< Repertory Concert

Ensemble performances of new music, world music and unique collaborations.

< Ghost Opera

Music by Tan Dun with special guest artist, Wu Man, pipa virtuoso.

< Black Angels

Of all the music that captured the imagination of a young David Harrington before he formed the Kronos Quartet, nothing was more powerful than George Crumb’s Black Angels. This epic work was Crumb’s response to the agony of the Vietnam War. This reconstruction of this contemporary masterpiece offers audiences an insight into the early influences on the greatest music ensemble of a generation.

“…retains its landmark status in the annals of this century’s music. Like another pivotal masterpiece, Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, of sixty years earlier, in which everything in common knowledge about rhythm, harmony, and orchestration was turned upside down, Crumb’s extraordinary work redefines a string quartet’s range of possibilities."

—Robert Schwartz, on the 25th Anniversary of Kronos Quartet

< Sun Rings

Music by Terry Riley, sounds from space, visual design by Willie Williams, commissioned by NASA.

Multi-media, evening length

< Alternative Radio

Kronos Quartet invites radio host David Barsamian to join them for a special stage version of his program, Alternative Radio, giving new voice to issues and insights neglected by mainstream media. Kronos provides the prism for a thrilling musical experience which explores contemporary international culture – in such contexts as politics, economics and environmentalism – by interweaving discussions with scholars and other guests, led by Barsamian.

“I’ve always resisted the idea of the string quartet as an art form that exists for Sunday afternoon soirées. I feel emboldened and empowered and enabled to make programs of our music that, in their own way, examine things in our society. While making concerts that are still incredibly gripping and fun and richly textured, I am looking for a community of people who are able to make statements about what we’re all a part of."

—David Harrington, Kronos Quartet