After a triumphant jump-in performance last season, we’re delighted to welcome back Guest Conductor Darko Butorac. Butorac’s program features a favorite piece of his, Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, a powerful work written near the end of World War II that captures the struggle and optimism of the human spirit amidst wartime. The program is balanced by Mozart’s sweet and pure 4th violin concerto played by young prodigy Karisa Chiu.

EPSG:4326

Masterworks 3: Darko

Martin Woldson Theater

“No string quartet has ever been so popular or has had so wide an audience, globally, and culturally” (Los Angeles Times). The trailblazing Kronos Quartet continues to rewrite the rules of the string quartet, proving time and again the urgent relevance of the beloved art form. Experience the ensemble members’ virtuosity and adventuresome spirit when they return to Carnegie Hall with a program that features two premieres co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall: music by Sun Ra, reimagined by Terry Riley and Sara Miyamoto in collaboration with Kronos, and a new piece by Norwegian artists Benedicte Maurseth and Kristine Tjøgersen—with Maurseth and Kronos joining forces on Hardanger fiddles. Also on the program is Aleksandra Vrebalov’s lyrical Gold Came From Space, a New York premiere written for Kronos.
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Kronos Quartet

Carnegie Hall

On this concert we lean into the stormy side of symphonic music in Sibelius’s dramatic and beautiful 5th Symphony, and we will feature the TSO’s own concertmaster Zsolt Eder for Robert Schumann’s haunting violin concerto. We will also perform Serbian-American composer Aleksandra Vrebalov’s This Kiss For The Whole World, a beautiful recent piece inspired by the text of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

Stormy Weather

Washburn University

Nicole Paiement and the New Music Ensemble present a program celebrating the career of Elinor Armer, celebrating her over 50 years as a member of SFCM's Composition Department. A noted Bay Area composer, Armer's music spans a variety of ensembles settings and genres; the Conservatory is proud to honor her legacy.

New Music Ensemble

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Featuring the recorded voices of Mahalia Jackson and Studs Terkel.

PPU Pittsburgh Playhouse

Celebrate Five Decades of Transformative Music with Kronos Quartet

Join us for an unforgettable evening as the Kronos Quartet marks its 50th anniversary with a special concert at Sixth & I on Saturday, November 11, 2023, at 7:30 PM. Renowned for their revolutionary approach to string quartet repertoire, Kronos Quartet has been a formidable force in the world of music, collaborating with some of the most inventive composers and performers across the globe.

This milestone event will showcase the Quartet's legacy initiative, "50 For the Future: The Learning Repertoire," featuring a series of commissions by composers from around the world. The program promises an eclectic mix of compositions that highlight the Quartet's commitment to pushing musical boundaries and fostering new works. Highlights include:

- Nicole Lizée's "ZonelyHearts: PhoneTap CCTV"
- An excerpt from "Segara Gunung" by Peni Candra Rini, arranged by Jacob Garchick
- "Maji" by Sun Ra and Jlin, arranged by Kronos Quartet
- Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," inspired by Jimi Hendrix and arranged by Jacob Garchick
- "Only Ever Us" by Paul Wiancko
- "God-music" from "Black Angels" by George Crumb
- The world premiere of Aleksandra Vrebalov's "Gold Came From Space"
- Terry Riley's "This Assortment of Atoms One Time Only: Lunch in Chinatown"
- "The Beatitudes" by Vladamir Martynov
- "Tusen Tankar (A Thousand Thoughts)" a traditional piece, arranged by Kronos Quartet
- "Glorious Mahalia" by Stacy Garrop

The New York Times has lauded the Kronos Quartet for breaking the boundaries of what string quartets do, and this concert is a testament to their innovative spirit and artistic leadership over the past five decades.

This performance is supported by the generous contributions of the Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts, Betsy and Robert Feinberg, the Galena-Yorktown Foundation, and Pamela Sutherland, among others, who have played a crucial role in bringing this event to life.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience the Kronos Quartet's groundbreaking music and celebrate their 50-year journey of artistic excellence. Reserve your tickets now for an evening of extraordinary music and innovation.

Sixth & I

A group of military wives gathers after rumors of a possible incident on the battlefront. Their husbands are fighting the war in Fallujah. Meanwhile, a young Army officer makes the long journey to their gathering place. Named for the expression military spouses use for notifications of death, The Knock explores what must be endured by the loved ones of those who serve. Based on years of interviews with real spouses of American soldiers, this new opera tells dramatic stories of heroism that often go unheard, tragedies that go far beyond the conflict. 

The Knock

Cincinnati Music Hall

There are countless string quartets—both ensembles and works—but saxophone quartets? With this lineup, the MAAT Saxophone Quartet is making a name for itself. As the European Concert Hall Organization's "Rising Star," they will tour throughout Europe in the 2025/26 season. After eight sold-out children's concerts in 2024, they will also return to the Elbphilharmonie with a program that showcases the quartet's diversity, with arrangements ranging from string quartets to piano concertos.

Aleksandra Vrebalov

Events

Upcoming events

Jan 19, 2026

Size Saxophone Quartet · Elbphilharmonie

Past events

8 - 9 Nov, 2025

Masterworks 3: Darko · Spokane Symphony

Mar 28, 2025

Kronos Quartet · Carnegie Hall

About

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