Jennifer Koh, violin

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH           
Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001
Violin Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002
Violin Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003
Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
Violin Sonata No. 3 in C major, BWV 1005
Violin Partita No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006

Jennifer Koh, Artistic Director of Fortas Chamber Music Concerts and a Grammy Award^®–winning violinist, is recognized for her intense, commanding performances. Koh takes center stage for a rare one-night-only performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s complete works for solo violin. A feat attempted by very few, this concert is an opportunity to experience the journey of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin in one marathon performance.

“Bach’s monumental set is less a peak to be surmounted than a journey that warrants return excursions and encourages consideration of manifold paths. Jennifer Koh, a superbly gifted violinist, has proved to be a steadfast and sure surveyor of this terrain.”—The New York Times 

Jennifer Koh

“Bach’s Six Sonatas and Partitas have long been considered definitive works written for solo violin. These works were never commissioned, and I have come to understand them as an intensely personal and intimate musical journal that Bach was compelled to write over 17 years, simply out of a pure need to create. They are a musical expression of his life, his birth, and development as an artist. Over the course of my career, I have explored solo violin works written from Bach’s time to the present day, and I find direct and indirect connections to Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas in nearly every composition I have uncovered. Although written nearly 300 years ago, they have proven to be a summit for composers and violinists today.”