Kronos Quartet
For nearly 40 years, the Kronos Quartet has pursued a singular artistic vision, combining a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to expanding the range and context of the string quartet.
In the process, Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential groups of our time, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 45 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, collaborating with many of the world’s most eclectic composers and performers, and commissioning more than 750 works and arrangements for string quartet. In 2011, Kronos became the only recipients of both the Polar Music Prize and the Avery Fisher Prize, two of the most prestigious awards given to musicians. The group’s numerous awards also include a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance (2004) and “Musicians of the Year” (2003) from Musical America.
Kronos kicks-off programming for Big Ears 2022 with a brief but powerful free set at the Tennessee Amphitheater at World’s Fair Park. This 30 minute performances has many Kronos trademarks, daring new work by composer and Bang on a Can co-founder Michael Gordon, a piece by the Iranian composer Aftab Darvishi, new arrangements of a pair of iconic American songs, and music from the daring film composer Clint Mansell, with whom Kronos has had a deeply productive and popular collaboration over the past two decades.
