arco collaborative

Projects

Limitless

Through duo commissions performed by violinist Jennifer Koh and the composers themselves, Limitless celebrates the collaborative relationship between composer and performer, while also exploring the historical role of the composer as performer. This spirit of collaboration contrasts with the conventional notion that composition and performance are discrete and detached parts of the musical process.

 

Lisa Bielawa: Sanctuary Songs
Lisa Bielawa (voice)

*Vijay Iyer: The Diamond
Vijay Iyer (piano)

 

Du Yun: Give Me Back My Fingerprints
Du Yun (voice)

Qasim Naqvi: The Banquet
Qasim Naqvi (electronics and keyboard)

 

Tyshawn Sorey: In Memoriam Muhal Richard Abrams
Tyshawn Sorey (percussion)

Nina Young: Sun Propeller
Nina Young (electronics)

 

Wang Lu: Her Latitude
Lu Wang (electronics)

Missy Mazzoli: A Thousand Tongues
Missy Mazzoli (synthesizer)

 

Sponsors

Limitless is made possible with the generosity of our donors and lead support from:

Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting
Augusta Gross and Leslie Samuels

 

Jennifer Koh at the composer Missy Mazzoli's apartment in Brooklyn, rehearsing for a series of concerts at National Sawdust this month.CreditCaitlin Ochs for The New York Times

Listen to the creative process of bringing these works to life. Listen In on a Violinist’s Rehearsal Room
Hear the virtuoso Jennifer Koh work with three composers on new collaborations.
By Joshua Barone, The New York Times
"That was good," the violinist Jennifer Koh told the soprano and composer Lisa Bielawa during a recent rehearsal. But then she pointed to a spot on her sheet music and said, “I do think we should take more time here.” They were at Ms. Koh’s apartment in Upper Manhattan, practicing Ms. Bielawa’s “Sanctuary Songs,” which the two will perform together at National Sawdust this month as part of “Limitless,” Ms. Koh’s latest project to commission new music from a diverse slate of composers — who, in a new twist, will be onstage playing with her."