Jennifer Koh speaks about playing all over the world and advancing music education

This interview was done by The Hound for his college newspaper, the Maneater

 

For Jennifer Koh, the pressure of performing didn’t really affect her the way it does to most others. At 11, she performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a world-renowned orchestra home to some of the most prestigious classical players, but surprisingly wasn’t scared of the magnitude of this moment in her life.

“At that age, I didn’t have fear in the sense of being anxious about the performance,” Koh says. “Maybe it was naivety, but either way it was just so fun and thrilling.”

Koh will be performing “Bach and Beyond Part III”at the Missouri Theatre this Friday.

Raised with an immensely supportive backing of family and teachers, Koh found her love for the violin on accident, when spaces for cello and piano lessons were full. After rigorous practice for all of her childhood, Koh struck gold early with the invite to join one of the US’s most esteemed orchestras for a night. From there, she was hooked.