*   Written for Kronos
** Written for Fifty for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire
^†    Arranged for Kronos

Longtime Cal Performances friends and collaborators Kronos Quartet—”the most far-ranging ensemble geographically, nationally, and stylistically the world has known” (Los Angeles Times), returns with the newest edition of its visionary 50 for the Future project. With 40 compositions commissioned, premiered, and shared to date—and downloaded nearly 20,000 times by musicians in 100+ countries!—the ongoing multiyear project features new works by an international and diverse group of composers, made available online with the goal of training students and emerging professionals in contemporary approaches to string quartet music. This concert features new works by Terry Riley and Cal Performances’ 2021–22 artist-in-residence, Angélique Kidjo.

For the second half of the concert, Kronos is joined by Mahsa Vahdat, a prominent performer of Persian vocal music who collaborated with the quartet on the evocative 2019 recording Placeless. The project features melodies Vahdat composed to classical poems by Hafez and Rumi, as well as contemporary texts by Iranian poets. “[Vahdat] is an alluring, descriptive singer….The sheer seductiveness of her voice and style proved compelling” (Los Angeles Times).

An Illuminations “Place and Displacement” event.

The run time for this performance is approximately 75 minutes, with pauses.