Commissions
Kronos Quartet
Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential groups of our era, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 70 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, and collaborating with many of the world’s most accomplished composers and performers. Through its nonprofit organization, Kronos Performing Arts Association (KPAA), Kronos has commissioned more than 1,100 works and arrangements for string quartet—including the recently completed 50 for the Future library of free, educational repertoire. Kronos has received more than 40 awards, including three Grammy Awards and the Polar Music, Avery Fisher, and Edison Klassiek Oeuvre Prizes—among the most prestigious awards given to musicians.
In 2024, the Library of Congress announced its acquisition of the Archive of Kronos Quartet/Kronos Performing Arts Association, a collection that includes 50 years’ worth of manuscripts, instruments, costumes, video and audio recordings, photographs, and more. Together, these materials constitute an invaluable record of Kronos/KPAA’s genesis, growth, and legacy, and will now be permanently housed in the Library’s Music Division alongside the storied histories of influential artists and composers from around the world.
FreshGrass Commission
In 2019, to celebrate Pete Seeger’s 100th birthday, the FreshGrass Foundation commissioned the world-renowned string ensemble Kronos Quartet to create Music for Change: Pete Seeger @ 100, a multi-artist exploration of Seeger’s musical legacy. Check out a video of Kronos Quartet’s commission performance at the 2019 FreshGrass Festival in North Adams, MA.
The group collaborated with composers such as Jacob Garchik and a host of guest vocalists and fellow musicians, including Aoife O’Donovan, Sam Amidon, and Lee Knight as they tip their hats to Pete — a man who, together with his wife, Toshi, employed his prominence and musical fortitude to advance human kindness and social action with an indefatigable dedication, deeply felt integrity, and humility that resonates across generations. These works were later made into the album Long Time Passing: Kronos Quartet & Friends Celebrate Pete Seeger (Smithsonian Folkways), which was released in October 2020.
In 2021, the album won Album of the Year at the Folk Alliance International Awards!
