Photo of Jennifer Koh by Jürgen Frank
Violinist Jennifer Koh has won the inaugural Eroica Award for Outstanding Service to Music given by the Major Orchestra Librarians’ Association (MOLA), reports The Strad on Monday (6/6). “A champion of works by underrepresented composers, Koh received the new award at the 2022 MOLA Conference in Philadelphia on 5 June. ‘It is especially fitting that we have the opportunity to honor Jennifer Koh with this brand new award. Her pioneering spirit inspires all of us at MOLA to reflect on our roles in the performing arts …,’ commented MOLA president Georgina Govier…. During the pandemic, Koh commissioned and premiered 39 new solo works from diverse composers and shared them on social media. She turned the efforts into a recording, Alone Together, earning Koh a Grammy Award earlier this year for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. Koh continues to commission new works … in support of the freelance music community, members of which continue to struggle from the pandemic…. The criteria for the new Eroica Award included advocacy for the art form, artistic excellence and leadership. MOA encouraged nominations for those who champion underrepresented works or composers, mentor young musicians, bridge communities, or break new ground.” Koh is a member of the League of American Orchestras’ Board of Directors.
