The singular Kronos Quartet is joined by Mary Kouyoumdjian, recipient of the most recent Kronos: Under 30 Project commission, for an open rehearsal at c4nm.
A New York City resident, Kouyoumdjian was chosen from a call for composers that yielded nearly 400 applicants in 43 countries on five continents, the largest response in the program’s history. Launched in 2003, the Under 30 Project is designed to help nurture the careers of young artists, while enabling Kronos to forge stronger connections with the next creative generation.
With this event the quartet will also be celebrating the installation of Kronos at 40: Instruments from the Collection. This exhibit, on display in the Window Gallery of c4nm from January 7 through February 28, features large sculptural instruments that were created for Kronos by Walter Kitundu, Victor Gama and others. Violinist David Harrington explains: “Composers and fellow musicians have learned about our fascination with the wide world of sounds and now, to our delight, frequently bring us instrumental gifts to add to our collection. As our palette of musical colors has grown bigger, we have attempted to make Kronos sound like many different instruments.”
Mary Kouyoumdjian’s Bombs of Beirut premieres as part of Kronos: Under 30 / #5 World Premiere, a series of four concerts February 6 – 9, 2014 at Z Space in San Francisco.