March 16, 2022
American Kronos Quartet will perform at several concerts and events at the Norwegian festival, in its 70th edition.
As artist-in-residence the Kronos Quartet will participate at the outdoors opening ceremony, perform a family concert in an aquarium and chamber concert in the medieval royal hall Håkonshallen. The four musicians will also take part in a talk and workshops.
‘Kronos is proud to be coming to Norway as artists in residence at the Bergen International Festival. We look forward to being inspired, as we always are, by your beautiful country with such attentive, devoted listeners and such a vibrant musical community,’ says violinist and founder David Harrington.
Kronos Quartet will stay in Bergen for about a week, as part of their first European visit since the pandemic.
‘The Kronos Quartet is a living institution and a travelling musical beacon. For decades these artists have moved boundaries and redefined what constitutes a modern string quartet. They are always looking forward, commissioning new works and finding exciting new musical partners. We are immensely looking forward to welcoming them as artist-in-residence to the 70th edition of the Bergen International Festival, says the Festival’s chief programming officer, Tonje E. Peersen.
For more than 45 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet has combined a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to continually reimagine the string quartet experience. In the process, Kronos has become one of the world’s most celebrated and influential ensembles, performing thousands of concerts, releasing more than 60 recordings, collaborating with countless composers and performers, and commissioning over 1000 works and arrangements for string quartet. The group has won over 40 awards, including three Grammys.
Kronos Quartet consists of the violinists David Harrington and John Sherba, violist Hank Dutt and cellist Sunny Yang.
The 70th edition of the Bergen International Festival opens 25 May 2022 and lasts until 8 June. More than 70 events have now been launched.
Bergen International Festival is a Commissioning Partner for Kronos’ Fifty for the Future.
The Kronos Quartet's artistic and educational partnership with Bergen International Festival is made possible by the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation. This engagement is also supported in part by Mid Atlantic Arts through USArtists International, a programme in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Trust for Mutual Understanding.