BEGINNINGS

"I had a book where I would list every composer I had ever heard of"—DH

Between 1973 and 1978, Kronos went through various incarnations, each offering experiences that focused its mission. At first, they operated out of Harrington's one-room apartment, securing concerts throughout Washington, and commissioning works from Benshoof and other composers. In 1975, Harrington buttonholed visiting violinist Rostislav Dubinsky of the Borodin Quartet and went through a three-hour session on Shostakovich's Quartet No. 8. Kronos played the work two days after Shostakovich died, and right before Kronos (Jim Shallenberger, Tim Killian, and Walter Gray) traveled to the legendary Quartet Program training residency at the State University of New York, directed by Peter Marsh and the Lenox Quartet.

From 1975 to 1977, Kronos was in residence at the University in Geneseo, New York, where a range of composers passed through—from Lejaren Hiller and Morton Feldman to Elliott Carter and Iannis Xenakis. The Quartet played Berg's Lyric Suite and the Carter Second Quartet, in addition to standard repertoire. As various players moved through—violinists Roy Lewis and Richard Balkin, and violist Michael Jones—Harrington and cellist Walter Gray decided that the Quartet needed an environment of freedom and experimentation that would encourage exploration into new work. They settled on San Francisco.

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