“The Kronos Quartet has broken the boundaries of what string quartets do”
– The New York Times

For five astounding decades, the multi-GRAMMY Award-winning Kronos Quartet has reimagined what the string quartet experience can be. Don’t miss one of our era’s most celebrated and influential groups with over 70 released recordings and thousands of concerts performed worldwide, live in Centennial Hall.

San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet—David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola), and Paul Wiancko (cello)—has blended sounds across lines of culture and era, moving beyond the typical terrain for a string quartet. Through brave sonic explorations into the pressing issues of our time, Kronos has established a worldwide influence. This year, the multi-GRAMMY-winning, San Francisco-based quartet will mark its fiftieth anniversary with the KRONOS Five Decades tour, adding to its legacy of innovation by performing programs featuring new commissions, signature works from its vast repertoire, and pieces from Kronos’ Fifty for the Future project.

Kronos’ work has featured prominently in several films, including A Thousand Thoughts by Sam Green. Most recently, the quartet performed on the soundtrack for Users (2021) and is both seen and heard in the documentary Zappa (2020). Kronos’ music has been featured in two Academy Award–nominated documentaries: Dirty Wars (2013) and How to Survive a Plague (2012). Kronos has also recorded complete film scores by Jacob Garchik for Guy Maddin’s The Green Fog (2017); Clint Mansell for Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain (2006) and Requiem for a Dream (2000); and Philip Glass for Dracula (1999)—a restored edition of the 1931 Bela Lugosi classic.

Kronos Quartet: Five Decades is co-commissioned by Arizona Arts Live.