Kronos Quartet founder, artistic director, and violinist David Harrington stopped by for the Nonesuch Selects video series, in which artists visit the Nonesuch office, pick some of their favorite albums from the music library, and share a few words on their choices. He chose recordings by Carlos Paredes, Dumisani Abraham Maraire, Astor Piazzolla, and Steve Reich.

Kronos Quartet—whose 50th anniversary concert season culminates with the group's ninth annual hometown Kronos Festival at SFJAZZ in San Francisco through Sunday—has released several of its classic Nonesuch Records titles remastered in Spatial Audio on Apple Music Classical. You can hear Black Angels; Pieces of Africa; Howl, U.S.A.; Kronos Caravan; Nuevo; Terry Riley's Sun Rings; and Steve Reich's Different Trains, Triple Quartet, and WTC 9/11 in Spatial Audio on Apple Music Classical now. And check out Kronos founder and violinist David Harrington's interview with Apple Music Classical, about the quartet and its legacy, in the Kronos Quartet Essentials playlist.

The Library of Congress has acquired the collection of manuscripts, instruments, costumes, video and audio recordings, and more from Kronos Quartet and its non-profit organization, Kronos Performing Arts Association. “It’s gratifying to know that Kronos’ legacy will be preserved in perpetuity alongside the manuscripts and other treasures of so many other influential musicians from the US and around the world," said KPAA Executive Director Janet Cowperthwaite. "We are perhaps even more excited to reflect upon all the musicians and scholars who will have access to these materials in years to come, informing their own work and carrying Kronos’ inspiration and influence into the future.” The Library also appointed Kronos founder, artistic director, and violinist David Harrington as the Kluge Chair in Modern Culture and inducted Kronos’ 1992 album Pieces of Africa into the National Recording Registry.

Congratulations to Kronos Quartet, whose acclaimed 1992 Nonesuch album Pieces of Africa has been named one of twenty-five recordings to be inducted into the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress for 2024. "It planted a seed for our work," Kronos founder and violinist David Harrington says of the album. "It's flowered so beautifully."

Kronos Quartet has announced its ninth-annual Kronos Festival, to take place at SFJAZZ Center, June 20–23, 2024. The festival marks the ensemble’s milestone 50th Anniversary year and the farewell performances of John Sherba and Hank Dutt, members of Kronos Quartet for more than 45 years. It will feature a slate of world and Bay Area premieres commissioned as part of the KRONOS Five Decades season; several guest artists; and the final performance of A Thousand Thoughts, a live documentary chronicling the quartet’s career, written and directed by Sam Green and Joe Bini.

Following Kronos Quartet’s historic 50th-anniversary season, longtime members John Sherba (violin) and Hank Dutt (viola) will retire from the ensemble at the end of June. Dutt joined Kronos in 1977; he and founder David Harrington (violin) recruited Sherba to join the group in 1978. Between now and the end of June, Sherba and Dutt will perform more than 20 shows with Harrington and cellist Paul Wiancko, who joined the quartet in 2023, culminating at the ninth annual Kronos Festival at the SFJAZZ Center. Kronos will enter its sixth decade with two new members: violinist Gabriela Díaz and violist Ayane Kozasa will join Harrington and Wiancko.

As part of Kronos: Five Decades, the year-long celebration of Kronos Quartet’s 50th anniversary, the group is publishing five decade-spanning playlists curated by its founder and violinist David Harrington. The fifth and final playlist, featuring music Kronos performed in its fifth decade, 2013–2022, is out now. It includes music from their album A Thousand Thoughts; Folk Songs, with vocals by Sam Amidon, Olivia Chaney, Natalie Merchant, and Rhiannon Giddens; their Grammy-winning collaboration with Laurie Anderson, Landfall; and Terry Riley's Sun Rings. You can hear it here.

Kronos Quartet’s award-winning 1990 album Black Angels is now available on vinyl to coincide with Kronos Quartet: Five Decades, a year-long celebration of the quartet’s 50th anniversary, and Nonesuch Records' 60th anniversary. First released in 1990, the album features George Crumb’s title piece, which inspired David Harrington to found the quartet in 1973, and works by Charles Ives, István Márta, Thomas Tallis, and Dmitri Shostakovich. The fourth side of the vinyl is an etching of an illustration created especially for this purpose by Matt Mahurin, whose work is featured on the original album cover. The Evening Standard included Black Angels among its “100 Definitive Classical Albums of the 20th Century.”

As part of Kronos: Five Decades, the year-long celebration of Kronos Quartet’s 50th anniversary, the group is publishing five decade-spanning playlists curated by its founder and violinist David Harrington. The latest, featuring music Kronos performed in its fourth decade, 2003–2012, is out now. It includes works the quartet recorded on Nonesuch by Sigur Rós, Henryk Górecki, Clint Mansell, R.D. Burman, Ramallah Underground, Rokia Traoré, Pēteris Vasks, Terry Riley, Vladimir Martynov, Steve Reich, and more. You can hear it here.

As part of Nonesuch Records's 60th anniversary celebrations, the 2024 Big Ears Festival lineup includes fifteen Nonesuch artists past, present, and future. Ahead of the festival, taking place in Knoxville, TN, March 21–24, we've got a playlist of music from all of those artists: Sam Amidon, Laurie Anderson, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Tyondai Braxton, Rhiannon Giddens, Mary Halvorson, Robin Holcomb, Wayne Horvitz, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Kronos Quartet, Brad Mehldau, Ringdown (Caroline Shaw and Danni Lee), Davóne Tines, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, and Yasmin Williams. You can hear it here via Spotify and Apple Music.

As part of Kronos: Five Decades, the year-long celebration of Kronos Quartet’s 50th anniversary, the group is publishing five decade-spanning playlists curated by its founder and violinist David Harrington. The latest, featuring music Kronos performed in its third decade, 1993–2002, is out now. It includes works the quartet recorded on Nonesuch by Alberto Domínguez, R.D. Burman, Alfred Schnittke, Lee Hyla and Allen Ginsberg, Henryk Górecki, Clint Mansell, Severiano Briseño, Tan Dun, Osvaldo Golijov, Guillaume de Machaut, Christopher Tye, John Cage, Hildegard von Bingen, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Sapo Perapaskero, Carlos Paredes, Michael Daugherty, Scott Johnson, Esquivel, Café Tacvba, Sofia Gubaidulina, Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, and Morton Feldman. You can hear it here.

As part of Kronos: Five Decades, the year-long celebration of Kronos Quartet’s 50th anniversary, the group is publishing five decade-spanning playlists curated by its founder and violinist David Harrington. The latest, featuring music Kronos performed in its second decade, 1983–1992, is out now. It includes works the quartet recorded on Nonesuch by Steve Reich, Ornette Coleman, Philip Glass, John Zorn, Henryk Górecki, Kevin Volans, Thomas Tallis, Astor Piazzolla, Jack Body, Terry Riley, and Arvo Pärt. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube here.