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originally published: 09/25/2023 

Jennifer Koh, photo by Juergen Frank

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Jennifer Koh appears with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) at performances the weekend of October 14-15, 2023. She will play Missy Mazzoli’s Violin Concerto (Procession), which was written specifically for her in 2022. Also on the program are Felix Mendelssohn’s Scottish-inspired The Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave), Op. 26 and Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43, one of his most popular works.

Georg and Joyce Albers-Schonberg Assistant Conductor Kenneth Bean conducts the concerts, taking place on Saturday, October 14 at 8:00pm and Sunday, October 15 at 4:00pm at Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University. The Sunday performance will be preceded by a 3:00pm pre-concert talk.

Kenneth Bean is excited to immerse audiences in the music. He says, “I look forward to taking patrons on this amazing musical journey from the tumultuous waves of Mendelssohn's Hebrides, to the contemporary vibrance of Mazzoli's concerto brought to life by the incomparable Jennifer Koh, and culminating with the grandeur of Nordic landscapes depicted by Sibelius' 2nd Symphony. The program serves as a wonderful reminder that music is both an echo of the past as well as a beacon for the future.”

Jennifer Koh, photo by Juergen Frank

Jennifer Koh is recognized for her intense, commanding performances, delivered with dazzling virtuosity and technical assurance. This season, Koh continues her New American Concerto series, an ongoing, multi-season commissioning project that explores the form of the violin concerto and its potential for artistic engagement with contemporary societal concerns. Koh continues to perform works from critically acclaimed solo and duo commissioning projects, including Alone Together, Bach and Beyond Bridge to Beethoven, Limitless, and Shared Madness. She also begins a new role as Artistic Director of the Fortas Chamber Music Concerts at the Kennedy Center. Koh has appeared with orchestras worldwide including the New York, Los Angeles, and Helsinki Philharmonics; Cleveland, Mariinsky, Minnesota, and Philharmonia (London) Orchestras; and Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, BBC, Chicago, Cincinnati, National, New World, NHK, RAI (Torino), and Singapore Symphonies. Named Musical America’s 2016 Instrumentalist of the Year, and “A Force of Nature” by the American Composers Orchestra in 2019, Koh has won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Concert Artists Guild Competition, and an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Koh is also Artistic Director of arco collaborative, an artist-driven nonprofit that fosters a better understanding of our world through a musical dialogue inspired by ideas and the communities around us.

Kenneth Bean has served as the Princeton Symphony Orchestra's Georg and Joyce Albers-Schonberg Assistant Conductor as well as the Symphonic Orchestra Conductor for the affiliated Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey since 2021. He is also an instructor and conductor in the Philadelphia area, as well as an active freelance trumpeter. He has appeared as a guest conductor for the Marywood String Festival, Berks County Orchestra Festival, and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. His past music director/ conductor appointments include the Junior String Philharmonic of the Lehigh Valley, the Young People’s Philharmonic of the Lehigh Valley, and Luzerne Music Center. Kenneth currently serves as assistant conductor of Symphony in C, conductor of the Symphony in C Youth Orchestra in Collingswood, NJ, and director/conductor of the Young Musicians Debut Orchestra, the newest full orchestra within the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute.

 

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In 1830, Felix Mendelssohn composed his concert overture “Hebrides,” also known as “Fingal’s Cave in response to his visit to the Hebrides Islands off the west coast of Scotland. Drawing on ideas of music and healing, particularly from the medieval period, Missy Mazzoli’s violin concerto was tailor-made for violinist Jennifer Koh, Mazzoli’s colleague at the Mannes School of Music. Jean Sibelius’s second symphony is an anthem for Finnish independence, known for both its expansive melodies and lush orchestration.

Performances take place on Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 4:00pm at Richardson Auditorium. 5-Concert Subscriptions and other discounted ticket packages are available. Youths 5-17 receive a 50% discount with an adult purchase. To subscribe or purchase single tickets to any orchestral performance or Holiday POPS! (Saturday, December 16, 3:00pm & 6:00pm), visit the Princeton Symphony Orchestra website at princetonsymphony.org or call 609-497-0020.

Programs, artists, dates, and times are subject to change.

Health and Safety: The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is closely monitoring and adhering to the New Jersey Department of Health’s COVID-19 Requirements. Attendees will receive information regarding safety procedures, entry, seating directions, etc. in advance of their selected live performance(s).

Accessibility: The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is committed to ensuring all programming is accessible for everyone, working with venues such as Richardson Auditorium to provide needed services. Contact ADA Coordinator Kitanya Khateri for questions about available services at kkhateri@princetonsymphony.org or 609-905-0973. Note: some services require at least two weeks’ notice to arrange.

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is a cultural centerpiece of the Princeton community and one of New Jersey’s finest music organizations, a position established through performances of beloved masterworks, innovative music by living composers, and an extensive network of educational programs offered to area students free of charge. Led by Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov, the PSO presents orchestral, pops, and chamber music programs of the highest artistic quality, supported by lectures and related events that supplement the concert experience. Its flagship summer program the Princeton Festival brings an array of performing arts and artists to Princeton during multiple weeks in June. Through PSO BRAVO!, the orchestra produces wide-reaching and impactful education programs in partnership with local schools and arts organizations that culminate in students attending a live orchestral performance. The PSO receives considerable support from the Princeton community and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, regularly garnering NJSCA’s highest honor. Recognition of engaging residencies and concerts has come from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the PSO’s commitment to new music has been acknowledged with an ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and a Copland Fund Award. The only independent, professional orchestra to make its home in Princeton, the PSO performs at historic Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University.