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Instrumental Focus

  • violin

Violinist Jennifer Koh is recognized for commanding performances of repertoire from traditional to contemporary. Bach’s music played an important role in her artistic journey: in 2009 she debuted Bach and Beyond, a recital series exploring the history of solo violin repertoire, and in 2012 she launched Two x Four—which pairs Bach’s Double Violin Concerto with newly-commissioned double concerti—with former teacher and violinist Jaime Laredo. Ms. Koh launched Off Stage On Record, a video series offering behind-the-scenes looks at the life and career of a concert artist, in 2014. Her forthcoming projects include Bridge to Beethoven, a recital series with pianist Shai Wosner pairing Beethoven’s complete violin sonatas with new works, Ligeti Synergy, a collaboration with video artist Tal Rosner, and The Life and Death of J.S. Bach, a recital of Bach’s complete Sonatas and Partitas. Born in Chicago to Korean parents, she began playing the violin by chance, choosing the instrument only because spaces for cello and piano had been filled. She made her debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 11 and went on to win the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Concert Artists Guild Competition, and an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Koh has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Oberlin College and studied at the Curtis Institute. She is the Artistic Director of MusicBridge, a non-profit she founded to support innovative, artist-driven commissions and music education initiatives.