Jennifer Koh Performs Bach's Sonatas & Partitas at Academy of Arts & Letters
Violinist Jennifer Koh will perform all six of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin at the Academy of Arts and Letters presented by Columbia University's Miller Theatre on Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 2:00 pm. This recital marks the first time Ms. Koh will perform the complete Sonatas and Partitas in a single concert, a feat long considered the ultimate test of a violinist's command of their instrument. Ms. Koh's performance is part of Miller Theatre's "Bach and the Baroque" three concert series, aimed to provide an in-depth look at the composer's music.
The concert will take place in the auditorium at the Academy of Arts and Letters, located at 632 West 156 Street, and include two brief intermissions. Tickets for the performance, priced at $40, are available at www.millertheatre.com, by phone at 212-854-7799 or in person at the box office at 2960 Broadway. Discounts are available for students and seniors.
In 2009, Ms. Koh performed Bach's Sonatas and Partitas over a series of six concerts presented by Miller Theatre. Following her performance of Bach's Partita in D Minor, Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times wrote, "she gave a deeply expressive account of the Chaconne, dispatching the challenges with such security that you did not notice the sheer virtuosity at work. The ovation was so ardent that Ms. Koh, who had been visibly engrossed in her performance, wiped away tears."
Also in 2009, Ms. Koh debuted "Bach and Beyond," a series of three recitals that explore the history of the solo violin repertoire from Bach's Six Sonatas and Partitas to modern day composers including newly commissioned works. The first recital in the series, "Bach and Beyond Part I," connects Bach's Partitas Nos. 2 and 3 to works by Ysaÿe, Saariaho, Carter, and Salonen with a video commission by Tal Rosner. Ms. Koh has performed "Bach and Beyond Part I" at the 92nd Street Y in New York, the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, Oberlin College, Amherst College, UNC Chapel Hill, UC Santa Barbara, and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. "Bach and Beyond Part II" will premiere in the 2013 season and will feature a new work for solo violin by Phil Kline and Bartók's Sonata for solo violin, bookended by Bach's Sonata No. 1 and Partita No.
This season in New York, Ms. Koh will return to Miller Theatre on December 9 to perform the world premiere of a new work for solo violin written for Ms. Koh by avant-garde composer John Zorn as part of Miller Theatre's "Composer Portraits" series. She will perform at the 92nd Street Y in a 70th birthday celebration for violinist Jamie Laredo, her former teacher at the Curtis Institute of Music, on December 14 and 15; and she will perform in recital with pianist Reiko Uchida at the Brooklyn Central Library as part of Carnegie Hall's American Mavericks series on March 18.
Ms. Koh is recognized for her intense, commanding performances, delivered with dazzling virtuosity and technical assurance. She is dedicated to performing the violin repertoire of all eras from traditional to contemporary to new compositions and exploring connections in the works she performs. Born in Chicago of Korean parents, Ms. Koh began playing the violin by chance, choosing the instrument in a Suzuki-method program only because spaces for cello and piano had been filled. She made her debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 11. Ms. Koh earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Oberlin College and went on to study at the Curtis Institute, where she worked extensively with Jaime Laredo and Felix Galimir. Ms. Koh currently resides in New York City with her husband, pianist Benjamin Hochman.
Sunday, October 23 at 2:00 pmAcademy of Arts and Letters
632 West 156 Street
Presented by Miller Theatre at Columbia University Jennifer Koh, violinBACH Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001
BACH Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002
BACH Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003
BACH Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
BACH Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005
BACH Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006Tickets, priced at $40, are available online at www.millertheatre.com; and by phone at 212-854-7799 or in person at the box office at 2960 Broadway. Discounts are available for students and seniors.
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