process of becoming a nonprofit organization. Now Jones is fundraising and putting together a spring concert calendar.
Next up is a May 7 concert at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle where Empire State Sinfonia will perform Mozart's Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major and Mozart's Requiem in D minor.
Jones is also working to create an education program where the orchestra would partner with schools to provide free music instruction and instruments, as well as monthly concerts.
His dream is to bring classical music to people who might be intimidated by it. He sees himself and Empire State Sinfonia as ambassadors to reach untapped audiences.
"The dirty little secret of the (classical music) field is that we're not unapproachable," Jones said. "We're people, and besides that, we want to talk about music. That's why we become musicians. We love it, and we know that it can be used to bring truths to people."
Angelina Pizza Bar on Broadway and West 105th Street is hosting a fundraiser for Empire State Sinfonia on Friday at 7 p.m. Orchestra supporters can eat at the restaurant and 10 percent of what they spend will be donated to the orchestra.
