Kronos Quartet

Founded in Seattle in 1973 by violinist David Harrington and then based in San Francisco from 1978, Kronos Quartet has established itself in the field of the American string quartet by broadening its scope to contemporary composition, minimalism, and repertoires drawn from jazz, traditional music, tango, film music, and the experimental. Kronos Quartet's trajectory rests on ongoing commissions and interpretations of new works, with more than a thousand pieces written for the ensemble over the decades by composers such as Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Arvo Pärt, John Adams, George Crumb, Astor Piazzolla or Osvaldo Golijov. Its discography, very extensive, includes White Man Sleeps (1987), Winter Was Hard (1990), Pieces of Africa (1992), Short Stories (1993), Night Prayers (1994), Kronos Caravan (2000), Floodplain (2009), A Thousand Thoughts (2018) and Folk Songs (2025). Kronos Quartet has also developed a regular dialogue with the rock scene, pop, world music and cinema, recording or performing with a wide range of artists and on soundtracks such as Mishima (1985), Dracula (1998), Requiem for a Dream (2000) or The Fountain (2006). After several lineup changes, Kronos Quartet today comprises David Harrington, Gabriela Díaz, Ayane Kozasa and Paul Wiancko.