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Kronos Quartet

EXCLUSIVE: Q&A with David Harrington of Kronos Quartet on 'Fifty for the Future' Premiere

With so many innovative composers now edging into the mainstream, navigating the forms and structures of the new musical landscape can seem a daunting task, for listeners and young composers alike. To be sure, modern works have enjoyed an increase in visibility, but while there is no shortage of outlets for these pieces to be judged, there are precious few opportunities for them to be studied. Forever straddling the "cutting-edge" or the "ultra-contemporary", much of the 21st Century repertoire has been anxiously awaiting induction into the western---if not, global---music canon. To remedy this, David Harrington, Artistic Director of the Kronos Quartet, has recently flung open a new door, embarking on a project that has the potential to fundamentally transform the way music is taught in the 21st Century. Welcome to the Fifty for the Future Project.
By Steve Nagel

  • Bryce Dessner, a National Treasure of Contemporary Classical

    Bryce Dessner is a renaissance man of contemporary classical composition. Known to most popular music fans as an indie rock guitarist, Dessner’s compositional talent can’t be confined to any singular category.
    By Philip Trapp

  • New LP 'Varmints': Composer Anna Meredith's Bold Departure From Classical Towards Pop

    Classical composers don't always remain classical composers. Some embrace multiple projects; others ditch the medium entirely for something more down-to-earth. Neither column can perfectly sum up the experience of composer Anna Meredith regarding her sudden departure from the classical medium and her foray into world of electronica and pop music -- a genre which, at 37, she admitted was foreign territory. A former in-house composer with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and with Sinfonia ViVA, her electronic work (previewed in her 2012/2013 EPs) has culminated in the March 4th release of her debut album Varmints (under Moshi Moshi Records).
    By Steve Nagel
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