Kronos Quartet

About Kronos Quartet

Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet, active for over 50 years and based in San Francisco, celebrated for reimagining the string quartet experience through a broad repertoire that includes minimalism, contemporary classical, and avant-garde music. The ensemble is renowned for its inclusive approach, having commissioned over 1,200 works and released more than 75 albums, earning numerous accolades including three GRAMMY Awards. The current lineup features founder David Harrington (violin), Gabriela Díaz (violin), Ayane Kozasa (viola), and Paul Wiancko (cello). In their latest endeavors, Kronos Quartet released the album "Witness" in March 2025, a powerful portrait dedicated to Armenian-American composer Mary Kouyoumdjian, exploring themes of war, memory, and silenced voices through works related to the Armenian Genocide and the Lebanese Civil War. They are also set to release a new album, "Forgive Us For," on December 5, 2025, which continues their thematic focus and features a rendition of Hildur Guðnadóttir's "Fólk fær andlit" as a second single. The album includes diverse pieces such as "Ya Taali'een el-Jabal" (a Palestinian traditional work) and Mariana Sadovska's "Chernobyl. The Harvest". Their commitment to new music is evident through their "50 for the Future" initiative, which commissions works for aspiring quartets, with the final group of composers recently announced. In 2024, the Library of Congress acquired the Kronos Quartet/Kronos Performing Arts Association Archive, housing 50 years of their artistic legacy. The quartet continues to tour actively, with upcoming performances including "Three Bones" with pipa virtuoso Wu Man at Zankel Hall on April 25, 2026, which will explore Indigenous, Gullah-Geechee, and Chinese American communities. Other scheduled performances extend into 2027, including appearances at the Library of Congress, in Washington D.C., Santa Barbara, California, and Ottawa, Ontario. Their recent work increasingly integrates themes of activism, human rights, and global issues like climate change, often blending science and music.