Jennifer Koh to Perform Missy Mazzoli’s Violin Concerto 

Koh will perform Mazzoli’s "Procession" violin concerto with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra on October 14 and 15, 2023

Written for GRAMMY Award-winning violinist Jennifer Koh in 2022, American composer and pianist Missy Mazzoli’s Violin Concerto “Procession,” was commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and BBC Radio 3, with support by ARCO Collaborative.

The work will be performed by Koh (also a colleague of Mazzoli’s at the Mannes School of Music), the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO), and conductor Kenneth Bean on October 14 and 15, 2023, alongside Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides Overture and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2.

“Procession” draws on ideas of music and healing, specifically from the medieval period, casting the soloist as a soothsayer, sorcerer, healer, and pied piper-type character, which leads the orchestra through five interconnected healing spells — represented through five movements:

I. Procession in a Spiral

II. St, Vitus

III. O My Soul

IV. Bone to Bone, Blood to Blood

V. Procession Ascending

The first movement references medieval penitential processions; the second is an homage to the patron saint of dancing, who could reportedly cast out evil spirits; the third is a reworking of the hymn of the same name; the fourth represents a spell meant to cure broken limbs; and the last sees the soloist lead the “orchestra straight into the sky.”

“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,” said Kenneth Bean. “The program serves as a wonderful reminder that music is both an echo of the past as well as a beacon for the future.”

An interview with Mazzoli on “Procession” can be viewed below. 

A GRAMMY nominee, Mazzoli’s music has been performed by the Kronos Quartet, LA Opera, eighth blackbird, the BBC Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, and Scottish Opera, among others. She served as the Mead Composer-in-Residence from 2018 to 2021 at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and is the founder of a mentorship program for young female composers created in partnership with the Kaufman Music Center. Her works are published by G. Schirmer.

Recognized for her intense, commanding performances, 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 is currently artistic director of ARCO Collaborative, and of the Kennedy Center’s Fortas Chamber Music Concerts

A former Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition and the Concert Artists Guild Competition, she has performed with the New York, Los Angeles, and Helsinki Philharmonics; Cleveland, Mariinsky, Minnesota, and Philharmonia Orchestras; plus the Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, BBC, Chicago, Cincinnati, National, New World, NHK, RAI, and Singapore Symphonies. 

Led by music director Rossen Milanov, the PSO presents orchestral, pops, and chamber music programs, lectures alongside concerts, plus various educational programs such as its flagship summer Princeton Festival and its PSO BRAVO! Outreach orchestra. The only professional orchestra to make its home in Princeton, the PSO performs at the historic Richardson Auditorium of Princeton University.