WOMEX – the World Music Expo, the leading meeting of the global music scene, taking place in the Canary Islands 24–28 October, have announced that the world-famous Kronos Quartet are to receive the 2018 WOMEX Artist Award and will conclude WOMEX 18 with a live concert in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Last year saw Kronos Quartet team up with Nonesuch label mates Sam Amidon, Olivia Chaney, Rhiannon Giddens, and Natalie Merchant to transport traditional folk songs to new arrangements for Folk Songs. Later that same year they released Ladilikan – a bold fusion of the musical traditions from the West and those of Africa, more specifically of the Mali griot tradition, here represented by Trio Da Kali.
Their endeavours have also leapt beyond albums. Fifty for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire is a string quartet commissioning, performance, education, and legacy project of unprecedented scope and potential impact. We spoke with David Harrington of Kronos Quartet about the project here who explained:
“We want to create a repertoire of exciting, exploratory music for ourselves and for other groups, especially young and emerging groups. Scores and parts can be downloaded free of charge from the website. You can go onto the website and stream the first 20 pieces. The program involves Carnegie Hall and many concert halls, individuals and festivals. Also, we’ve encouraged all the composers to provide a video. For example, Garth Knox gives a world-class lesson in how to make a huge variety of sounds using the bow in untraditional ways. We are thrilled with the variety and the different approaches to sound.”
If WOMEX claims to be the most diverse music meeting, then San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet is arguably the most diverse string quartet when it comes to repertoire. Throughout over 60 studio recordings and countless performances all over the globe, Kronos Quartet have taken two violins, viola and cello to entirely new horizons. They have earned worldwide acclaim not only for travelling from minimal music and contemporary composition to jazz and for collaborations with iconic pop stars and avant-garde artists such as Laurie Anderson, but also for their work with Azerbaijani composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, Chinese pipa player Wu Man, Argentine composer and bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla, Indian singer Asha Bhosle and 2016 WOMEX showcasers Trio Da Kali from Mali. Their music celebrates openness, curiosity, and intercultural dialogue; what could be more deserving of the WOMEX Artist Award than this?
“Kronos is honored and proud to receive the WOMEX Artist Award. WOMEX is an energizing and galvanizing force for the world of music. That Kronos is now included in the amazing roster of awardees is both humbling and a huge challenge as we chart our future musical routes and adventures. We celebrate our membership in the global community of musicians every day as we attempt, with every note we play, to offer paths forward reflecting the inspiring possibilities shown us by our incredible composers and collaborators. The fabric of future music needs all the strength, vitality and broad vision we can muster. The WOMEX Artist Award propels us into the future, and we are very grateful.”
David Harrington, Artistic Director, Founder, Violinist, Kronos Quartet
Find out more here: http://www.womex.com/
We’ll be bringing you more on showcase artists at WOMEX soon.