Jennifer Koh, violin & Anssi Karttunen, cello

Violinist Jennifer Koh mesmerizes audiences with the sheer intensity of her playing. As a virtuoso whose natural flair is matched with a probing intellect, Ms. Koh is committed to exploring connections between the pieces she plays, searching for similarities of voice among composers, as well as within the works of a single composer.  In the words of Allan Kozinn of The New York Times: “Jennifer Koh's violin recitals are consistently pleasing, not only because she is in command of a strong technique and a rich arsenal of tone, but also because she builds her programs thoughtfully, with a sensible balance of contemporary works and standard repertory.” These qualities have most recently been recognized by a Grammy nomination for her recording “String Poetic,” on the Cedille label, which includes a world premiere by Jennifer Higdon as well as music by John Adams, Lou Harrison and Carl Ruggles.

Highlights of Ms. Koh’s 2009–2010 season include return guest appearances with the New Jersey Symphony, National Symphony of Washington, D.C., and the New World Symphony, among other ensembles. Abroad, she makes her PROMS debut with the BBC Symphony directed by Jiří Belohlávek in the UK premiere of Augusta Read Thomas’s violin concerto, “Juggler in Paradise,” and is also heard with the BBC Scottish Orchestra and the Dresden Philharmonic. A new concerto written and commissioned for Ms. Koh by Klas Torstenssans will be premiered in Amsterdam with the NIEUW Ensemble in May 2010. To commemorate the 325th anniversary of J.S. Bach’s birth, Ms. Koh launches “Bach and Beyond,” a three-program recital project that will explore the solo violin repertoire from Bach's six Sonatas and Partitas to newly commissioned works for solo violin. In recital, Ms. Koh also plays all six violin sonatas and partitas of Bach at New York’s Miller Theatre. Ms. Koh’s other recital engagements include all-Mozart and Schubert programs with pianist Shai Wosner and a duo program with cellist Anssi Karttunen with performances in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. (Kennedy Center), New York (Miller Theatre and the Baryshnikov Arts Center), San Francisco (Herbst Theatre), Oberlin College (OH), Houston (Da Camera Society), and Saint Paul (The Schubert Club).

In November 2008, Ms. Koh made her debut with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra performing the Russian premiere of Ligeti’s Violin Concerto under Maestro Valery Gergiev in St. Petersburg. Other engagements that season included solo appearances with the orchestras of Atlanta, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Houston, and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. She was heard in recital in Vancouver, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia; and in chamber music in New York at the 92nd Street Y.  Besides performing various contemporary works such as Saariaho’s violin concerto “Graal theater,” Ms. Koh performed concertos of Brahms, Mendelssohn and Sibelius, in addition to the Mozart Concerto No. 4, as well as the Beethoven Triple Concerto.

Ms. Koh, a young graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, has excited new-music circles recently with her performances of contemporary works. Here she built on her equally strong track record in repertory staples with the concerto that won her a silver medal at the 1994 Tchaikovsky violin competition in Moscow.

Since the 1994-95 season, when she won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Concert Artists Guild Competition, and the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Ms. Koh has been heard with leading orchestras and conductors around the world, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Chicago Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, New World Symphony, and Montreal Symphony. Abroad, she has appeared with the Czech Philharmonic, BBC London Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Iceland Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Lahti Symphony, Moscow Radio Symphony, Brandenburg Ensemble, and Singapore Symphony.

A prolific recitalist, Ms. Koh appears frequently at major music centers and festivals including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Marlboro, Wolf Trap, Spoleto, and The Festival International de Lanaudiere in Canada.

A committed educator, Ms. Koh has also won high praise for her performances in classrooms around the country under her innovative Music Messenger outreach program. Now in its seventh year, the program continues to form an important part of her musical activities. “The majority of children in this country have not been given an opportunity to learn music as a form of self-expression,” she asserts, “and I want to share the experience of creating and listening to music with them.” Ms. Koh’s outreach efforts have taken her to classrooms all over the country to perform challenging music —whether it be Bach, Paganini, or Bartók—for thousands of students who have little opportunity to hear classical music in their daily lives. "Music is a visceral experience which can create a positive outlet for emotions and a place for inner expression that is more compelling than time spent in front of the television or at a mall,” she adds. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the National Foundation for the Advancement for the Arts, a scholarship program for high school students in the arts.

Born in Chicago of Korean parents, Ms. Koh currently resides in New York City. Ms. Koh is a graduate of Oberlin College and an alumna of the Curtis Institute, where she worked extensively with Jaime Laredo and Felix Galimir. Ms. Koh is grateful to her private sponsor for the generous loan of the 1727 Ex Grumiaux Ex General DuPont Stradivari she uses in performance.

Finnish cellist Anssi Karttunen leads a busy career as a soloist and chamber-music player, performing extensively all over the world. He performs on modern cello, classical and baroque cellos and on violoncello piccolo.

He is a passionate advocate of contemporary music and his collaboration with composers has led him to give over 90 world premieres of works by composers including Magnus Lindberg, Kaija Saariaho, Rolf Wallin, Luca Francesconi and Tan Dun.

Karttunen has had a number of concertos written for him—18 in all, including Magnus Lindberg’s Cello Concerto in 1999, Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Concerto “Mania” in 2000, Martin Matalon’s Cello Concerto 2001 and in 2004 Luca Francesconi’s cello concerto “Rest”. Kaija Saariaho’s concerto “Notes on Light” was a Boston Symphony Orchestra commission for Anssi Karttunen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic has commissioned a concerto from Oliver Knussen.

Anssi Karttunen performs all the standard cello works but has also discovered many forgotten masterpieces and transcribed numerous pieces for cello and chamber ensembles. His transcriptions include Brahms’s Piano Quintet in a version for String Quintet and Variations Op. 24 for String Trio, and Schumann’s Cello Concerto for Cello and String Quartet.

Karttunen plays with many of the best orchestras of the world. He also performs in recitals and chamber music at major festivals in Europe including Edinburgh, Salzburg, Lockenhaus, Spoleto, Berlin, Venice, Montpellier, Strasbourg, and Helsinki.  In addition, Karttunen plays in a string trio with the Austrian violinist Ernst Kovacic and Canadian viola player Steven Dann.

Anssi Karttunen has also appeared as conductor.  He conducted “Lindberg’s Kraft” with the Flanders Philharmonic, as well as conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic cello ensemble, the Gaida Ensemble in Vilnius, and the NJSO String Orchestra.

Between 1994 and 1998 Mr. Karttunen was the artistic director of the Avanti!-Chamber Orchestra. He was the artistic director of the 1995 and 1997 Helsinki Biennale and the Suvisoitto-festival in Porvoo, Finland from 1994 to 1997. From 1999 to 2005 he was the principal cellist of the London Sinfonietta.

Anssi Karttunen’s CDs range from the complete Beethoven works for cello and fortepiano (on period instruments) and 20th century works for solo cello to concertos with London Sinfonietta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Esa-Pekka Salonen. Sony Classical issued the Concertos of Lindberg, Saariaho and Salonen on CD. Deutsche Grammophon issued a DVD of Tan Dun’s “The Map” for cello, video and orchestra. He appears on the first ever contemporary music CD-ROM: Prisma, on music of Kaija Saariaho.

Mr.  Karttunen is a founding member of www. petals.org, a non-profit organization for the production and sale of CDs and scores on the internet.

Mr. Karttunen’s teachers include Erkki Rautio, William Pleeth, Jacqueline du Pré and Tibor de Machula.  He plays on a cello made by Francesco Ruggieri in Cremona circa 1670.