Kronos: Under 30 Project

FACT SHEET

What is it? When and why was it created?

The Kronos: Under 30 Project is a program through which musicians under 30 years of age are selected to create music for the Kronos Quartet.

The program was conceived by the Kronos Quartet in 2003 to mark the 30th anniversary of the founding of the ensemble.

It was started out of Kronos’ desire to support the creation of new work by young artists, and to help Kronos cultivate stronger connections with young musicians in order to develop lasting artistic relationships with the next creative generation.

The Kronos: Under 30 Project is not a contest. In each round of the program, musicians are asked to submit a variety of works, regardless of instrumentation, to introduce Kronos to the music that some of the youngest members of the musical community are creating. Kronos reviews all materials and then chooses to collaborate with a composer with whom they feel a strong artistic commitment, and a new work is then created expressly for Kronos. Kronos also hopes to extend the relationships developed through the Under 30 Project into future artistic projects.

What is the process?

A Call for Applications is issued internationally.

From the applications received, one musician to whom Kronos feels artistically committed is chosen.

The selected composer is commissioned (by Kronos and one or two presenter partners) to create a new work for Kronos.

The selected composer is given a multi-week residency at the Lucas Artists Program at the Montalvo Arts Center in Northern California, providing the composer a supportive environment for creative work.

The composer joins Kronos in San Francisco for a residency to prepare the new piece, then attends the world premiere performance of the new work.

Kronos and staff provide ongoing support to the composer through all aspects of the process.

How often are Calls of Applications issued?

The Kronos: Under 30 Project is not an annual program. Calls for Applications are announced irregularly. Prospective applicants are encouraged to join the Kronos Quartet’s mailing list, through which Calls for Applications are announced.

Who applies?

Any musician under 30 years old by the date of the application deadline is welcome to apply.

In the first three installments of the Kronos: Under 30 Project, nearly 1,000 applications from 49 countries on six continents have been received.

What works have been commissioned through the Kronos: Under 30 Project so far?

#1: Alexandra du Bois (b. 1981), String Quartet: Oculus pro oculo totum orbem terrae caecat (2003). She was subsequently commissioned to write another quartet, Night Songs (Nachtliederen), for Kronos in 2006.

Alexandra du Bois' String Quartet: Oculus pro oculo totum orbem terrae caecat was commissioned as part of the Kronos: Under 30 Project for the Kronos Quartet by the Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College; the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation; and the Kronos Performing Arts Association.

World premiere: April 5, 2003, Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA

#2: Felipe Perez Santiago (b. 1973), CampoSanto (2004). He has been commissioned to write another quartet for Kronos, Encandilado (Blinded by Light), which is scheduled to be premiered in June 2007.

CampoSanto by Felipe Perez Santiago was commissioned as part of the Kronos: Under 30 Project/#2 for the Kronos Quartet by Stanford Lively Arts/Stanford University through a generous gift from Mrs. Ralph I. Dorfman, the National Endowment for the Arts, the San Francisco Foundation, and the Board of Directors of the Kronos Performing Arts Association on the occasion of Kronos' 30th anniversary.

World premiere: April 16, 2004, Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

#3: Dan Visconti (b. 1982), Love Bleeds Radiant (2005)
Dan Visconti's Love Bleeds Radiant was commissioned for the Kronos Quartet as part of the Kronos: Under 30 Project / #3 by The Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College. Additional support was provided by the Angel Stoyanof Commission Fund, The James Irvine Foundation, the Margaret E. Lyon Trust, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the San Francisco Foundation, the Fleishhacker Foundation, the American Music Center, the Kronos Performing Arts Association, and the Sally and Don Lucas Artists Programs at Montalvo Arts Center.

World premiere: January 14, 2006, Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA

Kronos has continued to perform these works throughout the world, from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Barbican in London, the Alhambra in Granada (Spain) to the Town Hall in Auckland (New Zealand).