This spring, violinist Jennifer Koh created “Alone Together,” a project in which she is commissioning 21 established composers and 21 emerging composers to write short pieces for solo violin. The project is designed to support freelance composers as an artistic response to the coronavirus pandemic and the financial hardship it has placed on many in the music community. Koh has been performing the 30-second micro-works every week from her home, streamed live on Instagram TV and Facebook Live, and later archived at Koh’s YouTube page. The commission fee of $500 for emerging composers maintains a rate of $1,000 per minute of music; Koh and the more established composers are donating their services. Koh’s collaboration with composer Andrew Norman for “Alone Together” will premiere on May 16; it will be preceded on May 15 at 3 p.m. ET by a live-streamed conversation in which Koh and Norman discuss how this initiative is supporting freelance composers, offer advice for emerging artists, and share stories about their creative practices. Koh’s nonprofit ARCO Collaborative is producing the concerts with the support of commissioning partners National YoungArts Foundation and individual donors. More information is available at ARCO Collaborative’s website.
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