November, 2009

Dear Friends,

In 1995, when I was 25 years old, I left my home in Serbia and came to San Francisco to study composition at the Conservatory of Music. The Kronos Quartet was one of very few ensembles whose name and fame crossed over the borders into Serbia, isolated by wars during the 1990s. Of all the places in the world, I moved into the same neighborhood in San Francisco where Kronos resided. The coincidence was so incredible that I enthusiastically sent the score of my first string quartet to Kronos.

Soon after, I got a call from David Harrington – a call that marked the beginning of the long journey of my growth as an artist. Even with an incomparable touring program that takes the group to 15 countries over 22 weeks throughout the year; a non-stop rehearsal schedule to prepare new pieces (over 650 have been commissioned or arranged for Kronos over a 35-year span!); mentoring young composers and performers throughout the world (including the upcoming Professional Training Workshop at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute); a demanding recording schedule; plus over 75 concert and residency engagements annually – Kronos still manages to be an advisor, a mentor, a role model, and an inspiration for, and fervent advocate of, my work.

In my opinion, Kronos knows no equal in the creation, development, and presentation of new work. And few organizations have so fearlessly based their mission on the risky, fragile process of commissioning new work, very often from emerging composers. This creative process requires a lot of support and communication facilitated by the Kronos team. Kronos’ density and breadth of commissioning is relentless, with a constant influx of works that speak in dramatic and personal ways about our lives and the world we live in – a true legacy – and an incalculable contribution to the world of ideas and the spirit of our time.

I was thrilled to become a member of the larger Kronos “family” – the most creative, encouraging, demanding, and expansive family of any I have known. I have been fortunate to participate in Kronos’ unique way of music making, pushing boundaries, communicating with audiences that speak a myriad of languages and belong to diverse cultures, charting totally new paths, and unapologetically keeping true to its mission in a most profound, distinctively American, way.

The journey where recordings like Pieces of Africa, Nuevo, or Floodplain (and some 45 others!) have taken us all is a striking reminder that neither composers nor audiences need to be a part of any homogenous group in order to communicate. Visionaries like Kronos, whose devotion to one of the marvels of the human mind – music – remind us that there is always a place where we all belong together.

I encourage you to participate in our passion for making music by investing generously in Kronos’ legacy for our world and our time. I hope, too, that you will engage in the many benefits Kronos offers you for your gift.

Sincerely,

Aleksandra Vrebalov
Composer

Photo by Sasha Jancic