Kronos Quartet
Beyond the Golden Gate
David Lei, speaker
Wu Man, pipa
Including a world premiere by Lei Liang; additional music by Philip Glass, Dai Wei, and Wu Man; and arrangements and realizations by Michael Riesman, Jack Body, Wu Man, and Danny Clay
Visuals by knot artist Windy Chien and cinematographer Gary L. Baker II
The two-part program also features world premieres by Victoria Shen and Dai Wei and additional music by Nicole Lizée and Angélica Negrón
Since its founding 50 years ago, the peerless Kronos Quartet has revolutionized what a string quartet can be. Through collaborations with musicians and composers across the globe, robust commissioning initiatives, pace-setting educational programs, and just plain stellar musicianship, Kronos has made concert music relevant and responsive to the people and issues of our time.
Joined by the next generation of Kronos musicians in the quartet’s current lineup, founder David Harrington has doubled down on the ensemble’s mission. This remarkable two-part program features new and recent works by an international cohort of strikingly original women composers plus a special presentation of Beyond the Golden Gate, a hybrid performance-discussion-screening with Bay Area community activist David Lei that explores the impact of Chinese Americans on American culture.
This event is part of Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Exile & Sanctuary” programming for the 2025–26 season.
Run time for this performance is approximately 2 hours including intermission
| Nicole Lizée | Death to Kosmische (2010)* |
| Victoria Shen | The Same Rules Do Not Apply in The Outer Orbit (2025, World Premiere)* |
| Traditional (arr. Jonathan Berger) | Ya Taali’een ‘ala el-Jabal (inspired by Rim Banna)† |
| Dai Wei | Through the Paper Gate (2025, World Premiere)* |
| Angélica Negrón | Marejada (2020)** |
Beyond the Golden GateWith special guests |
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| Music Philip Glass (arr. Michael Riesman) |
Orion: China (2004)† |
| Dai Wei | Through the Narrow Gate (2024)* |
| Traditional, from the Yi (arr. Jack Body) | Long-ge † |
| Traditional (arr. Wu Man and Kronos Quartet) | “Namu Amida” from Early Chinese Music (2006)† |
| Lei Liang | Oceanic Migrants, for open instrumentation with fixed media (2025, World Premiere)* |
| Wu Man (real. Danny Clay) | Two Chinese Paintings (2015)** Wu Man/“Ancient Echo” ** Traditional/“Silk and Bamboo” (inspired by Huanlege) † |
* Written for Kronos
** Written for Kronos Fifty for the Future
† Arranged for Kronos
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Related Illuminations Event
Kronos Quartet
Beyond the Golden Gate
Pre-performance Panel
Sat, Oct 11, 6:30–7:30pm
Zellerbach Hall
Free and open to performance ticket holders
In this pre-performance panel, UC Berkeley faculty and community leaders will discuss the context and history behind Beyond the Golden Gate, as well as its relation to their own work and Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Exile & Sanctuary” theme. This conversation is moderated by SanSan Kwan, professor and department chair for Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies at UC Berkeley, whose research interests and published work span dance and performance studies, as well as Asian American studies. Panelists include Andrew Leong, assistant professor of English at UC Berkeley; Edward Tepporn, Executive Director of Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation; and Leti Volpp, UC Berkeley’s Robert D. and Leslie Kay Raven Professor of Law in Access to Justice.
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Kronos Quartet
Beyond the Golden Gate
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* There is a $15 per order service charge on ticket purchases made by phone or online that are not part of a subscription package, and a $20 service charge on all subscription orders. There is no fee for tickets purchased in person at the Zellerbach Hall Ticket Office unless they are part of a subscription. This fee helps to underwrite the cost of providing services online and by phone, as well as programs needed for digital order delivery.