Kronos Quartet: Tiny Desk Concert
Tom Huizenga | March 23, 2026We rarely invite the same band back to the Tiny Desk. But the beloved Kronos Quartet, which first played our offices 12 years ago, isn't the same band. Three of the four members are brand new: Cellist Paul Wianko succeeded Suny Yang; violinist Gabriela Diaz and violist Ayane Kozasa replaced retiring original members John Sherba and Hank Dutt.
The newly rejuvenated quartet, still under the durable leadership of violinist and founder David Harrington, appears to be having more fun than ever. And it shows in these vigorous performances of pieces that are whimsical and socially conscious.
Neil Young wrote "Ohio" in the wake of the Kent State shootings in 1970, and Wianko's new arrangement, with its jolts of defiance, reverberates disturbingly today. A similar urgency pervades Billie Holiday's staple "Strange Fruit," which Harrington views as "the centerpiece of American music." The quartet arrangement struts a melodramatic introduction that gracefully slips into the song's languid despondency.
With over 1200 commissions of new pieces and arrangements, Kronos hasn't lost its indefatigable drive to champion new music, including that of Canadian composer and video artist Nicole Lizée. Another Living Soul asks Kronos for more than strings. The effects of whirly tubes, groan tubes, bells and vocalizing, lend a playful feel. The composer describes the piece as "stop animation for string quartet."
Kronos closes with commissioned music from Indonesian composer Peni Candra Rini, who includes the sounds of nature in "Hujan" (Rain), a piece which, despite its relaxed groove, laments climate change.
For over 50 years, Kronos has re-taught us how to listen to music, opening our ears to sounds from across the world, continually posing the question: What should a string quartet be in the 21st century?
SET LIST
Neil Young (arr. Wiancko): "Ohio"
Nicole Lizée: Another Living Soul
Abel Meeropol (arr. Garchik): "Strange Fruit"
Peni Candra Rini (arr. Garchik): "Hujan" (from Segara Gunung)
MUSICIANS
David Harrington: violin
Gabriela Diaz: violin
Ayane Kozasa: viola
Paul Wiancko: cello
TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Tom Huizenga
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Engineer/Mix: Neil Tevault
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame
Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai
Production Assistants: Dhanika Pineda, Alina Edwards
Photographer: Bronson Arcuri
Tiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Josh Newell
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
#nprmusic #tinydesk #kronosquartet
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